The Artist Medium

Objectives:

To familiarize oneself of how an artwork is made, put together, or organized

To determine the meaning conveyed by the art and how an artwork makes life more meaningful

To appreciate the vase of self-trust in producing art

To compare and contrast the different mediums in art production

To come up with simple art presentation

Terms to remember

Medium- It refers to the material used by an artist.

Technique –It is the manner in which the artist controls the medium to achieve desires effect.
Combined arts – art those whose mediums can be both seen and heard and which exist in both space
and time.
Painting- It is the art of creating meaning can be both seen and heard and which exist in both space and
time.
Painting- is the art of creating meaning effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments.
Architecture is the art of designing and constructing a structure.
Sculpture –it is the construction of a figure by putting together module segment of the material.

Medium comes from the latin word medium, denotes the means by which an artist communicates his
idea. These are the materials which are used by an artist to interpret his feelings or thoughts.

On the basis of medium, the arts are primarily classified as visual and auditory.

Visual Arts- are those whose mediums can be seen and which occupy space. These are grouped into
two classes:
1. Dimentional art or two –dimensional arts- it include painting ,drawing, printmaking, photography
2. Three –dimensional arts it includes sculpture, architecture, landscape, community planning, industrial
design, and crafts like ceramics and furniture.

Auditory arts are those which mediums can be heard and which are expressed in time. These are music
and literature.

Combined arts-are those whose mediums can be both seen and heard and which exist in both space and
time. It include dance, opera, drama and film. Along with the music, these are also known as performing
arts, an art from which depict a significant event and is presented before an audience.

Technique- It is the manner in which the artist controls his medium to achieve the desiresd effect. It is
the ability with which he fulfills the technical requirements of his particular work of art. It has something
to do with the way he manipulates his medium to express his ideas in the artwork.
Mediums of Visual Arts

Visual arts are those arts that can be perceived with our eyes. The most common visual arts are
painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Painting

Painting is the art of creating meaningful effect on a flat surface by the use of pigment.Different
mediums are used in painting. These mediums are applied to wet plaster, canvas, wood or paper.

Watercolor

Watercolor is difficult to handle because producing warm and rich tones using this medium proves to be
a challenge. It invite brilliance and a variety of hues.

Stained Glass

Stained Glass as an artwork is common in Gothic cathedrals and churches. It is made by combining small
pieces of colored glass, held together by bands of lead.It is also a kind of patchwork.

Drawing

Drawing is usually done on paper using pencil ,pen,and ink, or charcoal. It is the most fundamental of all
skills necessary in arts. Drawing has always been considered as vary good training for artist because it
makes one concentrate on the use of line.

Medium of drawing:

Pencil leads(graphite) are graded in different degrees of hardness or softness.

Ink is one of the oldest mediums still in use, offer a great variety of qualities, depending on the tools
and techniques used in application.
a. Indian ink- from liquid form, it is favorite medium of comic strips illustrators and
cartoonists.
b. Chinese ink,comes in solid sticks that are dissolved in water before they are used.
Charcoal is a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic substances in the
absence of oxygen.

Bistre

Bistre is a brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood and often used in pen and wash drawings.

Crayons

Crayon are pigments bound by wax and compressed into painted sticks used for drawing. It is popular
among children in elementary grades. Crayons adhere better on paper surface.

Silverpoint

To produce a silverpoint artwork, the artist uses a silver stylus to produce a thin grayish on specially
prepared paper. Silverpoint drawings were popular during the Renaissance period.

Printmaking

A print is anything printed on a surface that is a direct result from the duplication process. The painting
or graphic image, usually done in black ink on white paper.
Lithography

Lithography is a surface printing done from an almost smooth surface which has been treated chemically
or mechanically so that some surface areas will print and others will not. It is known as planographic
process, involves the process in which grease repels water and fatty substances stick to each other.

Sculpture
In choosing a subject for sculpture, the most important thing to consider is the material. The materials
available for sculpture are limitless. Each of these material presents a challenge the sculptor’s creativity.

Stone
Stone is the hard and brittle substance formed from mineral and eath material.The finish product is
granular and dull in appearance. Stone are normaly used for gravestone in cemeteries. Stones include
sandstone, granite, basalt, marble and limestone.

Example:

Granite- is a granular igneous rock composed of feldspar and quarts, usually combined with other
minerals. It is difficult to chisel. The Egyptians sculptures of Pharaohs were mostly done in granite.
Marbel- is limestone ina more or less crystalline state sufficiently close in texture, and capable of taking
a high polish .
Basalt-is hard and black
Limestone has fine and even texture. Its color ranges from light cream to burf, and from light gray to a
darker, bluish gray.

Jade
Jade I a fine stone,usually colored green, and used widely in Ancient china. It is highly esteemed as an
ornamenta; stone for carving and fashion jewelry.It is believed to symbolize virtues such as faithfulness,
wisdom and charity.

Ivory
Ivory, which comes from the main parts of tusks of elephants,is the hard white substance used to make
carving and Villard balls.

Metals
Metals include any of the class of elementary substances such as gold,silver, or copper, all of which are
crystalline when solid and many of which are characterized by capacity, ductility, conductivity, and
peculiar luster when freshly fractures.

Bronze is one of the oldest alloys of metal composed chiefly of copper and tin with color.It is one of the
most popular metals for cast sculpture. Bronze as a material is strong, durable and resistant to any
atmospheric corrosion.

Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is not popularly used by contemporary artists because of its
limitations a medium.

Copper has a peculiar brilliance used as a costing medium.

Gold and silver are used as casting materials for small objects like medals, coins and pieces of jewelry.
Lead is a bluish-gray metal, is used for casting and forging. It is a flexible and permanent material.

Plaster

Plaster is composed of time, sand and water. It is worked on an armature of metal wires and rods inn
addition t various materials and fibers. This medium I used extensively in making manikins, models,
molds architectural decorations and other indoor sculpture.

Clay
Clay is a natural earthly material that is plastic when wet. It consists essentially of hydrated silicates of
aluminum and is used for making bricks and ceramics. It is fragile, it maybe painted or glazed. Earth
ware, commonly referred to as terra cotta or baked “baked earth” is cheap compared with stone or
bronze.

Glass

Glass is a medium that is hard , brittle, non-crystalline, more or less transparent substances produced by
fusion, usually consisting of mutually dissolved silica and silicates and contains soda and lime.It is used
to make beautiful but fragile figurines.

Wood

Wood as a medium is easier to carve than any other mediums available because it can be subjected into
a variety of treatment. It is lighter and softer to carve despite having greater tensile strength than
stone, hence, it can be used in long pieces without breaking.

The characteristics of the grain and the color of the wood are most important qualities that the
sculpture consider in choosing what kind of wood he will use. Wood should be treated to preserve its
quality. Example of wood used are the following: (They are selected for aesthetic purposes and
permanence)
1. Dapdap
2. White Lauan
3. Oak
4. Walnut
5. Mahogany
6. Narra
7. Dao.

1. Mona Lisa
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated date: 1503 to 1519
Where to see it: Louvre Museum (Paris)
It should come as no surprise that the most famous painting in the world is that
mysterious woman with the enigmatic smile. But that's one of the few certainties about
this work of art.
The sitter in the painting is thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florence merchant
Francesco del Giocondo, but experts aren't sure. It did represent an innovation in art --
the painting is the earliest known Italian portrait to focus so closely on the sitter in a half-
length portrait, according to the Louvre , where it was first installed in 1804.

What's so special about the Mona Lisa?

Did you know? Before the 20th century, historians say the "Mona Lisa" was little known
outside art circles. But in 1911, an ex-Louvre employee pilfered the portrait and hid it for
two years. That theft helped cement the painting's place in popular culture ever since and
exposed millions to Renaissance art.

2. The Last Supper

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated date: 1495 to 1498
Where to see it: Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)
Leonardo, the original "Renaissance Man," is the only artist to appear on this list twice.
Painted in an era when religious imagery was still a dominant artistic theme, "The Last
Supper" depicts the last time Jesus broke bread with his disciples before his crucifixion.
The painting is actually a huge fresco -- 4.6 meters (15 feet) high and 8.8 meters (28.9
feet) wide, which makes for a memorable viewing.

Leonardo da Vinci's enduring legacy

Did you know? The fresco has survived two wartime threats -- Napoleon's troops used
the wall of the refectory on which the fresco was painted as target practice. It also was
exposed to the air for several years when bombing during World War II destroyed the
roof of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

3. The Starry Night

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Date: 1889
Where to see it: Museum of Modern Art (New York City)
The comparatively abstract painting is the signature example of van Gogh's innovative
and bold use of thick brushstrokes. The painting's striking blues and yellows and the
dreamy, swirling atmosphere have intrigued art lovers for decades.

Papers bring Van Gogh's time in London to life

Did you know? Van Gogh was living in an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France, being treated
for mental illness, when he painted "The Starry Night." He was inspired by the view from
the window of his room.
 4. The Scream

Artist: Edvard Munch

Date: 1893
Where to see it: National Museum (Oslo, Norway -- opening in 2020) and Munch
Museum (Oslo -- through May 2020)
First things first -- "The Scream" is not a single work of art. According to a British
Museum's blog, there are two paintings, two pastels and then an unspecified number of
prints. The paintings reside in the National Museum and the Munch Museum, and in
2012, one of the pastels sold for almost $120 million at auction.
Much like the case of "Mona Lisa," daring thefts (1994 and 2004) of the two painting
versions of "The Scream" helped elevate the public's awareness of the artworks. (Both
were eventually found).

Everything you thought about 'The Scream' is wrong

Did you know? The androgynous figure in the forefront of the Art Nouveau-style
painting isn't producing the scream but rather is trying to block out a piercing shriek
coming from nature. It was inspired by an actual experience Munch had while taking in a
sunset stroll in Oslo when a dramatic red hue overwhelmed his senses.
 5. Guernica

Artist: Pablo Picasso

Date: 1937
Where to see it: Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid)
This is the most recent painting on this list, and it depicts the German aerial bombing of
the town of Guernica in the Basque region during the Spanish Civil War.
The painting has that distinctive Picasso style, and its unflinching examination of the
horrors of war made it an essential part of 20th century culture and history.

Paintings, protest and propaganda: A visual history of warfare

Did you know? "Guernica" was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in
New York during World War II for safekeeping. Picasso requested that the stay be
extended until democracy returned to Spain. It finally went back to Madrid in 1981, six
years after the death of longtime Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.
 6. The Kiss

Artist: Gustav Klimt

Estimated date: 1907 to 1908
Where to see it: Upper Belvedere museum (Vienna, Austria)
With No. 6, we move from a study in hate to a study in love with Gustav Klimt's beloved
"The Kiss."
From Klimt's "Golden Period," Byzantine artistic influences can be seen in the highly
decorative robes worn by the passionate, life-sized couple.
The Upper Belvedere says that with "The Kiss," Klimt makes a "general allegorical
statement about love being at the heart of human existence." Given its magnetic appeal,
it seems people agree.

The legacy of Gustav Klimt and his enduring 'Kiss'

Did you know? While "The Kiss" isn't for sale, other works by Klimt are bought and sold
for huge sums. Oprah Winfrey offloaded the 1907 artwork "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
II" for $150 million in 2016 -- for a cool $60 million profit.
 7. Girl with a Pearl Earring

Artist: Johannes Vermeer

Estimated date: 1665
Where to see it: Mauritshuis (The Hague, Netherlands)
This intriguing favorite often gets compared with the "Mona Lisa." Besides the stylistic
differences, technically "Girl With a Pearl Earring" isn't even a portrait, but a "tronie" -- a
Dutch word for a painting of an imaginary figure with exaggerated features.
The oil on canvas masterpiece is brilliant in its simplicity. The girl -- wearing a blue and
gold turban and an oversized pearl earring -- is the entire focus with only a dark backdrop
behind her.

The reason we rarely see smiles in art history

Did you know? While the Mauritshuis underwent a renovation from 2012 to 2014, "Girl
With a Pearl Earring" went on tour in the United States, Italy and Japan. It drew huge
crowds, further bolstering its status as one of the world's most famous works of art.

8. The Birth of Venus

 Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Estimated date: 1485
Where to see it: Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi (Florence, Italy)

The oldest painting in the top 10 and competing with "The Kiss" for most sensuous, "The
Birth of Venus" was probably commissioned by a member of the wealthy and art-loving
Medici family, which ruled Florence and nearby areas for centuries.
Marrying a renewed interest in classic Greek culture with Early Renaissance style,
Botticelli creates an unforgettable figure with the Goddess of Love emerging from a huge
scallop shell.
Botticelli 'imitation' painting yields a huge surprise
Did you know? Botticelli's "Venus" features two significant departures from most other
works of his contemporaries.
First, he painted on canvas instead of the more popular wood. Secondly, nudity was rare
at this time -- so it was daring that Venus is completely exposed minus her long, flowing
hair and a hand (barely) covering her most intimate body parts.

9. 'Las Meninas
Artist: Diego Velázquez
Date: 1656
Where to see it: Museo del Prado (Madrid)

Madrid is the only city in this roundup where you'll find two of the most 10 famous paintings, the
first being "Guernica" at No. 5 and "Las Maninas" here at No. 9.
Housed at the popular (and vast) Prado, "Las Meninas" is not only Diego Velázquez`s most
famous painting, it's also one of his largest. The complexity of the work has fascinated art critics
and the public for centuries.
The painting does double duty as a portrait. It serves as a group portrait of Spanish royalty, but
it's also a self-portrait of Velázquez himself at work (on the left).
8 famous artists who hid self-portraits in their paintings
Did you know? "Las Meninas" was commissioned by King Philip IV of Spain, who ruled from
1621 to 1665. It stayed in the royal palace until 1819, when it went to the Prado.

10. 'Creation of Adam'

Artist: Michelangelo
Date: 1508 to 1512
Where to see it: Sistine Chapel (Vatican City)

The most famous work by renowned artist Michelangelo covers a section of the Sistine Chapel's
ceiling -- you have to look up to view it. The scene depicts God and Adam with outstretched
arms, their fingers nearly touching. It is one of the most replicated images in history.
Adam's muscular form hints at Michelangelo's other talent -- his "David" is possibly the world's
most famous sculpture. You can see the towering marble statue at the Galleria dell'Accademia
in Florence.
500-year-old sculptures confirmed as Michelangelo's only surviving bronzes
Did you know? The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel had been dulled by centuries of exposure to
candle smoke, among much else. After a long, extensive cleaning that ended in 1989, people
were shocked to see the bright, vibrant colors Michelangelo originally used.

Development of Painting

Pre-Historic Painting(40,000 BC 9000 BC)

Animal spear and other rudimentary materials were utilized to produced pre-historic paintings.
These works of art were drawn on caves, stones and on earth –filled ground. The drawing or
illustrations dealt heavily with hunting and employed stylistic treatment.