Chapter 2

The Artist’s Medium

Objectives:
 Tofamiliarize oneself of how an art work is made,
put together, or organized
 To
determine the meaning conveyed by the art an
how an artwork makes life more meaningful
 To appreciate the vase of self – trust in producing
art
 Tocompare and contrast the different medium in
art production
Medium Technique

Medium which 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 classified as
visual and auditory. Visual arts are those mediums can be
seen and which occupy space. These are group into two
classes: (1) the dimensional or two – dimensional arts
which include painting, drawing, printmaking, and
photography.
(2) the three – dimensional arts which include sculpture,
architecture, landscape, community planning, industrial
designs, and crafts like ceramics and furniture. The auditory
arts are those mediums can be heard and which are
expressed in time. These are music and literature. The
combined arts are those whose mediums can be both seen
and heard and which exist in both space and time. These
include dance, opera, drama, and film.
Technique is the manner in which the artist controls his
medium to achieve the desired effect. It is the ability with
which he fulfils 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.
 The Artist and His Medium
The artist thinks, feels, and gives shape to his vision in
terms of his medium. When an artist chooses a particular
medium, he believes that his choice can be best express the
idea he wants to convey. At times, an artist employs more
than one medium to give meaning to his creative production.
Oftentimes, the matter of selecting the medium depends
entirely on the artist himself.

The Artist and His Technique

Artists differ from one another in technique even if they
use the same medium. A musician’s technique is his ability to
make sound the way he wants it. For instance, a pianist may
sound different from another pianist even as they handle the
same instrument and play the same musical composition.
Medium Of The Visual Arts
Mediums of the Visual Arts
The most common visual arts are painting, sculpture, and
architecture. Their mediums are discussed as follows.
Painting - It is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat
surface by the use of pigments.
 Watercolour – It is difficult to handle because producing warm and
rich tones using this medium proves to be a challenge. On the
contrary, watercolour pigments invite brilliance and a variety of
hues.
 Fresco – It is a painting method done on a moist plaster surface
with colors ground in water or a limewater mixture. Fresco must
be done quickly because it is an exacting medium – the moment
the paint is applied to the surface, the color dry into plaster and
the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.
Famous Fresco Paintings

 1. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling – Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

1. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling – Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni

 the most famous fresco to ever grace the interior of Italy’s sacred chapels is that of
Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
 Michelangelo believed his work would have a much greater significance and meaning
if it were done on the ceiling as the purpose was to direct the viewer’s thoughts upward
toward God and Heaven.
2. The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci 
2. The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci 

 The painting was done on the wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie
in Milan, Italy in 1498. The work depicts the scene from the Biblical story of
Jesus in one of his last moments alone with his 12 devoted disciples before he
was taken away and crucified.
 Tempera – The mineral pigments are mixed with egg
yolk or egg white and ore.
 Pastel– It is a stick of dried paste made of pigment
ground with chalk and compounded with gum water.
 Encaustic – This is done by applying wax colors fixed
with heat.
 Oil – It is one of the most expensive art activities
today because of the prohibitive cost of the
materials. In oil painting, pigments are mixed with
linseed oil and applied to canvas. One good quality
of oil paint as a medium is its flexibility.
 Acrylic– this synthetic paint is mixed with acrylic
emulsion as binder for coating the surface of the
artwork. Acrylic paints do not tend to break easily.
 Mosaic – it is the art of putting together small pieces
of colored stones or glass called “tesserae” to
create an image.
 Stained glass – this artwork is common in Gothic
cathedrals and churches it is made by combining
small pieces of colored glass, held together by bands
of lead.
 Tapestry – it is a fabric produced by hand – weaving
colored threads upon a warp.
 Drawing – it is usually done on paper using pencil, pen,
and ink or charcoal. It is the most fundamental of all skills
necessary in arts.
 Bistre – it is a brown pigment extracted from the soot of
wood, and often use in pen and wash drawings.
 Crayons – are pigments bound by wax and compressed into
painted sticks used for drawing.
 Silver point – the artist uses a silver stylus to produce a
thin grayish on specially prepared paper.
Print making – a print is anything printed on a surface that is
direct result from the duplication process.
 Lithography – it 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.
 Sculpture – in choosing a subject for sculpture, the most
important thing to consider is the material.
15. Stone – it is hard and brittle substance formed from mineral
and earth material.
16. Jade – it is a fine stone, usually colored green, and used
widely in Ancient China.
17. Ivory – it comes from the main parts of tusks of elephants, is
the hard white substance used to make carvings and billiard
balls.
18. Metals – it include any of a 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 fractured.
a. Bronze – it is one of the oldest alloys of metal composed
chiefly of copper and tin with color. Bronze as a material
is strong, durable, and resistant to any atmospheric
corrosion.
b.Brass – an alloy of copper and zinc, is not popularity
used by contemporary artists because of its limitations as
a medium. One characteristic of this medium is its
resistance to atmospheric corrosion.
c. Gold and silver – used in casting materials for small
objects like medals, coins, and pieces of jewelry.
d. Lead – a bluish – gray material and used for casting and
forging. It is a flexible and permanent material.
19. Plaster – It is composed of lime, sand, and water. It is
worked on an armature of metal wires and rod in addition to
various materials and fibers. The medium is used extensively in
making manikins, models, molds, architectural decorations,
and other indoor sculpture.
20. Clay – It is a natural earthly material that is plastic when
wet. Clay is naturally fragile so it becomes necessary to cast it
in another durable material.
21. Glass – It is a medium that is hard, brittle, non – crystalline,
more or less transparent substances. It is used to make
beautiful but fragile figurines.
22. Wood – It is easier to carve than any other mediums
available and can be used in long pieces without breaking.
Common wood used for sculpture are dapddap, white lauan,
oak, walnut, mahogany, narra, and dao.
 Architecture – In its strictest meaning, it is the art of
designing a building and supervising its construction. In its
broader meaning, architecture is producing shelter to serve as
protection of men in carrying out his activities – work,
recreation and sleep. One of the primary purposes of
architecture is to fulfill man’s needs. These needs include:

1. Physical needs – shelter which must have the necessities

and comfort.
2. Emotional needs – endowed with rich beauty and interest
3. Intellectual needs – a building for science,
education, government, etc.,

4. Psychosocial needs
a. For recognition, prestige, civic, and personal –
palaces, skyscrapers, cathedrals, public buildings,
monuments, etc.
b. For response – due to love, friendship and
sociability (banquet halls, ballrooms, living rooms,
etc.,)
 Classification of Architectural Materials (Salvan,
1999)
Materials used in architecture are classified into
three: (1) the materials found in nature ;( 2)
materials manufactured or made by man; and (3)
indigenous materials.
 Materials in nature – These materials are direct
products of nature, given as gift to man. Examples
of these materials are stone (granite, sandstone,
marble, limestone) and wood.
 Materials Manufactured by man – This type of
materials constitutes the majority of building
materials. It requires the manipulation of man
before it acquires its finished form. Examples of
man – made materials are ceramics (bricks, tiles,
terra cotta, glass), metal (bronze, wrought iron,
copper, lead, chrome- nickel steel, aluminum monel
steel, nickel silvers), concrete (hollow blocks,
washout stones, synthetic cement), and plastics.
 Indigenous materials – these materials are
found in the locality and widely used in
architecture. Some of indigenous materials
are sawali, coco coir, bagasse, abaca,
bamboo, palm frond stems, earth and mud
bricks, cane wood (rattan), rice husk, and
cogon.
 Mediums of the Performing Arts
 Performing arts are creative activities presented
before an audience, on stage, and in open places.
When heard and seen simultaneously, these arts
become combined arts. The performing arts include
music, dance, theatre arts, and literature. In this
module, only music and literature will be discussed.
 Music – It is an art. Culture is reflected in art. The
more music a man knows, the more cultured he
becomes. Music deals with sound. The mediums of
music are vocal and instrumental music.
 Vocal music – is the oldest and most natural form of
music. Voice is produced by the vibrations of the vocal
chords in the voice box. Hence, correct positioning of the
body, head, and mouth will enable the air to vibrate freely.
 Correct posture – keeping one foot forward will help
maintain body balance. When seated while singing,
keep your back away from the chair on a rising position.
 Correct breathing – the quality and volume of the voice
depends upon breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is
advisable, a breathing supported by the diaphragm.
 Correct placement of the voice – to prevent
throat singing and develop good tone quality,
never force out the voice.
 Correct diction – It includes correct
pronunciation, clean enunciation, and distinct
articulation.
 Correct interpretation – how a singer use of his
face, eyes, hands, and other parts of the body
assists his voice in conveying the meaning of the
song.
 Voice classification – voice differs considerably
depending on its timbre (quality) and range. As to
timbre, voices are classified into : women’s voices
and men’s voices.
1. Women’s voices
 Soprano – tone is lighter in character, less
somber, and frequently more flexible.
 Alto or contralto – the tone is richer and fuller
2. Men’s voices
 Tenor – the highest type in men’s voices
 Baritone – lies between tenor and bass
 Bass – lowest and deepest voice quality
 
 Instrumental music – Aside from voice,
instruments are the other medium in producing
music.
• Types of Musical Instruments – musical
instruments are of three main types:
 String instruments – instruments which are bowed
(violin, viola, string bass, etc.,)
 Wind instruments – instruments which are blown
(flute, clarinet, oboe, etc.,)
 Percussion instruments – instruments which are
struck (drum, cymbals, triangle, etc.,)
 The Properties of Musical Sound – Musical sounds
have four properties: pitch, duration, volume and
timbre or tone color.
 Pitch– all musical sounds have pitch. By pitch, we
mean the highness or lowness of a tone in the
musical scale.
 Duration – it depends on the length of time over
which vibration is maintained.
 Volume – refers to force or percussive effects, as a
result of which the tone strikes us as being loud or
soft.
 Timbre or tone color – it is the individual quality
of the sound produced by other instruments.
 Literature – the medium of literature is language.
Each part of the world has literature written in their
own language. Literature written in languages like
French, Chinese, Italian, German, or Russian are
most often translated to English to facilitate wider
reach and distribution. However, no matter how
beautiful a translation is, it can never capture the
original beauty of a manuscript. No translation is
ever more than an approximation of the original.
Methods of Art Production and Presentation
In art production, certain methods are employed for the
presentation to be effective. A presentation can only be
effective when the artist is able to express the idea, he
wants to make clear.
1. Realism – In painting, this is the attempt to portray the
subject as it is. Realists try to be as objective as possible.
Here, the artist’s main function is to describe accurately
and honestly as possible what is observed through the
senses.
2. Abstraction – abstract means “to move away or
separate”. Abstract moves away from showing things as
they really are. The painter or artist paints the picture not
as it really looks. The picture is not just like life. It is
rendered not realistic.
 3.Symbolism – A symbol in general, is a visible sign of
something invisible such as an idea or a quality. It can be
an emblem or sign like: % to represent percent, a lion to
represent courage, or a lamb to represent meekness. In
poetry and painting, the symbol has freer development.
4. Fauvism – The fauves did not attempt to express
ethical, philosophical, or psychological themes. Most of
these artists tried to paint pictures of comfort, joy, and
pleasure. They used extremely bright colors. To fauve,
for example, a tree trunk need not be brown. It could be
bright red, purple or any other vibrant color.
 5. Dadaism – It is a protest movement in the arts
formed in 1916 by a group of artists and poets in
Zurich, Switzerland. The Dadaists reacted to what
they believed were outworn traditions in arts and the
evils they saw in society. They tried to shock and
provoke the public with outrageous pieces of writing,
poetry, recitals and art exhibitions.
6. Futurism – Futurist painters wanted their works to
capture the speed and force of modern industrial
society. Subjects included automobiles, motorcycles,
and railroad trains – subjects that express the
explosive vitality of a modern city.
 7. Surrealism – Like Dadaism, from which it arose,
surrealism uses art as weapon against the evil and
restrictions that surrealists see in society. Unlike
Dadaism, it tries to reveal a new and higher reality
than that of daily life.
8. Expressionism – The exponents of expressionism
believed in the necessity of a spiritual rebirth for man
in an age that was fast becoming influenced by
materialism. The emotional expressions in
expressionistic paintings can be described as involving
pathos, morbidity, violence or chaos, and tragedy. It
also sometimes portrays defeat.