Module 3 - Mediums of Visual Arts
Module 3 - Mediums of Visual Arts
I. Overview
Art may many different things as time goes by. Since taste standards for what is
beautiful vary so much with time, place and people, the beauty in a work of art would
obviously do not lie in the beauty of its subject matter. And since artist are very much the
same way that you and I are a product of ours, a knowledge of history of their times will
help us understand why artists worked in a particular way and thus deepen our
appreciation of their work.
Medium refers to the material which is used by an artist. It is the means by which
she communicates ideas. The architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks, stone, the sculptor
uses wood and materials like bronze, while painter uses pigments on wood or canvass.
Medium is very essential to art.
II. Objectives
After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:
1. Discover the origins of pre-historic art;
2. Appreciate the existence and characteristics of the different art;
3. Enjoy the excellence of mediums of visual arts.
Painting - is an art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments.
Direct Painting- the paints are opaque and are applied to the surface just as they are look
to the finish product. The most flexible method of two.
Indirect Painting - the paint is applied in many thin layers of transparent color.
Oil - The surface is usually canvas although other surface like wood, paper, and metal may
be used.
Tempera
This mixture of ground pigments and aluminous or colloidal vehicle, egg, gum or glue used
by Egyptian, Medieval and Renaissance painters. Emulsion refers to watery, milk like
mixture of oil and watery consistency. Tempera painting is done on a woven panel that has
been made smooth with the coating of plaster.
Water Color
The pigments are mixed with water and applied to fine white paper. The colors are applied
in very thin layers. Material used for watercolor are parchment, Ivory, silk, and cambric.
Opaque watercolor is called “gouache”
Pastel
It posses on surfaces of light, given on glazed effect, and most closely resembles dry
pigment.The pigment is bound to a form of crayon which is applied directly to the surface,
usually paper.
Fresco
The color are mixed with water and applied to a fresh plaster which absorb the color. Fresco
painting flourished during 15th and 16th century. In Italian “Fresco” means fresh and used to
designate the process of painting in a fresh wet plaster
The Sistine chapel in Rome is magnificently decorated with painting by Michelangelo
Bounarroti . The series of frescoes remains as one of the world’s greatest achievements in
arts.
Encaustic
It is one of the earliest medium used by Egyptian for the painted portrait on the mummy
case. This is done by painting with wax colors fix with heat. Painting with wax produces
luster and radiance in the subject making them appear at their best portraits.
Stained Glass
This art is common in the Gothic Cathedrals or Churches. This I made by combining many
pieces of colored glass which are held together by bands of leads.
In large windows, the lead is reinforced by heavy iron bars that make heavy black lines in
the picture. The pictures in the stained glass reflect the lives of saints and serve as a means
of religious instructions among Christians.
Mosaic
This is a picture or decoration made of small pieces of inlaid colored stones or glass
called “tesserae” which is cut into square glued on a surface with plaster or cement.
Mosaic is always classified as painting although the medium used is not strictly
pigments.
Acrylic
The newest medium and used widely by painters today. These are synthetic paints
acrylic emulsion as binder.
The combine of the transparency and quick drying qualities of watercolor and are flexible
as oil.
(To be continued)
IV. Activity/Assessment
1. What are the different mediums in painting? Describe each briefly.
2. What medium is popular to painters? Why?
3. What are the characteristics of the surface most suitable for oil painting?
4. Why are good watercolor paintings not easy to make?
5. What materials are available for sculptors to use as medium? Give an advantage
and disadvantage of each.