Unit 3.

Lesson 2: Mediums of Art

Mediums of Painting

Mediums of painting generally refer to the pigments or coloring matter used by painters in creating
their art work. The following are the most common mediums used in the history of painting.

Encaustic. In the technique known as encaustic, the medium for the powdered color is hot wax
which is painted onto a wood surface with a brush. It is then smoothed with a metal instrument
resembling a spoon, and then blended and set over a flame to soften and set the colors into the wood.
This method produces durable colors and permits sculptural modeling of the paint surface. Because
of the wax medium, the colors are semi-translucent and look fresh and lively. This technique is rare
today, but it was practiced in late Roman times; for example, we have burial portraits from Faiyum,
Egypt, 2nd century, A.D.

Mosaic. The design is created by small pieces of colored glass, stone, or ceramic (called Tesserae),
embedded in wet mortar which has been spread over the surface to be decorated. Their slightly
irregular placement on a surface creates a very lively, reflective surface when viewed at a distance.
This was often used to decorate walls, floors, and ceilings.

Fresco. Also known as Buon Fresco or True Fresco, it entails painting on freshly spread, moist
plaster. First, layers of plaster are applied to the surface. While the final layer is still wet, the artist
applies the colors, which are earth pigments mixed with water. The colors penetrate the wet plaster
and combine chemically with it, producing a painted surface which does not peel when exposed to
moisture. As the paint must be painted on wet plaster, the amount of plaster which may be put down
at one time is limited to what can be painted at one sitting. Often lines can be seen in frescos around
an area which was one day's work. The painting must be done rapidly and without mistakes. This
technique was perfected in Renaissance Italy.

Examples: The Lamentation by Giotto, The Last Supper by Da Vinci, School of Athens by Raphael,
Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo

Tempera. In this method, the pigment is mixed with egg yolk or both the yolk and white of an egg.
It is thinned with water and applied to a gesso ground (plaster mixed with a binding) on a panel. It
was also used on parchment or paper to illustrate or embellish books in the era before the 15th
century development of the printing press. This type of painting dries very quickly and produces an
opaque, matte surface. The colors tend to dry to a lighter value than they appear when wet. The colors
produced are bright and saturated. Modeling is achieved by hatching. Egg tempera was used for panel
painting until the 15th century. Examples of artists that worked in egg tempera include Cimabue
(14th C.); Duccio (14th C.); Andrew Wyeth (20th C.). Islamic and Medieval miniature paintings in
books and manuscripts are another important class of egg tempera paintings; the celtic Book of
Kells is a well-known early example, as is the Book of Hours commissioned by the Duc du Berry in
the 14th century.

Examples: Madonna and Child by Duccio, The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

Oil. Prior to the 15th century oil paints were thick and hard to control, so they were initially used
only for utilitarian purposes. In the 15th century turpentine was discovered to be an effective
thinning agent. The Van Eyck brothers were credited with perfecting the technique of oil painting,
which they initially attempted to keep secret.

Powdered colors are mixed with a fine oil, usually linseed oil. A solvent, traditionally turpentine, is
also used to thin the colors as desired, so that the paint can be applied thickly and opaquely, or thinly
and transparently. The oil paint is applied to a prepared ground, usually a stretched canvas with a
coating of neutral pigment. The earliest technique of oil painting involved building up layers of colors,
moving from darker to lighter values. Fine brushes were used, and a glossy, smooth finish was
achieved. When applied in this way, the colors are somewhat translucent, so that the darker layers of
color below added depth and luminosity to the surface, and permitted a remarkable degree of
realism.

Other artists came to discover that because of its slow drying, oil paints could actually be re-worked
on the surface to blend colors, and when applied thickly, with a larger brush or palette knife, could
also add real surface texture to the image. This technique of applying oils lent itself to more
expressive, dramatic effects in which fine detail was less important than total effect. Artists who
worked in this way include Rembrandt, (17th C); Monet (19th C), Cezanne (19th c., above), William
de Kooning , (20th C).

Examples: Monalisa by da Vinci, Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp, Whistler’s Mother
by James Whistler, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Pastel. Pastels or pastel colors are the family of colors which have high value and low to
ntermediate saturation. The name comes from pastels, art media characteristic of this color family.
The colors of this family are usually described as "soothing”, "soft", "near neutral", "milky", "washed
out", "desaturated", lacking strong chromatic content. Pink, mauve and baby blue are typical pastel
colors.

The 1980s saw a huge trend in the use of pastel colors in men's fashion. In particular, the NBC
television police series Miami Vice popularized what was already a growing trend even further as its
lead character Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson) all but exclusively wore pastel shirts and suits, setting a
fashion that stood popular even years after the show ended. The abundance of pastel was also
abundant in the shooting locations with Art Deco buildings around the Miami area.
Examples: Woman Combing Her Hair by Edgar Degas, The Scream by Edvard Munch

Gouache. Gouache is a water based paint consisting of pigment and other materials designed to be
used in an opaque painting method. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger,
the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is
also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities. Like all
watermedia, it is diluted with water.

Examples: Self-Portrait by Mary Cassatt

Water Color. Powdered pigments are mixed with gum-arabic or a similar substance that will help
them adhere to a surface. The artist then mixes them with water and applies them to a ground, usually
paper, with a soft brush. The final effect is that of translucent washes of color. This method was the
most important method of painting in China and Japan from an early date, but did not become popular
with European artists until after the 16th century. Chinese and Japanese painting techniques have
had a great deal of influence on modern watercolorists.
Examples: Albrecht Durer, 16th C; John Marin, 20th C.

Acrylic. A 20th century medium, acrylic paint has provided artists an alternative to a very expensive
oil paint, with quality which is almost the same as oil. It was first picked up by prominent painters
such as David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko.

Mediums of Sculpture

Marble. It is the most beautiful stone medium; used by the Greek sculptors, by Michelangelo in his
Pieta, David, etc., by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in his Ecstasy of St. Theresa.

Granite. It is a hard, granular stone suited for bold effects, used for outdoor sculptures.

Limestone. It is used in sarcophagi sculptures

Jade. A semi-precious stone. For the Chinese, it is associated with merit, morality, grace and dignity

Clay. It is used as a modelling material.

Terracotta or baked earth. It is used in pottery, tiles, statuary and architectural decorations.

Ivory . It is creamy white, obtained from tusks of elephants.

Wood. It is easy to cut, carved and polished, used in making beautiful furniture, statues of saints, etc.

Bronze. It is a common medium for casting, an alloy of copper, tin and zinc, used for outdoor or
public sculptures, used by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, etc.

Gold and silver. These are precious metals used in making jewelry, medals and coins.

Metal sheets/galvanized iron. These are used in making assemblages.

Glass. It is hard, brittle and transparent, can be blown or cut/carved.

Mediums of Music: Human Voice

Human voice is the oldest and still the most popular medium of music. It has six classes. Three for
female voice-soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto, and another three for male voice-tenor, baritone and
bass.

Soprano. Derived from the Italian word sopra, meaning “above,” it is the highest human vocal range.
Generally, it refers to the female singing voice but it also applies to boys, also called boy sopranos.
Soprano voice can be classified into: lyric soprano, where the tone used is lighter; dramatic
soprano, the tone is more powerful; coloratura soprano, which has a very high range, extending
higher from the second C above middle C.

Mezzo-Soprano. An Italian word meaning “half soprano” is a type of classical female singing voice
whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. Its vocal range usually
extends from A below middle C to the A two octaves above. It is generally have a heavier, darker tone
than sopranos. The mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that of a contralto.

A coloratura mezzo-soprano has a warm lower register and an agile high register. The roles they
sing often demand not only the use of the lower register but also leaps into the upper tessitura with
highly ornamented, rapid passages. They have a range from approximately the G below middle C (G3)
to the B two octaves above middle C (B5). Some coloratura mezzo-sopranos can sing up to high C
(C6) or high D (D6), but this is very rare.

The lyric mezzo-soprano has a range from approximately the G below middle C (G3) to the A two
octaves above middle C (A5). This voice has a very smooth, sensitive and at times lachrymose quality.
Lyric mezzo-sopranos do not have the vocal agility of the coloratura mezzo-soprano or the size of the
dramatic mezzo-soprano. The lyric mezzo-soprano is ideal for most trouser roles.

A dramatic mezzo-soprano has a strong medium register, a warm high register and a voice that is
broader and more powerful than the lyric and coloratura mezzo-sopranos. This voice has less vocal
facility than the coloratura mezzo-soprano. The range of the dramatic mezzo-soprano is from
approximately the F below middle C to the G two octaves above middle C. The dramatic mezzo-
soprano can sing over an orchestra and chorus with ease and was often used in the 19th century
opera, to portray older women, mothers, witches and evil characters.

A contralto, or sometimes alto, is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the
lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range falls between tenor and mezzo-soprano;
typically between the F below middle C to the second F above middle C , although at the extremes
some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B♭ above middle C (B♭5).

A lyric contralto voice is lighter than a dramatic contralto but not capable of the ornamentation and
leaps of a coloratura contralto. This class of contralto, lighter in timbre than the others, is the most
common today and usually ranges from the E below middle C (E 3) to the second G above middle C
(G5).

The dramatic contralto is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest contralto voice, usually having a heavier
tone and more power than the others. Singers in this class are rare.

Tenor is the highest male vocal range. It is lower than the alto but higher than the bass. This type of
voice is usually used mainly to play the role of a hero in an opera. During the 13th to 16th century,
the tenor voice was used for plainsongs.

The word tenor came from the Latin word tenere meaning ‘to hold." This is because during the time
of polyphony, tenors "held" the melody. Its range is from the second B below middle C to the G above.

Bass is the lowest male voice. It ranges from the second E below middle C to F# above. The word
bass is Italian for basso meaning "low." Its types are: basso profondo is a rich and low voice; basso
cantante, also known as the "singing bass," is lighter and more lyrical; basso buffo, also known as
"comic bass" is used primarily in opera buffa, meaning a humorous or comical opera, and bass-
baritone, a voice that ranges between the baritone and bass voice.
 Musical Instruments

Musical instruments are mechanisms that are able to generate musical vibrations and launch into the
air. These are the means by which the composer communicates to the listeners. These are his
mediums of expressions.

These are classified into string (bowed and plucked), wind (woodwind and brass wind), percussion
and keyboard instruments.

Bowed Strings

Bowed strings consist of the violin (smallest), viola, cello, and double bass.

Violin, the most numerous in the orchestra, is the most versatile and expressive among the bowed
string family. The soprano of the bowed string family, it has a wide range of tones which can be
sustained indefinitely.

Viola, slightly larger than a violin, has thicker strings and heavier bow. It is the alto violin, and used
more often for harmony. It has warm, rich tones.
Cello is larger than viola. It is held between knees, has thicker and heavier strings than viola, and has
shorter and heavier bow. Cello is the tenor-baritone of bowed string family. It has a rich and
romantic, deep and full tone.

Double bass is the largest member of bowed string family. It is less agile, has limited range of
expression, and is used as support supplying the bass tones for the string choir or orchestra.

Woodwind Instruments
Woodwind instruments are used to be made of wood, which give them their names. But today, they
are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination. They are narrow cylinders or pipes, with
holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top. They are played by blowing air
through the mouthpiece and opening and closing the holes with the finger. Pitch of the notes are
altered by shortening or lengthening the column of air the vibrating inside the instruments.

Flute produces silvery, haunting or liquid sound. It is very agile and can play rapid, brilliant scale
passages. It produces mellow and ethereal sound in its lower register, while thinner, brilliant sound
in its upper register. It has a breathy quality.

Piccolo is a small flute, constructed like a flute. It produces shrill and piercing tones especially in its
upper range. It is an octave above the flute and the coloratura soprano of the woodwind family.

Oboe has bell-shaped end. It is good in expressive solos, and has a reedy and penetrating sound.

English horn is a large oboe, it has bulge in its bell, and has slightly lower range and soft, mournful
timbre.

Clarinet is the most versatile among woodwinds. It has a very wide range capable of great expression.
It takes the part of the violin in a band.
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written
in the bass and tenor clefs, and occasionally the treble.

Contrabassoon is a bass bassoon and a larger version of the bassoon, and an octave lower.

Brass Instruments

Brass instruments are wind instruments that is usually characterized by a long cylindrical or conical
metal tube commonly curved two or more times and ending in a flared bell, that produces tones by
the vibrations of the player’s lips against a usually cup-shaped mouthpiece, and that usually has
valves or a slide by which the player may produce all the tones within the instrument’s range. It
includes trumpet, trombone, tuba, and French horn.

Trumpet is often associated with martial songs and battle calls.

Trombone is a large trumpet which can be a tenor or a bass. Its tone is rich and mellow. It gives out
an effect of nobility and grandeur.

Cornet is larger than the trumpet with a shorter body and possesses greater agility. The tone is
rounder but less brilliant than the trumpet.

French horn, or simply horn, is shaped like a long metal tube with one wide end, wound round in a
circle.

Tuba is the bass of the brass choir. Its tone is like that of the bass trombone but is fuller, richer, and
more powerful.
Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments are sounded by striking, rubbing, shaking, plucking, and scraping. It may
be grouped into percussion instruments with definite pitch and percussion instruments with
indefinite pitch. It may also be classified into idiophones (own substance vibrates to produce sound
such as bells, clappers, rattles) and membranophones (stretched membrane vibrates such as drums).

The kettledrum is a hemispherical copper shell with a stretched calfskin held in place by a metal ring.
It is played with two padded sticks and produces a sound of mysterious rumble to a thunderous roll.

The snare drum is the smallest drum in the orchestra.

The bass drum, like the double bass, is the biggest member of the percussion family and therefore
makes the lowest sounds. The bass drum is built like a very large snare drum, although without the
snare; it is also an untuned instrument. You play the bass drum by hitting either drumhead with sticks
that have large soft heads, often covered with sheepskin or felt. It can produce a lot of different
sounds from roaring thunder to the softest whispers.

The gong, also known as the tamtam, is a very large metal plate that hangs suspended from a metal
pipe. It looks similar to a cymbal and is also untuned, but is much larger and has a raised center. To
play it, you hit the center with a soft mallet. Depending on how hard you hit it, you can make a
deafening crash or the softest flicker of sound.

Maracas come from Mexico. They are rattles, often made from gourds (a kind of squash), filled with
dried seeds, beads or even tiny ball bearings that make them rattle. Maracas can also be made of
wood or plastic; the sound they make depends on what they're made of. To play them, you hold them
in your hands and shake.
Cymbals are the biggest noisemakers of the orchestra. They are two large metal discs, usually made
of spun bronze. Cymbals, which are untuned, come in a range of sizes, from quite small to very large.
The larger the cymbal, the lower the sound they make. Cymbals can be used for drama and
excitement, to accent the rhythm or create delicate sound effects. You can play the cymbals either by
hitting one cymbal against the other, or you can use sticks, mallets or brushes to hit one or both
cymbals.

A tambourine is a small drum with metal jingles set into the edges. Both the drumhead and the jingles
are untuned. To play it, you hold it in one hand and tap, shake or hit it, usually against your other
hand.

Castanets are fun wooden instruments that come from Spain and are used to punctuate the music
with a distinctive clickety-clack. These are made of two pieces of wood tied together. To play them,
you hold them with your fingers and click the two pieces of wood together. In the orchestra, castanets
are sometimes mounted on a piece of wood, and the percussionist plays them by hitting them with
his/her hands.
Glokenspiel consists of a series of horizontal tuned metal plates. The player strikes these with mallets
producing bright metallic sounds.

The xylophone is made of tuned blocks of wood which produces a dry, crisp timbre when struck.

Chimes are metal tubes of different lengths that are hung from a metal frame. When you strike the
tubes with a mallet, they sound like the ringing bells of a church. Each chime sounds a different pitch.
The marimba is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with yarn or rubber
mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators or pipes suspended underneath the bars amplify their
sound.

Triangle is a small metal bar that's bent into the shape of a triangle and makes a ringing sound when
you hit it. There are many sizes of triangles and each one sounds a different pitch. You play the
triangle by holding it on a string and striking it with a metal beater. The size and thickness of the
beater can change the sound the triangle makes.

Keyboard Instruments

Keyboard instruments produce sounds by pressing a series of keys, push buttons, or parallel levers.
In most cases, the keys correspond to consecutive notes in the chromatic scale, and they run from the
bass at the left to the treble at the right. Examples of these include the piano, organ, celesta,
harpsichord, harmonium, accordion, and others.

Piano, short for Italian word pianoforte, is the most popular and widely used keyboard instrument.
It is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the
year 1700. The strings are struck by hammers when they player presses the key. It is usually used
for home entertainment and concert.
 Upright piano Grand piano

Organ has a physical property of a wind instrument. Its sound is made by air forced by mechanical
means through pipes. The term comes from a Greek word organon, meaning instrument or tool.

Pipe organ

Celesta is like a miniature piano. It is sounded when the steel plates are struck by a small hammer
producing bell-like tones.

Harpsichord’s sound is produced by plucking their strings. The plucking mechanism, called jack, rests
on the key.
Clavichord is a stringed keyboard instrument, developed from the medieval monochord. It is usually
rectangular in shape, and its case and lid were usually highly decorated, painted, and inlaid.

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