The Artist and His Medium Commented [e1]: Includes the process of creating the

I. Classification of Artists artwork, the materials that can be used, the techniques
A. Visual artists involved and manner in which the work can be preserved.
1. Painters, Sculptors Architects
B. Creative artists
1. More adept at writing words and arranging musical notes: Writers, composers.
C. Performing artists
1. Express their art through execution in front of an audience: Dancers, singers,
stage performers, musicians.
II. Classification of arts based on Medium: Commented [e2]: The materials that an artist uses to
A. Visual arts communicate his ideas, feelings and imagination.
1. Can be seen:
1. Graphic or two-dimensional arts:
a. Drawing-fundamental skill needed in the visual arts.
i. Media:
1. Pencil
a. Techniques:
i. Stippling Commented [e3]: Using the sharp point of the pencil
ii. Hatching to make dot patterns.
iii. Crosshatching
Commented [e4]: Drawing a series of thin parallel
iv. Circulism lines that run in the same direction.
2. Ink
3. Pastel-Composed of dry pigment held together Commented [e5]: Drawing a series of thin parallel
by a gum binder and compressed into sticks. lines and crisscrossing it with another set of thin
parallel lines.
a. Kinds: Soft, Hard and Oil
b. Techniques: Commented [e6]: Using the point of the pencil to
i. Stippling create patterns in a circular manner.
ii. Feathering
Commented [e7]: Using different colors to produce
iii. Impasto small marks.
iv. Scumbling
v. Sgrafitto Commented [e8]: Using the point of the pastel to
4. Charcoal-an organic medium that comes from make parallel strokes creating a feather-like effect.
burnt wood. Commented [e9]: Thickly applying the pastel by
a. Kinds: pressing it hard on the paper.
i. Compressed or
Commented [e10]: Like layering. The side of the
manufactured-Made from loose
pastel is highly drawn on top of an existing color but
charcoal mixed with a binder and still making the color of the first layer visible.
pressed into sticks.
ii. Vine-comes in thin sticks that is Commented [e11]: Applying a thick deposit of pastel
easy to blend and erase. on the support then using a blunt pen, scrapes it off to
5. Paper-the most common surface used in two- reveal the underlying color.
dimensional art. An organic material made from
wood, grass and linen rags.
a. Types:
i. Hot-press paper-has a smooth
surface which makes it ideal for
fine detail work, but it’s often
criticized as being slippery and
hard to control.
ii. Cold-press-has a semi-rough
surface (moderate texture) that’s
suitable for detail work and
washes.
 iii. Rough paper-has the most
texture.
b. Painting-the art of creating beautiful effects on a flat surface. The
process of applying paint onto a smooth surface (ground/ support)
like paper, cloth, canvas, wood or plaster.
i. Media:
1. Watercolor-The pigment is mixed with water and
applied to paper.
2. Gouache-Type of water-soluble paint that, unlike
watercolor, is opaque so the white of the paper
surface does not show through.
3. Oil Paints-A mixture of three things: pigment,
binder and thinner. .
4. Tempera-Dry pigments are made usable by
“tempering” them with a binding and adhesive
vehicle.
5. Fresco-A technique of mural painting executed
upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster.
6. Acrylic-A fast-drying paint made of pigment
suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Water-
soluble, but become water-resistant when dry.
c. Mosaic-Decoration of a surface with designs made up of closely
set, usually variously colored, small pieces of material.
d. Encaustic-This complex technique dates back to ancient Egypt
and involves adding pigment to hot beeswax. The resulting paste
is then typically applied to prepared wood, though canvas can also
be used.
e. Collage-The technique of pasting paper cut-outs onto various
surfaces.
f. Printmaking-A process used for making reproduction of graphic
works.
i. Techniques:
1. Relief print (Raised) - Involves cutting away
(using knives) certain parts of the surface, usually
a block of wood and leaving the ‘raised’ parts to
produce the image.
2. Intaglio print (Depressed) - Instead of using the
surface of the plate for the image, the lines of the
image are cut or incised to a metal plate. The
incised or “depressed” part is the image.
3. Planar print (surface or flat) - Includes all
process in which printing is done from a flat
surface (plane).
a. Lithography
b. Serigraphy (screen printing)
2. Plastic or three-dimensional arts:
a. Sculpture-The art or practice of creating 3D forms or figures with
length, width and volume.
i. 3 kinds:
1. Freestanding (in the round)-Can be viewed
from all sides.
2. Relief-The figures projects from a background.
2Variations:
 a. Low relief (bas relief)-Figures are
slightly raised/projected from its
background, less shadows are created.
b. High relief-Almost half of the figures
project from its background, more
shadows are created.
3. Kinetic (mobiles)-Capable of movement by
wind, water, or other forms of energy.
ii. Process of Creating Sculptures
1. Subtractive process-Removing or cutting away
pieces of the material to form the figure.
2. Additive process-Construction of a figure by
putting together bits of the material or by welding
together metal parts to create figures.
3. Substitution (Casting)-Using a mold to produce
a 3D figure in another material.
a. 3 types:
i. Sand –casting
ii. Plastic casting
iii. Lost-wax casting
iii. Media
1. Stone-A natural medium, hard and relatively
permanent.
2. Wood-A natural medium, relatively easy to work
on compared to stone.
3. Metal-With 3 unique qualities: tensile strength,
ductility and malleability.
4. Bronze (tin and copper)-Its color is reddish-
brown and will corrode if constantly exposed to
water and moisture.
5. Brass (copper and zinc)-More malleable than
bronze; has a lower melting point.
6. Plaster (specifically Plaster of Paris)-A finely
ground gypsum mixed with water and poured into
a mold.
7. Terra cotta (cooked earth)-Baked clay or clay
fired in a kiln at a relatively high temperature.
8. Glass-Made by heating and cooling a
combination of sand and soda lime. It can be
transparent, translucent or opaque.
a. Techniques:
i. Hot sculpturing - Using a metal
rod to gather the molten grass
from the furnace and shapes it
using another tool
ii. Cold working-Using cold
hardened glass. Involves sand
blasting, engraving, polishing
and grinding.
iii. Glass blowing-Gathering the
molten glass from the furnace
using blowpipe. Air is blown into
the pipe and shapes the glass
before it cools down.
9. Plastic-A synthetic medium made from organic
polymers.
 b. Architecture-The art of designing buildings and other structures
which will serve a definite function.
i. Construction Principles:
1. Post and Lintel-The oldest construction system
that makes use of 2 vertical support (post)
spanned by a horizontal beam (lintel).
2. Arch-A Roman invention that consists of
separate pieces of wedge-shaped blocks called
voussoirs arranged in a semi-circle. The following
structures can be built from the principle of the
arch:
a. Barrel Vault-A succession of arches,
one placed directly behind another to
produce a structure similar to tunnel.
b. Groin Vault-A structure that is formed by
intersecting arches resulting in four
openings.
c. Dome-A structure with the shape of an
inverted cup. It is formed by a series of
arches rising from consecutive points on
a base called drum.
d. Truss-This is a system of triangular Commented [e12]: Trusses are used in bridges,
forms assembled to form a right theaters and roofs.
framework.
e. Cantilever-A structure that makes use of
a beam or slab that extends horizontally
into space beyond its supporting post.
f. Buttress-This is a structure that is built
as a support for the wall.
ii. Media:
1. Stones-favored over other materials for its Commented [e13]: Difficult to quarry, transport and
durability, adaptability to sculptural treatment and cut.
its use for building simple structures in its natural
state.
2. Bricks-compare favorably with stones as a Commented [e14]: The size is limited by the need for
structural material. Fire and water resistant, easy efficient drying, firing, and handling.
to produce, transport and use.
3. Lumber (wood)-All parts of a building can be Commented [e15]: Its major disadvantages are
constructed using wood except the foundations. susceptibility to fire, mold and termites.
4. Iron and Steel-Provide far stronger and taller
Commented [e16]: The development of construction
structures with less use of material when
methods using iron and steel was the most important
compared to stone or wood. innovation in architecture since ancient times.
5. Concrete-A mixture of cement and water, with
aggregates of sand and gravel, which hardens
rapidly resulting in a fire resisting solid of great
compressive strength.
B. Auditory or time arts
1. Can be heard; expressed in time.
1. Literature- The art of combining spoken or written words and their
meanings into forms which have artistic and emotional appeals.
a. Types:
i. Poetry-written in lines and not in sentences or paragraph
form, characterized by abundance of figurative language
and usage of devices.
 ii. Fiction-any written work that is not real. More structured
than poetry, written in sentences and paragraphs with all
the proper punctuation and grammar, which makes it a
prose.
iii. Non-Fiction-the opposite of fiction because the subject
comes from real life.
iv. Drama-includes all plays or any written works that are
meant to be performed. Written with the intention of being
performed for an audience.
2. Music-The art of combining and regulating sounds of varying pitch to
produce compositions that express various ideas and feelings.
a. Media:
i. Vocal Medium (Human voice) -Oldest and most popular
medium for music
1. Classifications:
a. Soprano is the highest female singing
voice
b. Contra Alto is a female singing voice that
is low and rich in quality
c. Tenor is the highest adult male singing
voice.
d. Bass is a male singing voice that is low
and rich in quality.
e. Baritone is a male singing voice that is
between tenor and bass.
ii. Instrumental-The materials that produce or create sound
aside from the human voice.
1. String instruments provide the basic orchestral
sounds. Produce tones by means of the vibration
of the stretched string.
a. Bowed strings produce tone by means
of a bow of horse hair.
b. Plucked strings produce tones by
plucking the strings with a finger or with a
plectrum
c. Woodwind instruments create sounds
by blowing into them.
2. Brass instruments have cup-shaped
mouthpieces and expands into a bell-shaped
end.
3. Percussion instruments make sound by hitting
them with the hands, special sticks or by striking
or shaking their parts together.
4. Keyboard instruments make sound by means
of a keyboard which consists of a series of black
and white keys.
b. Genres
i. Classical-Written in the European tradition.
ii. Folk-originated in the traditional popular culture or is
written is such style.
iii. Pop-Inspired in the tradition of rock and roll.
iv. Jazz-with lively rhythms and melodies
v. Blues-Incorporated spiritual songs, work songs, chants,
and rhymed simple narrative ballads.
 vi. Rock-Evolved from rock and roll and pop music.
Characterized by musical experimentation and drug-
related/anti-establishment lyrics.
vii. Alternative-A style of rock music, but is distinct from the
mainstream rock music.
C. Combined arts (also called Performing arts or Ephemeral Arts)
1. Can be both seen and heard.
1. Dance-The oldest of all arts. Man’s gestures that express emotions
through rhythmic movements.
a. Types:
i. Ethnologic (ethnic) - Includes folk dances associated
with a national and/or cultural groups.
ii. Social or ballroom-Generally performed in pairs. Ex:
Tango, waltz and boogie.
iii. Ballet-May be a solo or concerted performance on stage
accompanied by music. Generally built around a theme or
story.
iv. Musical Comedy-Performed by one dancer or a group of
dancers in theaters, night clubs, motion pictures and
television.
2. Drama-Intended to be acted-out or performed o stage in front of an
audience.
a. Genres
i. Tragedy-One of literature’s greatest dramatic genre. Commented [e17]: The character who is admired at
ii. Melodrama-Emphasizes the never-ending battle the first part, later becomes arrogant and not worthy at
between good and evil wherein good always wins all. This character’s flaw is the reason why he comes to
iii. Comedy-The exact opposite of tragedy. Two kinds: some sad or disastrous end. But, before the end comes
1. Satires portrays human weakness and criticizes for the character, there is a realization that for him,
human behavior to pave the path to some form of such end is necessary because it is justified.
salvation for human actions.
2. Romantic comedies portrays human weakness
in more subtle ways. More on accepting the
adversities of human behavior.
iv. Farce-A light humorous play in which the emphasis is on
jokes, humorous physical action, exaggerated situations
and improbable characters.
3. Cinema-A series of images that are projected onto a screen to create the
illusion of motion.
a. Genres
i. Feature films
ii. Animated films- Create the illusion of movement of 2D
drawings, 3D objects or computer generated images.
iii. Documentary-Deals primarily with fats, not fiction.
iv. Experimental film-Sequence of images, literal or
abstract, which do not necessarily form a narrative.
v. Educational films-Intended to facilitate learning at home
or in the classrooms.
4. Cinema-A series of images that are projected onto a screen to create the
illusion of motion.
III. The Process of Art Production
A. Technique-the artist’s knowledge of the medium and his skill in achieving what he wants
it to.
B. Curation-from the Latin ‘curare’ means to take care. Involves managing, overseeing and
assembling or putting together a presentation or exhibit for some type of historical or artistic
collection.
C. Curator is the person responsible for curation.