MEDIUMS OF

THE VISUAL ARTS

MEDIUMS OF THE VISUAL ARTS
• REFERS TO THE MATERIALS WHICH ARE USED BY AN
ARTIST
• MEANS BY WHICH HE COMMUNICATES HIS IDEAS
• MANY MEDIUMS HAVE BEEN USED IN CREATING
DIFFERENT WORKS OF ART
• MEDIUMS IS VERY ESSENTIAL TO ARTS.
 PIGMENTS

…
Pigments of the painter
could be applied to:

Wet Plaster Wood

Canvas Paper
PIGMENTS:
Oil Pastel
Tempera Fresco
Watercolor Acrylic
PAINTING

The art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use

of pigments
OIL PAINTING
Pigments are mixed in oil
The most familiar type of painting is done with oil on canvass.
The surface to be suitable must receive oil paint freely and yet
not absorb it, can withstand temperature changes and not crack
the pigment on it.
Pigments can come from many sources: minerals, vegetable
matter, coal tars, and other chemical combinations
Two Methods in Oil Painting
Direct method: paints are opaque and are applied to the
surface just as they are to look in the finished product
Indirect method: the paint is applied in many thick layers
of transparent color.
Oil color is the best method for convincing
representation where exact reproduction of a
color tone is necessary.
 TEMPERA
Mixture of ground pigments and an
albuminous or colloidal vehicle, either egg, gum,
or glue, used by Egyptian, Medieval, and
renaissance painting.

EMULSION
-Watery, milk-like texture of oily and
watery consistency.

Advantages of Tempera
- Rapid drying
-Great luminosity of the stone
- Colors are clear and beautiful
 Made by grinding opaque colors with water and mixing
WATERCOLOR the product with a preparation of gum and adding
Chinese white to transparent watercolors.

Pigments are mixed with water and applied to

fine white paper.
Require a high degree of technical dexterity.
 Paper is the most commonly used for
che”
ground.
 Opaque watercolor is also called “goua
SCULPTURES
What are Sculptures?
the art of making two- or three-
dimensional representative or
abstract forms, by the use of
different mediums. (to be
discussed later on.)
In choosing a subject for sculpture,
the most important thing to consider
is the material.
Substances available for sculpture
are limitless.
Some of the earlier sculptures
are made from bone or wood.
Different materials required different
methods of handling.
Types of Mediums in Making Sculpture
Soft Medium
Has freedom
Lend itself to a moderate
technique that uses squeezing
and shaping and continuously
adding to it as the work goes
on
Modeling allows for the
expansion of gesture
Clay is a good example of
soft medium
Hard Medium
Requires the process of
cutting
and taking away from the
block
Carving is confined to the
limits of wood or stone
Stone and wood is a
good example of hard
medium
Major Sculpture Processes Used:
Subtractive Process: ( - ) Additive Process: ( + )
The construction of a figure
A process in which by putting together bits of
clay, or by welding together
unwanted material parts of a metal.
is cut away. Final results are produced
by putting together smaller
Carving of Stone segments of metals.
and Wood is a good May be plastic material and
example. It is the 2 can be molded like moist clay.
major mediums in Materials may be rigid or semi-
subtractive process. rigid like metal wires, rods
and plates.
 2 Types of Sculpture:
• Relief Free-standing:
• Figures which are Can be seen from all
attached to the sides can be seen from
ground like the relief all sides like the UP
of “Stela of Oblation made by
Akhenaten” and the Guillermo Tolentino in
Sculpture made by 1949. It is made of
Ed Castrillo for the bronze and stone.
Polytechnic
University of the
Philippines.
RELIEF SCULPTURES

Bonifacio Shrine
Made by: Eduardo Castrillo
FREE-STANDING SCULPTURES
 Stone and Bronze
• The media most commonly used for
sculpture are stone and metal.
• Stone is durable, resistant to elements,
fire and other hazards. On the other
hand, it is heavy and breaks easily.
• Marble is the most beautiful of stones.
Plenty in Greece and Italy and commonly
used. High gloss and polished; more or
less permanent.
• “Pieta” by Michael Angelo in the Vatican
City & The head of Ptolemy I are made of
 Wood
Advantage: Really Cheap, Readily Available
and easy to cut. Polishes well and has
smooth, shiny surface and beautiful color.
Relatively light and can be made easily into a
variety of shapes. The grain of wood that could
be seen ads to beauty.
Carved Pulpit of the San Austin Church
in Intramuros is an example of Phil.
Carving.

Disadvantage: Limited in Size and Burns Easily.

Discolor and Decays easily in the Phil. Climate.
 Ivory
Ivory Statues survive through long
periods of time due to the intrinsic
value of the material. Ivory lends itself
to technical mastery. Popular to
ordinary craftspeople.
Many statues of saints have heads
and arms made of Ivory.
Ivory lacks the vigor of wooden
statues.
Like wood, it also cracks.
Seldom used today.
 Terra Cotta
“Terra Cotta” means “Cooked Earth”.
It is made when Moist Clay is molded
and then subjected to heat.
Moderately Coarse Clay product fired
comparatively low temperature.
Usually painted and coated in heavy
glaze.
Breaks and Chips Easily, not strong;
cannot stand great strain or weight.
Mount Li(shan); Qin Shi
Huang
 Other Materials
Aluminum
Chromium
Steel
Plastic
Chemically Treated Clay & Stone for casting
in liquid form

*** Plastic is less expensive for use as a casting

material than metals and less fragile in many
ways. Beauty; lightness makes it preferable to
other materials.
MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURE
The materials used in a building and the methods
which are used in assembling them are among the
factors contributing to architectural style.
Availability of materials is important.
Durability and beauty is the basis of choosing the
materials.