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. Many mediums have been used in creating different works of art. The architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks, stone, concrete, and various building materials. The painter uses pigments on wood or canvas to recreate reality of nature. A sculptor uses steel, marble, bronze, metal, and wood. A musician uses sound and instruments to communicate its subject and a literary writer uses words in literature. Thus, medium is very essential in arts. On the basis of medium, the arts are primarily classified as visual and auditory. Visual arts are those whose mediums can be seen and which occupy space. These are grouped into two classes. The first is the dimensional or two-dimensional arts which include painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography. The three-dimensional arts include sculpture, architecture, landscape, community planning, industrial designs, and crafts like ceramics and furniture. The auditory arts are those whose 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 these exist in both space and time. These are the dance, the opera, the drama, and the movies. Along with the music, chese are also known as the performing arts because each artwork grasps the meaning of a significant event or similar sequences consisting chiefly ofa series of continuous incidents. ‘All arts convey meaning and these may be enjoyed through either the visual or the auditory sense or both. Technique is the manner in which the artist controls his medium to achieve the desired effect. It is the ability with which he fulfills 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 his medium, he believes that this can best express the idea he wants to convey: Most often, 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 since this is a part of the artistic inspiration. He normally selects the materials that can be handled with ease, that would best suit his plan and adequately bring out the qualitiesi s to show. The artist loves and respect his medium. He ig hay Ff a because he believes that it has certain qualities that will fond of using i nee Coe eras the medium determines the way it can be r ive character o Ae Aeaarilen i of art. The nature of each medium ke turned into a wor! : worked on ancl tures ir art may be realized. Stone must be chiseled, i a wol : determines how 2 wor ey must be carved. Each medium responds to metal must be cast; an duced. ~ kind of artwork that must be produced, - fa ceiion has its own characteristics which determine the physical shed work of art. Wood can be carved in great detail f the sculptor. When finished and varnish is applied, finish, Stone and marble, transformed into a appearance of the fini according to the talent of it gives a smooth and glossy ; piece of art, can withstand the test of time. ‘The Artist and His Technique. Apparently, artists differ from one another in technique even if they use the same medium. A musician's technique is his ability to make music sound the way he wants it. On the other hand, a sculptor’s technique is his way of handling chisel and hammer to produce the desired effect. A pianist’s technique is his way of handling the instrument and interpreting a musical composition. Technique differs in the various arts. An artist’s technique in one medium will be quite different from the technique in another. A painter may have a fine technique in watercolor but a poor one in oil. The distinction between an art and craft may be made on the basis of the technique used. For an artist, technique is not the end but the means, while the craftman, technique is the end. The making of a piece of sculpture for example, is not the same as the making of a chair. While both require technique, knowledge and competence, creativity apparently comes into play in the work of the sculptor. Technique, thus, is an important aspect that distinguishes an art from a craft. Mediums of the Visual Arts Visual arts are those arts that are perceived with our eyes. The most cor ing, s mmon visual arts are painting, sculpture, and architecture. Their mediums are discussed as follows. Painting Painting is that art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments, Different mediums are used in pai nting. Each medium exerts a pronounced effect on the finished Product, is cay pable of varied treatment, and determines its own stroke. The materials ofits inter are pigments applied to wet plaster, canvas, wood, or paper,Watercolor. Watercolor as a medium is difficult to handle because it is ~ difficult to produce warm and rich tones but it invites brilliance and a variety of hues. Simple and clear spontaneity is its principal essence. While changes may be made once the paint has been applied, such changes normally tend to make the color less luminous. These defects, however, are rendered by watercolor artists through some techniques. An example is the method of ‘gouache, an opaque watercolor painting the major effects of which are caused by the whitepaper itself. The gouache is done by mixing zinc white with the regular watercolor paints to tone them down giving the appearance of sobriety suitable for dramatic purposes. Fresco. This is painting on a moist plaster surface with colors ground in water or a limewater mixture. The colors dry into plaster, and the picture becomes a part of the wall. Fresco must be done quickly because it is anexacting medium— the moment the paint is applied to the surface, it becomes an integral part of the wall. The image becomes permanently fixed and almost impossible to remove. An example of fresco painting is Michelangelo's “The Creation of Adam” in the Sistine Chapel ceiling “The Creation of Adam" Michaelangelo ‘Tempera. Tempera paints are mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk or egg white and ore. They are often used as binder due to its film forming properties and rapid drying rate and corrections are difficult to make. It is more deliberate and technique than oil because it does not possess the flexibility of oil. Throughout the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, tempera was one of the favorite mediums of many painters before oil was adopted. Tempera painting is usually done in wooden panel that has been made very smooth with plaster called “gesso” (chalk and gum). Since this medium dries quickly, corrections are difficult to make. ‘Thus, the artist must be precise and exact in his work. It is a well-designed medium for careful detail. One distinguishing advantage of tempera is its luminous tone—the colors being clear and beautiful Pastel. This is a stick of dried paste made of pigment round with chalk and compounded with gum water. Its colors are luminous, and it #6m, In spite of its richness and varied effec cause it is difficult to preserve the finishe, ss. Some artists use a fixing medium or but when the chalk rubs, the picture los a very flexible mediui never won a prize, be: in its original freshne surface such as glass, its brilliance. Encaustic, This is one of the early Pein ke the Egyptians ln the painted portrait on mummy cases. This is an Painting with yer fixed with heat. Painting with wax produces luster and radiances, sean making them appear at their best in portraits, Oil, Oil painting is one of the most expensive art activities today because of the prohibitive cost of materials. Itis the heaviest of Painting media, It admits a great deal of corrections and working over, In oil painting, pigments are mixed with linseed oil and applied to the canvas, One good quality of oil paint as a medium is its flexibility. The artist may use a brush, palette knife, or even his bare hands when applying paint in his canvas. In some cases, we do not even notice the artist’s strokes because the paint is applied very smoothly. One distinctive characteristics of oil paints, compared with other mediums, is that they dry slowly and the painting may be changed and worked over a long period of time. Painting done in oil is glossy and lasts long. ts, it has 4 Product Protectin, 5 Some oF Acrylic. This medium is used popularly by contemporary painters because of the transparency and quick-drying characteristics of watercolor and the flexibility of oil combined. 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, unlike oil paints which turn yellowish or darker over a period of time. Mosaic. Mosaic art is a picture or decoration made of small pieces of inlaid colored stones or glass called “tesserae,” which most often are cut into squares glued on a surface with plaster or cement. Mosaic is usually classified as painting, although, the medium used is not strictly pigment. Mosaic art is an important feature of Byzantine churches. A prominent religious artwork in Manila done in mosaic is found in the altar of Sta. Cruz Church showing a wounded white lamb, symbolizing Christ, with a stream that flows down directly to the tabernacle. Stained Glass. Stained glass as an artwork is common in G cathedrals and churches. This is made by combining many small pieces of colored glass which are held together by bands of lead, It is also a kind of patchwork. In large windows, the lead is reinforced by heavy iron bats that make heavy black lines in the picture. The pictures in the stained glass reflect the lives of saints and in effect, also serve as a means of othicreligious instruction among Christians. Beautiful stained. glass windows showing scenes from found in the Philippine churches Tapestry This is a fabric consisting ofa warp upon which colored threads are woven by hand to olorec " Produce adesign, often pictorial, wall hangings and furniture covering. During the Middle Ages, they were hung on the walls of palaces and in cathedrals on festive occasions to Provide warmth. the Bible are commonly Drawing, Drawing is usually done on paper using pencil, pen and ink, or charcoal. It is the most fundamental of all skills necessary in arts. Drawing has always been considered as a very good training for artists because it makes one concentrate on the use of line, Shading can also be used to make drawing more life-like and realistic, Some of the world’s best-known drawings are by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). He drew everything from animals and birds to ideas for flying machines. Drawing can be done with different kinds of mediums and the most common is pencil which comes in different degrees of hardness or softness, with the pencil lead (graphite) depending on the kind of drawing the artist will undertake. For linework, hard pencil lead is applied. When working on a granular surface, soft pencils are used because they invite effects of mass and a texture of gray. Ink, one of the oldest mediums still in use, offers a great variety of qualities, depending on the tools and techniques used in applying the ink on the surface. India ink, which comes in liquid form, is the favorite medium of comic strip illustrators and cartoonists. Chinese ink, meanwhile comes in solid sticks that are dissolved in water before they are used. A 7 3 3 rt ro ) = 5 stained glass Bistre. Bistre is a brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood, and often used in pen and wash drawings, Crayons. Crayons are pigments bound by wax and compressed into Painted sticks used for drawing especially among children in the elementary grades. They adhere better on paper surface. Charcoal, These are carbonaceous materials obtained by heating wood or other organic substances in the absence of oxygen. Charcoal is used in “Presenting broad masses of ight and shadow. Like drawing pencils, soft charcoal Produces the darkest value, while the darkest produces the lightest tone. Silverpoint. In this medium, the artist has a technique of drawing with silver stylus on specially prepared paper to produce a thin grayish line that ™4S popular during the Renaissance period.Printmaking, A print is anything printed on a surface that ie a ite, result from duplicating process, Ordinarily, the painting or graphic image, is done in black ink on white paper and becomes the artist’s plate, Som calendar pictures and! Christmas cards are reproduced through printing One of the advantages of printmaking is the process of making many copiey of the original drawing. Today, printmaking maybe categorized ay Painting because it has long been acknowledged as an independent art, ‘There are five major types of prints — woodcut, engraving, relief, intaglio, and stencil process. Bach print can be distinguished by the plate made, * Woodeut, As the name implies, this is made from a piece of wood, The design stands as a relief, the remaining surface of the block being cut away: A woodblock prints just as do the letters of a typewriter, The lines of the design are wood, so they are not very fine, Woodcuts can be identified because of their firm, cle: * Bngneving. This is the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by acids, In engraving, the lines of the design are cut into a metal plate with ink and transferred from the plate to the paper. and black lines, ‘The lines of an engraving are cut by hand with an instrument called durin, a ste! tool with an oblique point and rounded handle for carving stone and engraving metal. Since the copper plate is hard to cut, the resulting lines are very fine, much finer than the lines of a wood cut Etching i A copper or zine plate is covered with a a development of engraving “ground” a smooth coating of wax mixed with pitch and amber. The artist scratches the picture into the ground and puts the plate in acid, which “eats” the picture into the plate, The ground is engraving scraped off and the plate is then used to print the picture, © Relief. Relief printing involves cutting away from a block of wood oF linoleum the parts of the design that the artist wants to be seen, leaving. the portion of the third dimension, Color prints are made by preparing a separate block for each color to be used, It is important that only the parts to be printed with precision are on the proper area. © Intalio, Intaglio is a printing process in which the design or the text is engraved into the surface of the place and the ink is transferred to paper from the groover. The design is engraved or etched into a metalplate. Te sacted line i then filed with ik and unde considerable cae don SREP Pression on paper surface aes Te tine i 2 very common art activity done by be are days as a part of their practical arts courses. It pater involves cutting of the design on special paper cardboard insuch away that when inks rubbed veri, the designs repodoced on the surface. The printing is done through a silkscreen = ln ae fine silk or nylon stretched tightly over a wooden aerate nae ein meth a blocked ow wih a enc andthe ee are open. The screen is placed over the paper or cloth >be printed. Thereafter, the paint is squeezed through the open portion of design to penetrate to the paper or cloth underneath. For the m!ticolor prints a separate screen is used for each color. Sculpture In choosing a subject for sculpture, the most important thing to consider is the material. The materials available for sculpture are limitless Each of these materials presents interesting motivation to challenge the sculptor's creativity. 1. Stone is the hard and brittle substance formed from mineral and earth material. The finished product is granular and dull in appearance. These are normally used for gravestones in cemeteries. Stones include sandstone, granite, basalt, marble, and limestone. Granite is a granular igneous rock composed of feldopars and quartz, usually combined with other minerals and is quite difficult to chisel. This is good for large works with only a few designs. The Egyptian sculptures of Pharaohs were mostly done in granite. Marble is limestone in a more or less crystalline state sufficiently close in texture and capable of taking a high polish, occurring in many varieties. Breciated marble is composed of angular fragments while serpentine marble is prized for its variegated patterns and is often used in large flat planes. Iti easier to carve than gzanie because itis relatively softer character. Sculptors have used marble for detailed carving of figure. Sandstone is a soft stone, Basalt is hard and black. Limestone has a fine and even texture. Its color range from light cream to buff, and from light gray to a darker, bluish gray. It lends itself very well to carving. 2. Jade is a fine, colorful stone, usually green, and used widely in Ancient China. It is highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for carving and fashion jewelry. Today, it is one of women's fashion accessories because it carries certain social significance. It is believed to symbolize certain Sc virtues such as faithfulness, wisdom, and charity. A see eativory sculpture 5. Bronze and tin with color and is one oft ture. It is cast into shape. Bronze as a material is strong, 3. Ivory, which and resistant to any atmosphe sculptures in open or outdoor places large-scale modeling, The sculpture may brilliance and splendor. comes from the main parts of tusks of eleph lants, ite substance used to make carvings and bit Hard is the hard whit fale In the home of some well-to-do families in gy Philippines, faces and hands of images of saints are made op of ivory. The bodies are made of wood, carved and painted, ‘vraslsinclude any ofa class of elementary substances such gold, silver, or copper all of which are crystalline when solig and many of which are characterized by capacity, ductility liar luster when freshly fractured. Being conductivity and pec : . ductile, it can be transformed into fine wires or threads, Its main quality is that it can be shaped into any direction or formed under great pressure without breaking. Traditionally, the metals that have been the medium for sculpture are copper, brass, bronze, gold, silver, and lead. Aluminum is a recent addition to the list. is one of the oldest alloys of metal composing chiefly of copper he most universally popular metals for durable ric corrosion. It is best suited for like parks and plazas as well as for be polished to give it excellent 6. Brass analloy of copper and zinc, isnot popularly used by artists because of its limitations as a medium. Although it has many practical uses, brass does not rust and it takes a brilliant polish. 7. Copper, which has a peculiar brilliance, is used as a costing medium. This is basically shaped by hammering. It can be fashioned into relief forms. The rich reddish color and strength offer many possibilities to the sculptor and the craftsman. One characteristic of this medium is its resistance to atmospheric corrosion. 8. Gold and silver are used as casting materials for small objects like medals, coir je = pieces of jewelry. Because they are quite expensive, they are 1 either personal accessories or religious adornments. . Lead, i i 9. i, a bluish-gray metal, flexible and permanent material, is used for a : oe z= forging. With the help of a welding torch iron, it can be © a variety of unique and exciting forms 10, Plaster is a composi my sition of lime, sand, and water, Plaster is worked 0n an armatui i m8 oa — Mae and rods in addition to various materials ipplied on walls and ceilings and allowed to harden and dry. The medium is used e tens und allowes molds, architectural decorations, ae ne ees ree indoor sculpture. 1. Clay isa natural earthy i a ly material that has th wor cag cana ae ofl ve um used formaking bricks and ceramics. Clay is generally fragile so it becomes necessary to cast it in another durable material. The surface of the finished product made of clay may be painted or glazed. Earthware which is “baked earth” is commonly referred to as terra cotta, which is cheap compared with stone or bronze. Brilliant cloves are made possible by glazing, Like all pottery, terra cotta is easily broken. As a medium for sculptor, it has been used during the early times. 12. Glass is a medium that is hard, brittle, non-crystalline, more or less transparent substances produced by fusion, usually consisting of mutually dissolved silica and silicates and contains soda and lime. This is used to make beautiful but fragile figurines. It can be molded in various colars and shapes. 13. Wood as a medium is perhaps easier to carve than any other mediums available because it can be intricately carved and subjected into a variety of treatment not possible with stone. It is lighter and softer to carve despite having greater tensile strength than stone; hence, it can be used in long pieces without breaking. The character of the grain and the color of the wood are the most important qualities that the sculptor considers. Wood should be treated to preserve its quality. Common wood used for sculpture are dapdap, white lauan, oak, walnut, mahogany, narra and dao. They are selected for beauty and permanence. 14. Terra cotta is the tenderest of sculptural materials. Most oriental sculpture deals in this medium. This is used in vases, figurines, and in small thins. Architecture Architecture is an art. In its strictest meaning, it is the art of designing a building and supervising its construction. It may also be regarded as the procedure assisted with the conception of an idea and its realization in terms of building materials. In its broader meaning, architecture is shelter toserve as protection of all activities of men — work, recreation, and sleep. One of the primary purposes of architecture is to fulfill man’s needs that led to its creation. These man’s needs include: 1. Physical needs — shelter (for self-preservation and reproduction) T 5: hese shelters must have the necessities (kitchen, bedroom, oe room) and comfort (heat, ventilation, furnishing). im ‘otional needs — endowed with rich beauty and interest. 3 Intellectual needs —a buildi i fe A a toa Iding for science, education, government etc. a forrecognition, Prestige, skyscrapers, cathedrals, b. forresponse— buildings, city civic, and personal — man build palaces, public buildings, monuments etc. due to love, friendship, and sociability (fraternal clubs, banquet halls, ballrooms, living rooms)c. for self-expression — theaters, museums, cultural centers, stadiums, gymnasiums, bowling alleys, etc. Folk Arts Theatre To identify the style in architecture is a complex undertaking. The style must accommodate and express the function of the structure. It must also address the future, providing for adaptability and capacity to survive the loss ofits original function. It must also provide for functions which are unknown at the moment of construction.