Mediums of the Visual

Arts
Painting
Encaustic
 also known as hot wax painting, involves
using heated beeswax to which colored
pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then
applied to a surface—usually prepared wood,
though canvas and other materials are often
used.
Fayum Mummy Portrait (Egypt)
Tempera
 Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a
permanent, fast-drying painting medium
consisting of colored pigment mixed with
glutinous material such as egg yolk or some
other size.
 Tends to be yellowish in color
Birth Of Venus by Sandro Boticelli
Foreshortened Christ
Andrea Mantegna
Fresco
 The colors are mixed with
water and applied to fresh
plaster which absorbs the
color.
 Fresco is almost impossible to

move
Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
School of Athens by Raphael
Holy Trinity by Masaccio
Watercolor
 Pigments are mixed with water
and applied to white paper.
 Paper goes well with

watercolor.
 Fast-drying quality makes it

difficult to make corrections

Oil
 Pigments are mixed in oil.
 The surface that is most ideal

is canvas
 Colors are more opaque.
 It does not dry quickly.
 You can make corrections

easily
The Last Supper –Leonardo Da Vinci
Mona Lisa
American Gothic by Grant Wood
Oil on Beaverboard
Pastel
 The pigment is bound so as to
form a crayon which is applied
directly to the surface usually
paper.
 It has no glazed effect.
 The chalk sometimes tends to rub

off.
Portrait After a Costume Ball – Edgar
Degas
Acrylic
 Newest medium that is used
widely by painters.
 Synthetic paints using acrylic

emulsion as binder.
 They combine the quick-

drying properties of watercolor

and the flexibility of oil.
The Bigger Splash - David Hockney
Andy Warhol –Campbells Soup Cans
Mosaic
Small pieces of glass,
pebbles, colored stones and
tiles that are glued together
by an adhesive such as
grout.
Hagia Sophia

Deesis Mosaic
Stained Glass
 Commonly used to describe any
colored flat glass or any object made
of such glass joined by metal frames.
 The term originally applied to colored

or clear flat glass cut to fit an artist's

design, on which details were painted
in pigment with a brush.
Tapestry
 Tapestry is a form of textile
art, traditionally woven on a
vertical loom. However, it can
also be woven on a floor loom
as well.
Mediums in Sculpture
2 Processes
1. Subtractive – the process in which
unwanted material is cut away.
2. Additive – the construction of a
figure by putting together bits of
clay or by welding together parts
of metal
Wood
 Cheap and readily available
 It is relatively light and can be

made easily into variety of

shapes.
 It burns easily. They decay

easily
 Cannot be used outdoors
Penitent Magdalene by Donatello
Stone
 Most commonly used for
sculpture
 Durable and resistant to the

elements
 It is heavy and breaks easily.
David by
Michelangelo
La Pieta
Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Gian
Lorenzo Bernini
Bronze and other metals
The bronze is the most
commonly used metal.
It is light and the figure can

support itself in many

positions
Baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica
by Bernini
Our Lady of Edsa
Ivory
 It is an expensive and rare
medium because it uses the
tusk of an elephant.
 It cracks
 It is valuable
 The size is limited
Terra Cotta
Material made of clay
It easily breaks
Responsive to a

sculptor’s hands and

tools
Next meeting…
 Prepare and review for our 3rd long quiz about
lessons 2-4.
 Prepare a one-half lengthwise yellow paper

 Submission of prelims output– 02/20/2024