Art Matters: The Types and Materials of Art
Art Matters: The Types and Materials of Art
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Module 3
Art Media:
Art Media:
This module focuses on art materials and various art forms. Seeing artwork in person rather than through digital images is crucial. It allows you to closely observe colors and textures, providing a more immersive experience. When possible, I encourage you to visit art exhibitions to witness real artworks.
At the module's conclusion, you'll discover two contemporary artists, Andy Goldsworthy and Vik Muniz, who use unconventional materials in their art. Their work offers unique perspectives.
Enjoy!
Below are some paintings that really show you what they are made of! Paint! :)
and close up:
and closer still:
Notice the wonderful, and wild way the nose is painted in this close up. It's literally a few brush strokes of paint, but magically becomes a nose.
Watch this young artist paint with amazing texture, and colors. Its fun to see what the material paint can do.
Watch this interesting video on conservation and materials.
Art Media
Art Media
The materials of art are called the media. (plural of medium)
Media commonly used in visual arts:
Painting Media:
Oil Paints: Using oil as a binder for pigments.
Acrylic Paints: Quick-drying paints using acrylic polymer as a binder.
Watercolors: Pigments suspended in water-soluble solutions.
Gouache: Similar to watercolor but opaque and heavier.
Tempera: Pigments mixed with egg yolk or other binders.
Encaustic: Pigments mixed with hot wax.
Drawing Media:
Graphite: Pencil lead used for sketching and shading.
Charcoal: Compressed burnt wood for expressive and dark marks.
Pastels: Pigment sticks for vibrant and soft coloring.
Ink: Liquid pigment for line work and illustration.
Markers: Permanent or water-based pens for various effects.
Sculpture Media:
Clay: Malleable material often used for modeling and pottery.
Stone: Including marble, granite, limestone, and more.
Metal: Such as bronze, copper, steel, and aluminum for casting or welding.
Wood: Carving and sculpting material with different textures.
Plaster: Used for casting and creating molds.
Printmaking Media:
Etching: Using acid to create incised lines on metal plates.
Lithography: Drawing on a stone or metal surface with greasy ink or crayon.
Woodcut: Carving an image onto a woodblock for printing.
Photography and Filmmaking:
Digital Photography: Capturing images using digital cameras.
Analog Photography: Utilizing film and darkroom development processes.
Digital Filmmaking: Recording and editing videos using digital technology.
Analog Filmmaking: Recording on film reels and manual editing.
Design and Textile Media:
Graphic Design: Using software and digital tools for visual communication.
Textile Design: Creating patterns for fabrics using various methods like printing, weaving, or dyeing.
Drawing
Drawing
Drawing is creating a picture with a variety of tools, in most cases pencils, crayons, pens or markers. Artists draw on different types of surfaces, like paper or canvas. The first drawings were discovered in caves, that date back about 30,000 years.
Ancient Egyptians drew on papyrus, Greeks and Romans made drawings on other objects, like vases. In the Middle Ages drawings were sketches that were made on parchment. When paper became common in the Renaissance, drawing became an art perfected by Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and others.
Drawing of a Lion, Rembrandt 1650-52
Oil paint on oak panel is the medium of this painting.
Oil paint on oak panel is the medium of this painting.
Arnolfini Portrait
Jan Van Eyck, 1434, Oil on Oak
Painting is considered one of the oldest and most significant forms of visual art. It involves using colors and various brush techniques to express artists' ideas on surfaces like canvas or walls, in ancient times, from cave paintings depicting hunting scenes or Egyptian art portraying daily life. Paint has been used as a powerful storytelling tool throughout history.
During the Renaissance, Italy was a major center for influential artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. Their impact reached across Europe, influencing painters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer during the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age.
In recent centuries, artists have experimented with different types of paint, leading to artistic revolutions. For example, Impressionism emerged in late 19th-century France, employing oil and watercolor paints to capture fleeting light and color impressions. Picasso's Cubism in the early 20th century used oil paints to deconstruct and reassemble forms in innovative ways, sparking the beginning of many more significant changes in art.
Self-Portrait with Two Circles (close up)
Rembrandt
Oil on canvas
Created between circa 1665 and circa 1668
Dimensions: Height - 143.5 cm (56.4 in); Width - 125.2 cm (49.2 in)
Printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is an art form where ink-covered plates are pressed onto surfaces, commonly paper nowadays, but historically onto cloth or other objects. Plates, typically made from wood or metal, transfer the image. Originating in ancient Mesopotamia, it gained popularity in ancient Egypt and China. Printmaking spread across Europe by the end of the Middle Ages.
Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculptures are three-dimensional artworks crafted by shaping materials like stone, steel, plastic, ceramics, and wood. It's often linked to 'plastic arts,' known for easily shaping materials. Originating in ancient Greece, sculpture held significance in many world religions over the centuries. During the Renaissance, Michelangelo excelled in art, notably creating the amazing free-standing 'David.'
Photography
Photography
Photography involves capturing images by allowing light through a camera's lenses onto film or, in modern times, silicon chips. In analog photography, light was recorded onto film and chemically developed, with images printed on special paper. Nowadays, digital photography dominates, where images are directly recorded onto silicon chips inside film-less cameras.
Giotto's Venice 2019, Tammy Jennings
Filmmaking and Computer art
Filmmaking and Computer art
Filmmakers create moving images that are compiled into films. They capture sequences of visuals, often coupled with sound, to tell stories or convey messages. Using cameras and various production techniques, filmmakers combine these sequences to create cohesive narratives or visual experiences in the form of movies or films.
Computer art
Computer art
Today, art is no longer limited to brushes, paint and pencils. In the last few decades artists have been working with computers to capture images and change them . Computer art consists of a wide variety of different forms, from capturing and changing sound to creating video games.
The image above is a work of computer art, that I made using art by Giotto's "Entry into Jerusalem" from the 1300's, and a recent image of the flooding of Venice, Italy
Artist of the week: Vik Muniz
Artist of the week: Vik Muniz
watch this video:
This image, by Muniz was made entirely of white sugar on black paper!
Artist of the week : Andy Goldsworthy
Artist of the week : Andy Goldsworthy
Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy uses a seemingly infinite array of art elements in purely natural materials. From snow and ice, to leaves, stone, and twigs in the creation of his one-of-a-kind sculptures. Goldsworthy's approach is to interrupt, shape, or in some other way temporarily alter, or work with nature to produce his fragile, mutable pieces.
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