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Art is a language. The visual arts (like painting and sculpture), as well as the literary, performative (music, dance, theatre) and media arts, are forms of expression. They are ways of getting an idea across. The painter and art lecturer Fernando Zobel (6) once remarked, “Much of our trouble with paintings is that we expect them to communicate to us when we don’t understand the vocabulary used. That is like a person who dislikes English poetry when he doesn’t understand English.… There is more to seeing than just looking. Give a picture a chance, rather than a glance.”
Hence, to understand and appreciate an artwork, its various aspects must be considered (Guillermo and Flores 30). These include its forms and styles (Module 4), medium and techniques (this module), organization (Module 6), and contexts (Modules 7, 8, 9).
This module deals with the different materials and techniques used by artists to produce a work that conveys an idea or feeling. It is necessary to be sensitive to medium and methods (Humanities: Art & Society Handbook xxiv) because these form part of the meaning of the work (Guillermo 35).
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
After completing the module, students should be able to:
- Discuss various materials and techniques in the production of an artwork; and
- Analyze the interrelationship between materials, techniques, and meaning.
Materials
Materials
Generally, material or medium is the physical substance from which a work is made. Artists express feelings and ideas not only through the subject matter of their work but also through the materials or medium that they use.
Painters typically use oil, acrylic, and watercolor, as well as tempera, ink, and pastel, which they apply on a two-dimensional or flat surface such as canvas, paper, wood, or wall. Sculptors shape clay, glass, metal, stone, or wood into three-dimensional forms. Musicians use voices and instruments, while dancers use body movements. Writers use words. Theater artists integrate visual and musical elements and dance in their performances (Datuin et al. 89). Architects use rock (stone, clay), organic materials (wood), metal (steel), synthetic materials (glass, plastics), and hybrid materials (concrete).
It is important to note that material is not merely incidental to the work. The artists’ choice of medium affects expressive content (de Leon 83). It is part of the meaning of the work (Guillermo 31). Architectural materials, for instance, also signify character and social values. Stone connotes strength; marble, permanence; wood, warmth; brick, practicality; and metal, impersonality (Guillermo 43-44).
Activity 5.1. Medium
Activity 5.1. Medium
Allot 1 hour
- Read Alice G. Guillermo, “Medium and Technique,” in Art and Society (Quezon City: [Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters,] University of the Philippines, 1997), 31-46. (Available on MyPortal)
- What examples did she provide to demonstrate how medium forms part of the meaning of the work? Cite your own examples that reinforce or refute this argument.
- Differentiate J.A.D. Ingres’s drawing (Fig. 5-1) from Eugene Delacroix’s painting (Fig. 5-2) of the violinist Nicolo Paganini. Identify the different medium and techniques used by both artists. Note how these contributed to the differences in meaning of the works, even though both artists depicted the same subject.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Paganini, 1818-31
Counterproof strengthened with graphite and white chalk on tracing paper, 24 x 18.5 cm (9 7/16 x 7 5/15 in).The Metropolitan Museum of Manila. Bequest of Grace Rainey Rogers, 1943.
Eugene Victor Ferdinand Delacroix, Paganini, 1831
Oil on cardboard on wood panel, 44.8 x 30.2 cm (17 63/100 x 11 22/25 in).Philipps Collection, Washington, D.C.
The medium or material of a work forms part of its meaning. Differences in medium result in differences in meaning. Ingres’s precise and accurate graphite and chalk drawing presents Paganini formally and objectively as rational man. On the other hand, Delacroix’s more colorful and fluid oil painting portrays him as passionate, frenzic even (Strickland 78).
Techniques
Techniques
Technique is the manner or method by which artists manipulate the aforementioned materials to further express their feelings and ideas. In the previous example, notice how Delacroix’s rough brushstrokes heightened the raw emotion of Paganini’s performance.
Painters, however, do not always apply pigments with a brush or palette knife. In a frottage technique, artists rub lead or charcoal over a piece placed on a granular surface to obtain textural effects. For a soft ethereal effect, a spray gun is used. In the decalcomania technique, pigments are applied on two sheets of paper which are then pressed together to create random shapes.
In graphic arts such as printmaking, there are four traditional techniques or engraving processes, namely: relief; intaglio; surface or planographic methods; and serigraphy or silkscreen. New printmaking processes include collography, plantigraphy, thermography, xeroxography, and viscosity printing. Printmakers are particular about the medium (paper) and engraving techniques because these have specific effects and meanings (Guillermo 35-37).
In architecture, methods or system of architectural constructions include: lashed construction; post-and-lintel construction; arch and vault construction; skeleton construction; and cantilever construction (Guillermo 44-46).
Activity 5.2. Technique
Activity 5.2. Technique
Part 1
Allot 20 minutes.
Revisit Guillermo's, “Medium and Technique,” in Art and Society (Quezon City: [Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters,] University of the Philippines, 1997), 31-46. (Available on MyPortal)
Can you define and exemplify the various techniques in graphic arts, sculpture, and architecture? What is the relation between your impression of the artworks and the techniques used in them?
Part 2
Allot 30 minutes.
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same song. Is the cover necessarily inferior? How did the difference in technique (e.g., how the song was performed) influence your reception of a particular version of a song?
A suggested original song with numerous covers is “I Will Always Love You.” For select performances by various artists of the aforementioned song, watch the following videos.
(Linda Ronstadt, 1975
Dolly Parton, 1974
Amber Riley, 2012
Beyonce, 2012
Charice Pempengco, 2009?
Whitney Houston, 1992
Jessica Sanchez, 2012
Jennifer Hudson, 2012
Laura Kamhuber, 2013
Activity 5.3. Show and tell
Activity 5.3. Show and tell
1 hour
Select a popular work, a favorite song, or consumer item that has several covers or versions (e.g., mother and child, Rizal monument, Pieta, Last Supper, Rolex or G-Shock watches, Nike shoes and apparel).
Discuss the ideas, feelings, or statements about the subject matter conveyed by the artists/manufacturers from the specific materials and techniques they used? (de Leon 83)
Conclusion
Conclusion
Whatever the medium or technique, it is important to ask how these form part of the meaning of the work (Guillermo 35).
Module 5 Supplement
Module 5 Supplement
Activity S5.1. Learn about vocal techniques
Activity S5.1. Learn about vocal techniques
Allot 20 minutes
In Activity 5.2, Part 2 (above), you were asked to compare and contrast two or more versions of the same song. However, the preparatory reading given for it (Guillermo's 'Medium and Technique') may not necessarily equip you with the vocabulary to adequately discuss how vocal techniques employed by the various singers influences the way you receive and interpret the performances.
Instead, browse through the Complete Vocal Institute's page on vocal techniques, and pay special attention to the graphic summary at the of the page, labelled "CVT Overview", where it summarizes its theory on four types of vocal modes (neutral, curbing, overdrive, and edge); sound color (dark to light), and effects. You can also browse through Tim Mariner's (2015) document on vocal techniques, to pick up even more terms to describe singing techniques. I emphasize the word "browse" and suggest only 20 minutes to go though both resources because you are not expected to gain a complete understanding of vocal techniques. Instead, use these resources as starting points and inspiration to develop your own vocabulary for describing vocal styles so you can better answer Part 2 of Activity 5.2.
Activity S5.2: The influence of everyday sounds on musical craft and technique
Activity S5.2: The influence of everyday sounds on musical craft and technique
Allot 15 minutes
Watch Meklit Hadero's TED Talk, The unexpected beauty of everyday sounds. According to Hadero, in what ways has everyday sounds inspired craft and technique in music?
Activity S5.3 (COVID-19 Special Activity): Quarantine Meal Music
Activity S5.3 (COVID-19 Special Activity): Quarantine Meal Music
Collect up to three empty sardines cans, bottles, containers from your quarantine meals. Using Hadero’s inspiration in creating music (Activity S5.2), create your own 3-5 second sound. Share in the forum.
Activity S5.4 (COVID-19 Special Activity): Materials and techniques for art in the time of COVID-19
Activity S5.4 (COVID-19 Special Activity): Materials and techniques for art in the time of COVID-19
Think about the examples of art works (or potentially even entire art styles and forms) as having come out of this pandemic, as discussed in previous COVID-19 Supplementary Activities.
- What materials and techniques have artists employed in the art as a result of the pandemic? Consider how the COVID-19 outbreak has created massive shifts in society: physical distancing, the wearing of face masks, wide-scale unemployment, home and centralized quarantining, hospitalizations, and death, to name but a few.
- Consider the possibility that the lockdowns may continue for as long as a vaccine has not been developed. How might artists have to adapt their materials and techniques to such an eventuality?
- One example of a creative work that went viral is a collaboratively-made video featuring female Hollywood actors and stuntwomen. (Warning: If you are triggered by violence, please note that the video contains stunts and suggestive and/or slapstick violence, though it is clear that all the participants were having fun shooting the video.) Suggest what kinds of creative and production techniques the creators had to keep in mind when putting together the video.
Readings, Resources, and References
Readings, Resources, and References
Required Readings
Guillermo, Alice G. (1997). “Composition in Space,” in Art and Society (Quezon City: Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, 87-105.
Guillermo, Alice G. (1997). “Medium and Technique,” in Art and Society. Quezon City: Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, 31-46.
References
Berkowitz, J. (2020, May 4). Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, and other A-list actresses kick ass in this viral stunt video. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90500534/stuntwoman-zoe-bell-gathered-a-list-actresses-to-kick-ass-in-this-viral-instagram-video
Datuin, Flaudette May V., Roberto Paulino, Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez, and Louise Marcelino. (2016). “Mediums and Techniques.” In Philippine Contemporary Art in the Regions. Manila: Rex Book Store, 87-98.
Davis, Douglas. (1995) “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo 28, no. 4, 381-386. Accessed 19 July 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1576221?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
de Leon, Felipe M., Jr.(1978). “The Elements and Principles of Organization in the Arts.” In On Art, Man & Nature: Selected Readings in the Humanities, edited by Felipe M. de Leon Jr. Quezon City: Jingle Clan Pub, 83-96.
De La Paz, Cecilia. (2014). “Ang Anyo ng Sining.” In Sining at Lipunan. (2nd ed). Edited by Cecilia De La Paz and Patrick D. Flores. Quezon City: Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, 1-50.
Guillermo, Alice G. (2001). “Reading the Image.” In Image to Meaning: Essays on Philippine Art. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, , 1-16.
G[uillermo], A[lice] G., and P[atrick] D. F[lores]. (1997). Introduction to “The Text of Art.” In Art and Society, managing editor Patrick D. Flores. Quezon City: [Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters,] University of the Philippines.
Guttman, Lisa, and Nicola Giardina. (2015). “Lesson Plan: Materials and Meaning.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed 12 July 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/lesson-plans/materials-and-meaning.
Hammond, Adam. (2016). “Digital Editions and the Complexity of Remediation.” In Literature in the Digital Age: An Introduction, 57-81. Cambridge University Press. Accessed 19 July 2018. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107323551.005.
Mirano, Elena. “Sound in Music Cultures.” In Art and Society, 145-155. Quezon City: [Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters,] University of the Philippines, 1997.
Strickland, Carol. The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern. 2nd ed. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2007.
“The Recommended Syllabus.” In Humanities: Art and Society Handbook, xxi-xxvii. Quezon City: U.P. College of Arts and Letters Foundation, Inc.; Technical Panel on Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication; and Commission on Higher Education, 1998.
"Visual Art: Materials & Tools." Study.com. 06 Nov 2017. Accessed 09 July 2018. https://study.com/academy/lesson/visual-art-materials-tools.html
Zobel de Ayala, Fernando. “Lecture Outlines for the Course Introduction to Contemporary Painting.” Manila: Ateneo de Manila, 1954-1955.
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