The Mediums of Art PDF

CHAPTER 5 The Mediums of Art Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be able to: 1. Familiarize with the different mediums in all forms of art: 2. Identify the mediums and technique used by artist in used by the artist in the...

CHAPTER 5 The Mediums of Art Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be able to: 1. Familiarize with the different mediums in all forms of art: 2. Identify the mediums and technique used by artist in used by the artist in the artwork present in their locality: 1. Make use of the available medium in one’s surrounding to create art. Definition Many widely diverse objects go under the name of art. A song, a sonata, a symphony, a statute, a skyscraper, a tapestry, a tragedy, an epic, a dance, a novel, a lyric – all these and more are classified as art. The song, symphony, sonata, an oratorio belong to the art of music; the cathedral, palace, and skyscraper are examples of architecture; the poem, tragedy, epic and lyric are literature. The bases for these classifications are, first of all, the way the artist has communicated an idea to an audience – the medium. The word medium denotes the means by which an artist communicates an idea. Art medium refers to the art materials or artist supplies used to create a work of art. Basically, it's whatever artists use to make a mark upon a surface. Medium is more essential to art than subject and function. There is art without subject, and there is art without function, but there is no art without medium. A work can only exist in some medium. The Artist, Medium and Technique An artist’s choice of the medium to employ is usually influence by such practical consideration as: a. The availability of material b. The use to which the art object will be put c. The idea to that he/ she wants to communicate and d. The nature and special characteristics of the medium itself. The Artist and the Technique A good artist makes the medium for him/ her to produce effects that cannot be possibly attained in any other means. Technique refers to the artist’s knowledge of the medium and the skill in making it to achieve what he/ she wants to. The Distinctive Character of Mediums 1. Each medium determines the way it can be worked and turned into a work of art. 2. The medium also determines what can be expressed through it. 3. Each medium has its own range of characteristics which determine the physical appearance of the finished product. 4. Each medium has intellectual limitations as well as potentials. Classification of arts According to Medium The following are the classification of arts according to medium. Painting and the Related Arts Painting is the process of applying pigments on a smooth surface – paper, cloth, canvas, wood or plaster – to secure an interesting arrangement of forms, lines and colors. The following are the mediums in painting: a. Encaustic – one of the earliest mediums is the application of a mixture of hot beeswax resin and ground pigment to any porous surface, followed by application of heat to set the colors and bind them to the ground. b. Tempera – paints that are made of earth or material pigments mixed with egg yolk and egg white. c. Fresco – the application of earth pigments mixed water on plaster wall while the plaster is still damp so the color sinks into the surface and becomes an integral part of the wall. d. Watercolor – tempered paint made of pure ground pigment bound with gum Arabic Painters apply damp so that the color in thin, almost transparent films. e. Oil – pigments ground on linseed oil is applied primed canvas. f. Acrylic – synthetic paints using acrylic polymer emulsions as binder are the newest mediums and the ones that are widely used by the painter today. It is a combination of transparency and quick- drying characteristics of watercolor and the flexibility of oil. The following are related to painting: a. Mosiac – are wall or floor decoration made of small cubes or regular cut pieces of colored stones or glass called tesserae. b. Stained Glass – is the use of translucent glass colored by mixing metallic oxides into molten glass or by fixing them onto the surface of the clear glass. c. Tapestry – are fabrics into which colored have been woven. d. Drawings – most fundamental of all skills needed in the arts. e. Printmaking – the process duplicating a graphic image to make many faithful copies of it.  f. Relief Printing – this involves cutting away from a block of wood or linoleum the portions of the design that the artist does not want to show, leaving the design to stand out on the block. g. Intaglio Printing – are exactly the opposite of those of the relief printing. The design is scratched, engraved or etched on a metal plate. h. Planographic Process – also called the surface printing is done from an almost smooth surface which has been treated chemically or mechanically so that some areas will print and the others will not. i. Stencil Process – done by cutting designs out of special paper, cardboard, or metal sheet in such a way that when ink is rubbed over it, the design is reproduced on the surface beneath. j. Photography – literary mean drawing or writing with light. Sculpture A work in sculpture is a three-dimensional form constructed to represent a natural or imaginary shape. It can be free-standing, cared in relief or kinetic. The following are the mediums in sculpture: a. Stone – the media most commonly used for sculpture because of its durability, resistance to the elements of fire, water and the other hazards. b. Wood – it is lighter and the softer to work with than stone. c. Ivory – come from tusks of elephants and wild boars but intrinsically beautiful and easy to carve into intricate designs. d. Metals – possesses 3 unique qualities: tensile strength, ductility and malleability. e. Plaster – finely ground gypsum or burned limestone that when mixed with water forms a solid material with new qualities of workability. f. Clay – moistened to a putty-like plasticity, it is kneaded and coaxed into form by the sculptor’s bare hands. g. Glass – it can also be used to make beautiful but very fragile sculptures with the use of glassblowing. h. Plastics – one of the human’s most successful inventions in the search for new materials to meet the construction and designing needs in plastics. i. Luminal Sculpture – the newest materials for sculpture are electronic devices that make the beams of light travel in patterns or just remain in place to subtly light up a sculptural form.  Architecture and the Related Arts Architecture is the art designing and constructing a building which will serve a definite function, ranging from providing the simplest shelter to meeting the technological demands of our modern cities. Most architectures use material like wood, stones, steel and concrete. They have relative durability and high tensile and compression strength. The usefulness and beauty of a building are directly related to the choice and handling materials employed in the construction principle to be employed. They are used in assembling architectural styles like the following: a. Post-and-lintel – the oldest construction systems, which makes use of two vertical supports (posts) spanned by a horizontal beam (lintel). Most of our houses are built on this principle. b. The arch – consists of separate pieces of wedge-shaped blocks, called voussoirs, arranged in semicircle. c. The truss – a system of triangular forms assembles into a rigid framework and functioning like a beam or lintel. d. Skeleton Construction – employs reinforced steel and concrete. e. The cantilever – makes use of beam or slab extending horizontally into space beyond its supporting post, yet strong enough to support walls and floors. Related to architecture are: a. Interior design – concerned with the selection of space and furnishings to transform an empty shell of a building into livable area. b. Landscaping – the artificial arrangement of the outdoor areas to achieve a purely aesthetic effect. Mediums of Music The material of the music is the sound. Musical sounds – tones – are produced by artificial instruments and by the human voice. Thus we have two musical mediums: the instrumental and the vocal mediums. 1. Musical Instruments – have three things common: a part which vibrates, a apart which amplifies the sound by bouncing off the vibrations away from which the instrument, and a system for producing and regulating fixed pitches. a. The Stringed/ Bowed Instruments – these instruments have hollow sound box across which nylon, wire, or gut strings are stretched. These strings are made to vibrate by means of a horsehair bow which is rubbed over  them. Violin, viola, violoncello (cello) and the double bass consists of the string choir. b. The Wind/ Blown Instruments 1. The Woodwinds – they are found behind the string choir in an orchestra. They are sounded by blowing into them, thus setting a column of vibrating. The instruments of the woodwind family consist of tubes, usually made of wood, which have holes on the side. Examples of these are the flute, piccolo, clarinet, English horn, bassoon and contrabassoon and saxophone. 2. The Brass Instruments – all of brass instrument consist of cylindrical brass tube of varying length. This tube is either doubled on itself or coiled (for easy handling) and expands into a bell-shaped end. The trumpet, horn, trombone, tube, and bugle belong to this group of instruments. c. The Percussion/ Struck Instruments – the complete set of percussion includes any instrument that is sound by striking, shaking, or scratching with the hands or with another object. These instruments are used to emphasize the rhythm, generate excitement and enliven the orchestral sound. The kettledrum or tympani, chimes, glockenspiel, xylophones and vibraphone are percussion instruments which are able to produce different tones with definite pitches. The bass drum, the snare or side drum, the tambourine, the castanets, the cymbals, the woodblock, the maracas, and the Chinese gong on the other hand, are those which have indefinite pitch. d. The Keyboards – instruments equipped with keyboard occasionally play with the symphony orchestra. Instruments that are belong to this group are the piano, the harpsichord, the celesta and the organ. Instruments Groups – musical instruments are played either singly or in a group of various sizes. a) Orchestra – a big gathering of instrumentalist having the string section is its nucleus. It is usually composed of four choirs: strings, woodwinds, brasses and percussion. b) Band – smaller in a size; composed mostly of wind and percussion instruments with only a few strings or none at all. c) Rondalla – best known Philippine instrumental grouping today; a band made up of mostly stringed instruments. The Conductor – the person entrusted with the tremendous task of controlling  some one hundred player at a time and keeping the members playing together harmoniously. 2. The Human Voice – humans are equipped with this most wonderful musical instrument. It is rather like a wind instrument. Classification of Human Voices According to Range: a. Soprano – high-pitched female voice b. Alto – low-pitched female voice c. Tenor – high-pitched male voice d. Bass – low-pitched male voice e. Mezzo-soprano – a voice combining at the attributes of both the soprano and the alto f. Baritone – voice lying between the tenor and the bass The Mediums of the Literature and the Combined Arts 1. Literature – the medium for this kind of art is language; that is the writer uses words with which to “build” the composition of the same manner that the builder uses bricks, stones or wood to construct an edifice. These words are not used singly, however, but in combination with other words and arrange according to certain patterns or structures to suggest images and feelings. 2. Combined arts – the mediums in this category may vary depending on the needs of the particular art form. Dances for example may require body movements while theatrical productions, such as the drama and opera, combine several mediums such as gestures, music and spoken language, props, etc.  Let’s do Art! Name: _______________________ Year/Year/Section: __________ Score: _________ Instructions: Create and present an artwork of your choice (painting, dancing, singing, acting, drawing, photography etc.) After that, list down the mediums you have utilized in order to come up with your piece and explain its uses and functions.  CHAPTER II THE PROCESS OF ART Intended Learning Outcomes At the end of the session, the student will be able to: 2.1. Compare and contrast art as a social activity and a singular creative act: 2.2. Discuss historical forms of artistic training: 2.3. Describe the cultural ties to artistic process and training: The Artistic Process How many times have you looked at a work of art and wondered “how did they do that”? Some think of the artist as a solitary being, misunderstood by society, toiling away in the studio to create a masterpiece, and yes, there is something fantastic about a singular creative act becoming a work of art. The reality is that artists rely on a support network that includes family, friends, peers, industries, business and, in essence, the whole society they live in. For example, an artist may need only a piece of paper and pencil to create an extraordinary drawing, but depends on a supplier in order to acquire those two simple tools. Whole industries surround art making, and artists rely on many different materials in order to realize their work, from the pencil and paper mentioned above to the painter’s canvas, paints and brushes, the sculptor’s wood, stone and tools and the photographer’s film, digital camera and software or chemicals used to manipulate an image. After the artwork is finished there are other support networks in place to help exhibit, market, move, store and comment on it. Commercial art galleries are a relatively recent innovation, springing up in Europe and America during the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. As these societies concentrated their populations in cities and formed a middle class, there was a need for businesses to provide works of art for sale to a population that began to have more spare time and some discretionary income. As art became more affordable, the gallery became a place to focus solely on buying and selling, and, in the process, making art a commodity. Museums have a different role in the world of visual art. Their primary function is in the form of a cultural repository – a place for viewing, researching and conserving the very best examples of artistic cultural heritage. Museums contain collections that can reflect a particular culture or that of many, giving all of us the chance to see some of the great art humanity has to offer. The role of the critic commenting on art is another function in the process. Critics offer insight into art’s meaning and make judgments determining ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art based on the intellectual, aesthetic and cultural standards they reflect. In this way, museums, galleries and critics have become gatekeepers in helping to determine what is considered art within a culture like our own. The Individual Artist Inasmuch as we have seen art as a community or collaborative effort, many artists work alone in studios, dedicated to the singular idea of creating art through their own expressive means and vision. In the creative process itself there are usually many steps between an initial idea and the finished work of art. Artists will use sketches and preliminary drawings to get a more accurate image of what they want the finished work to look like. Even then they’ll create more complex trial pieces before they ultimately decide on how it will look. Artists many times will make different versions of an artwork, each time giving it a slightly different look. Some artists employ assistants or staff to run the everyday administration of the studio; maintaining supplies, helping with set up and lighting, managing the calendar and all the things that can keep an artist away from the creative time they need in order to work. Artistic Training Methods and Cultural Considerations For centuries craftsmen have formed associations that preserve and teach the ‘secrets’ of their trade to apprentices in order to perpetuate the knowledge and skill of their craft. In general, the training of artists has historically meant working as an apprentice with an established artist. The Middle Ages in Europe saw the formation of guilds that included goldsmiths, glassmakers, stonemasons, medical practitioners and artists, and were generally supported by a king or the state, with local representatives overseeing the quality of their production. In many traditional cultures, apprenticeship is still how the artist learns their craft, skills and expressions specific to that culture. Some nations actually choose which artists have learned their skill to such a degree that they are allowed and encouraged to teach others. An example would be artists considered National Treasures in Japan. In the developed nations, where education is more available and considered more important that experience, art schools have developed. The model for these schools is the French Royal Academy founded by Louis XIV in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the Victorians first introduced art to the grade schools, thinking that teaching the work of the masters would increase morality and that teaching hand-eye coordination would make better employees for the Industrial Revolution. These ideas still resonate, and are one of the reasons art is considered important to children’s education. A recent New York Times article by Steve Lohr explains how this notion has carried into the realm of high technology and the digital arts. A woman quoted in the article says that a proficiency in digital animation is an asset less for technical skills than for what she learned about analytic thinking.  Like most skilled professions and trades, artists spend many years learning and applying their knowledge, techniques and creativity. Art schools are found in most colleges and universities, with degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are independent art schools offering two and four year programs in traditional studio arts, graphic arts and design. The degree earned by students usually ends with a culminating exhibition and directs them towards becoming exhibiting artists, graphic designers or teachers. Such degrees also consider the marketing and sales practices of art in contemporary culture. Many artists learn their craft on their own through practice, study and experimentation. Whether they come from art schools or not, it takes a strong desire to practice and become an artist today. There are no longer the historical opportunities to work under church, state or cultural sponsorships. Instead the artist is driven to sell their work in some other venue, from a craft fair to a big New York City gallery (New York City is the official center of art and culture in the United States). There are very few communities that can support the selling of art on a large scale, as it is generally considered a luxury item often linked to wealth and power. This is a modern reflection of the original role of the art gallery. What is required to become an artist? Skill is one of the hallmarks that we often value in a work of art. Becoming skilled means a continual repetition of a craft or procedure until it becomes second nature. Talent is certainly another consideration, but talent alone does not necessarily produce good art. Like any endeavor, becoming an artist takes determination, patience, skill, a strong mental attitude and years of practice. Creativity is another element necessary to become an artist. What exactly is creativity? It’s linked to imagination and the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking, with an exaggerated use of alternatives, ideas and techniques to invent new forms and avenues of expression. The music composer Leo Ornstein (Links to an external site.) described creativity this way: “Once you’ve heard what you’ve created you can’t explain how it’s done. But you look at it and say ‘there’s the evidence.” Creativity is used in traditional (Links to an external site.) art forms as well as more innovative ones. It’s what an artist uses to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. Creativity can be a double-edged sword in that it’s one thing that artists are most criticized for, especially in the arena of buying and selling art. In general the buying public tends to want things they recognize, rather than artwork that challenges or requires thinking. This dichotomy is illustrated by a poem by English writer Robert Graves, “Epitaph on an Unfortunate Artist”: He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits This formula for drawing comic rabbits paid, So in the end he could not change the tragic habits This formula for drawing comic rabbits made. Art as Social Activity Some of the grandest works of art are made not by a single person but by many people. Pyramids in Egypt and Mexico are massive structures, built by hundreds of laborers under the direction of designers and engineers. Egyptian pyramids are tombs for individual royalty, while those in Mexico function as spiritual altars dedicated to gods or celestial objects. They are typically placed at a prominent site and give definition to the surrounding landscape. Their construction is the cumulative effort of many people, and they become spectacular works of art without the signature of a single artist. A more contemporary example of art making as a community effort is the AIDS Memorial Quilt Project. Begun in 1987, the project memorializes the thousands of lives lost to the disease through the creation of quilts by families and friends. Blocks of individual quilts are sewn together to form larger sections, virtually joining people together to share their grief and celebrate the lives of those lost. The project is evidence of the beauty and visual spectacle of a huge community artwork. Today there are over 40,000 individual blocks. The quilt project is ongoing, growing in size, and exhibited throughout the world. Many artists collaborate with non-artists in arrangements designed to produce work for a specific place. Public art is a good example of this. The process usually begins with a select panel of the public and private figures involved in the project who call for submissions of creative ideas surrounding a particular topic or theme, then a review of the ideas submitted and the artist’s selection. Funding sources for these projects vary from private donations to the use of public tax dollars or a combination of the two. Many states have “1% for Art” laws on the books which stipulate that one percent of the cost of any public construction project be used for artwork to be placed on the site. Public art projects can be subject to controversy. It’s not easy for everyone to agree on what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art, or at least what is appropriate for a public space. The issue takes on a more complex perspective when public money is involved in its funding. One example involves Richard Serra’s sculpture Tilted Arc from 1981.  Writing a journal Name: Course, year & section: Score: Instruction: Choose at least one of the following prompts. Try to write roughly a page on each prompt you select. Write your answer on the space provided. Journal Prompt #1: Who Makes Art? Answer the following questions and support your discussion with examples. You may include images to help you in your explanation. 1. Who makes art? 2. Do you think artists have innate ability or acquired skill (or both)? 3. How do artist’s roles change with different cultural considerations? Journal Prompt #2: Art21 View at least five short videos from ART21. You can search for artist’s names by alphabet at the top middle of Art: 21’s homepage. Watch how they work and what they say about their process. Then, place one artist in each of the following categories: 1. Artist most concerned with the process of making the work. 2. Artist most concerned with creativity in the idea for their art or the work itself. 3. Artist most concerned with materials 4. The artist who surprised you the most? 5. List the artists you viewed. Link: https://art21.org/ Link: https://art21.org/ Journal Prompt #3: Social Art vs. Creative Art Instructions: Compare and contrast art created as a social activity and as a singular creative act. 1. What are the differences? 2. Why are they important? 3. Do their functions ever overlap? How?  Arts appreciation Chapter 3 Subjective and Objective Perspectives  The first level in approaching art is learning to LOOK at it. Generally, we tend to look at art in terms of "liking" it FIRST, and "looking" at it later. From this perspective, the subjective (knowledge residing in the emotions and thoughts of the viewer) almost completely dominates our way of looking at art. In the arts, it’s especially important to begin to develop an informed or objective opinion rather than just an instinctual reaction. Insert Running Title 2 Artistic Roles Visual artists and the works -produce perform specific roles. 1. Description hand print: a universal symbol of human communication. ex. * Portraits-capture the accuracy of physical characteristics *Landscapes-give us detailed information about our natural and human made surroundings Insert Running Title 3 *Scientific Illustration- documentation developed through the art of science. *Enhancing our World-This role is more utilitarian than others. It includes textiles and product design, decorative embellishments to the items we use every day, and all the aesthetic considerations that create a more comfortable, expressive environment. Insert Running Title 4  Artistic Categories 1. Fine Art-has a distinction of being some of the finest examples of our human artistic heritage. drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs and, in the last decade, new media.2. Craft-a category of art that shows a high degree of skilled workmanship in its production Insert Running Title 5 Artistic Styles Style-refers to a particular kind of appearance in works of art. Naturalistic Style-Naturalistic style uses recognizable images with a high level of accuracy in their depiction. Naturalism also includes the idealized object: one that is modified to achieve a kind of perfection within the bounds of aesthetics and form. Abstract Style-style is based on a recognizable object but which is then manipulated by distortion, scale issues or other artistic devices. Abstraction can be created by exaggerating form, simplifying shapes or the use of strong colors. Insert Running Title 6 Non-objective imagery has no relation to the ‘real’ world – that is – the work of art is based solely upon itself. In this way the non-objective style is completely different than abstract, and it’s important to make the distinction between the two. Cultural Styles refer to distinctive characteristics in artworks throughout a particular society or culture. Insert Running Title 7  CHAPTER 4 Functions of Art Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be able to: 1. Distinguish between functional and indirectly functional art: 2. Explain the different roles art plays within different cultures especially to the Filipino people: 3. Reflect and share on the different functions of art in our lives. Ideally, one can look at a piece of art and guess with some accuracy where it came from and when. This best-case scenario also includes identifying the artist because they are in no small way part of the contextual equation. You might wonder, "What was the artist thinking when they created this?" when you see a piece of art. You, the viewer, are the other half of this equation; you might ask yourself how that same piece of art makes you feel as you look at it. These—in addition to the time period, location of creation, cultural influences, etc.—are all factors that should be considered before trying to assign functions to art. Taking anything out of context can lead to misunderstanding art and misinterpreting an artist's intentions, which is never something you want to do. The functions of art normally fall into three categories: physical, social, and personal. These categories can and often do overlap in any given piece of art. Functions are made for some definite and specific use – Architecture, furniture-making, weaving and few other craft have obvious purpose and therefore classified as function. Personal function of Arts 1. Arts are vehicle for the artist’s expression of his/ her feelings and ideas. Music, for instance, and literature at times, have a way of expressing emotions for us. 2. Works of art make us aware of other ways of thinking, feeling and imagining that have never occurred to us before. 3. They offer us fresh insights into nature and human nature so that we gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 4. They help us to improve our lives. Social Function of Arts One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is closely related to every aspect of social aspect. Arts perform a social function when: 1. It seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of people. (Influencing social behavior): 2. It is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations. (Display and celebration):  3. It expresses or describes social or collective aspects of existence as opposed to individual and personal kinds of experience. (Social Description) Physical Function of Arts Arts that make our life physically comfortable belong to this function of arts. They may be classified into tools and containers. A spoon is a tool. While a building, a ceramic vase or a chair is a container. Form and Function of Arts The function of an object generally determines the basic form that it takes. A chair, for example, is so designed as to allow the seated body to rest comfortably on it. Its back, arms, legs and seat are harmoniously integrated into an object that fulfills its particular purpose. Community Planning of Arts Community planning takes into consideration the assignment of areas for proper land area use. 1. Residential District – special areas assigned for residential purposes. These are designed with such personal and social needs in mind as a comfort, health and facilities for recreation. 2. Industrial and Commercial Areas – areas that are usually located near the source of raw materials. 3. Civic Centers – structures where the functions of the government can be efficiently carried out, and which would, in appearance be symbolic of community dignity and pride. 4. Park, Plazas and Malls – areas are provide relief from problems such as air and water pollution, inadequate facilities for recreation, and lack of parking space. 5. Streets and Roads – links various districts of the community to each other and the community to its environment. Functions and Beauty Many remain the same in shape throughout the years because functional requirements do not allow for greater variations. Time has proved that their designs best enable them to accomplish their purpose. However, functional works of art must not only perform their function efficiently but must also be aesthetically pleasing. It is the presence of the quality of delighting the beholder because of a harmonious arrangement of the formal elements that distinguishes a work of art from an ordinary functional object.  Exercise No. 4 Name:_________________________ Grade:____________________ _ Course:________________________ Date:_____________________ _ _ Professor:______________________ _ Instruction: Jeepney or jeep is a popularly known public transportation in the Philippines known for its crowded seating and kitsch decorations symbolizing Philippine art and culture. If you already tried to write a jeep, this activity will be very easy for you. In this report, you need to analyze Philippine jeeps, and write all forms of art that you see on the jeep. You explain the meaning of every form of art that you see. You are also tasked to write what functions of art the jeep has conveyed to you. Write your answer on the space provided. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ __________________