Mediums of the

Visual Arts
 Painting
- the art of creating
meaningful effects on a flat
surface by the use of
pigments.
Canvas
Oil Paint
Color Pigments
Paintbrush
Paintbrush
 Oil
- pigments are mixed in oil.
- surface used is usually canvas,
although other surfaces like wood,
paper, and metal may be used.
- the surface must receive oil paint
freely, and yet not absorb it, can
withstand temperature changes, and
not crack the pigment on it.
 Oil
 thismedium is popular to painters
because there is no limit to the ways
of handling oil pigments.
 the pigment may be applied in a
thick and heavy opaque manner or in
washes of almost water color
transparency.
 Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Norma
Belleza
Wind-up Adarna
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
 Tempera
- mixture of ground pigments and an
albuminous or colloidal vehicle, either egg,
gum, or glue, used by Egyptian, Medieval,
and Renaissance painters.
- special characteristic of emulsion (watery,
milk-like mixture of oily and watery
consistency) that rapidly dries.
- usually done in a wooden panel that has
been made smooth with a coating of plaster.
- the colors are mixed with egg yolk, and
since the paint dries rapidly there is little
blending or fusing of colors.
 Tempera
- falls into 3 principal dimensions:
unvarnished or gouache-like tempera,
varnished tempera, and tempera as an
under painting for oil.
Madonna and Child
The Last Supper
 Watercolor
- pigments are mixed with water and
applied to fine white paper.
- colors are applied in very thin layers.
- other materials like parchment, ivory,
silk, and cambric are also used as
ground.
Self-portrait Cézanne
Mädchen
Young Hare
Jedburgh Abbey from the River
 Pastel
- possesses only surfaces of light,
gives no glazed effect, and most
closely resembles dry pigment.
Pastel
A bravura pastel portrait of Louis
Self-portrait of Italian painter Rosalba Carriera holding a portrait of her sister.
Jean Baptiste Simeon
 Fresco
- the colors are mixed with water and applied
to fresh plaster which absorbs the color.
- since the pigment has been incorporated
with the plaster, it lasts until the wall is
destroyed.
- means “fresh” in Italian
Ceiling Mosaic
Fresco of St. Nicholas by Dionisius
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Creation of Adam
 Acrylic
- synthetic paints using acrylic
emulsion as binder.
- combines the transparency and
quick-drying qualities of
watercolor and are as flexible as
oil.
Red Acrylic Paint
Detail of acrylic painting showing finishes that resemble both oil and
watercolor
Fluorescent acrylic paints lit by UV light