Definition of Medium and Classification of Arts

According to Medium
Medium – in art refers to the material or means which the artist uses to objectify his feeling or thought,
i.e. pigment in painting; stone, wood, and metal in sculpture; various building materials in architecture;
sound in music; words in literature; and body movements in the dance.

In art, a medium is the material that artists use to create their art. Whatever a piece of art is made out of is
its medium. The plural of medium is media. So, one piece of art can be made of one medium or several
media. Example:

Oil in Canvas

Tempera on Wood

Ink on Silk

All of these items are media. They describe each item the artist used to make the art. Therefore, oil and
canvas are both media used to describe that particular work. Sometimes this can be a very important part
of how the piece of art is interpreted. Different materials carry different significance. For example, if a
certain wood is considered sacred, then using it indicates that this piece of art is very special. Or if an
artist uses an uncommon medium, say garbage, it helps that artist make a statement.

Prepared by: JEROMY Y. MANUMBAS

Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored
pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk.

Classification of Arts According to Medium

1. Visual or Space arts – whose mediums can be seen and which occupy space.
Two categories
a. Two-dimensional arts – painting, drawing, printmaking, photography.

b. Three–dimensional arts- sculpture, architecture, landscaping, community planning,

Industrial design, and the crafts like ceramics and furniture making.

2. Auditory or Time Arts – those whose medium can be heard and which expressed in time. i.e.
music and literature.

3. Combined Arts – those whose medium can be both seen and heard, and which exist in both
space and time. i.e. dance, drama, opera and movies along with music, these are also known as
the performing arts, because each art work is apprehendedas a “happening”. Each requires
timein which to occur. These arts depend for their continued existence on repeated performance.

Prepared by: JEROMY Y. MANUMBAS

Reference: (n.d.). Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-medium-in-art-
definition-terms-quiz.html

Prepared by: JEROMY Y. MANUMBAS