Reading Visual Arts

1. What is the meaning of Art
Art
- is the expression of one’s feelings,
that poured into one creations in the
form of gestures, looks, tone and
poem which contain elements of
beauty and can influence the other
people’s feelings.

2. Art Value: Functions of Art
 Aesthetic Function-mostly works of art are created to beautify and decorate, say
for instance, a house, building, or a public space.
 Economic Function- art serves its economic purpose, as there are creations of
art that are also useful in the society. In art, there is an opportunity to make
money.
 Educational Function-art can also be an effective tool to educate, eg. a mounted
play about an important historical event, or ancient scrolls and diagrams of
prehistoric people.
 Religious Function-most of the art forms evolved from religion.
 Social and Cultural Function-art also showcases group identity and pride in the
form of tattoo, flags, and banners. Buildings and other infrastructures form the
material culture of the society.

3. Defining Visual Arts
Visual arts are those forms that create works which are primarily visual (forms
perceived by the eyes)
The man can take the beauty of nature through a piece of paper so that other
people may take time appreciating the captured image. Examples of these arts
include:
1. Painting- this form of visual art aims to evoke an emotion from the viewers.
It is practice by applying colors or other media to a surface with a brush or
other objects.
2. Sculpture- this form of visual arts characterized as the art of representing an
imagined or observed objects in hard materials such as glass, metals, or
wood in three dimensions.

4. 3. Architecture- this form of art provides us the physical structure
we lived. It is a profound expression of human culture in a
particular period.
4. Drawing- this form of art enhances the way we see the world
around and conditions us to capture its details in a two-
dimensional medium.
5. Photography- this form of art is a process of creating portraits by
recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as
electronic image sensors or photographic films.

5. Purposes of Visual Art
Ceremonial- ritual, celebration, artworks created to
support worship ceremonies.
Artistic expression- artwork to express or communicate
emotions , ideas, feelings, or to beautify objects.
Narrative- artworks that tell stories, describe and illustrate
experiences.
Functional- artistic objects used in everyday life that serve
an actual purpose .
Persuasive- artworks that promote ideas, philosophies, or
products (advertising, marketing, propaganda, ideology)

6. Medium and Techniques in Visual Arts
The word medium is a Latin word that denotes by which
an artist communicates his idea. The medium may be in
the form of materials used by an artist to interpret his
feelings or thoughts. For instance, in paintings,
pigments on woods and canvas to recreate the reality of
nature. Visual arts in general are made by media that
can be seen and can occupy space. The medium can be
two-dimensional, such as painting or drawing; or it can
be three-dimensional, such as sculpture or architecture.

7. Medium and Techniques in Visual Arts
The term technique is the manner in which the artist
controls the medium to achieve the desired effects.
Technique is the ability by which the artist fulfills the
technical requirements of a particular work of art.

8. Below shows the popular art media used in paintings:
Medium Description
Watercolor
• Watercolor pigments invites brilliance and variety of hues .
• The effects are rendered through some techniques .
• Can be applied on wet plaster, canvas, wood, and paper .
Fresco
• Challenge: Difficult to handle to showcase warm and rich tones
• Painting method done on a moist plaster surface with colors ground in water
or a limewater mixture
• Image becomes permanently fixed and impossible to remove.
• Challenge: Must be done quickly because the moment the paint is applied to
the surface, the color dry into plaster and the painting becomes an integral part
of the wall

9. Below shows the popular art media used in paintings:
Tempera
• Mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk or egg white and ore.
• This egg-based emulsion binds the pigments to the surface.
• Characterized by its film-forming properties and rapid drying rate.
• Requires more deliberate technique than oil because it does not possess
the flexibility of oil.
• Favorite medium of painters during Middle Ages and early Renaissance
period (before oil was adopted)
Pastel
• Stick of dried paste of pigment ground with chalk and compounded with gum water.
• Very flexible medium whose colors are luminous.
• Challenge: In spite of richness and varied effects of pastel, it is difficult to preserve
the finished product in its original state.
• When the chalk rubs off, the image loses some of its brilliance.

10. Below shows the popular art media used in paintings:
Acrylic
• Used by contemporary painters today because of its transparency and
quick-drying characteristics of watercolor and flexibility of oil combined.
• Synthetic paint mixed with acrylic emulsion as binder for coating the
surface of the artwork.
• Do not break easily, unlike oil paints which turn yellowish or darker
over a period of time.
Drawing
• Usually done on paper using pencil, pen, ink, or charcoal
• Most fundamental of all skills necessary in arts
• Considered as good training for artists because it makes one concentrate
on the use of life
• Shading can also be used to make drawing make more life-like and
realistic.

11. Below shows the popular art media used in paintings:
Oil
• Pigments are mixed with linseed oil and applied to canvas.
• Flexible – the artist can use even his hands in applying paint on his or
her canvas.
• Easy to correct, repainting is without much difficulty
• Appears glossy and lasts long
Encaustic
• Early medium by Egyptians for painting portraits on mummy cases
• Done by applying wax colors fixed with heat
• Produces luster and radiance, making the subjects appear at their best
in their portraits.

12. Other art media used by artists depend on visual art types.
• Stained glass is a common art in Gothic Cathedrals and churches. It is made by combining
small pieces of colored glass, held together by bands of lead. The pictures in the stained
glass commonly depict the lives of saints and in effect, also serve as a religious instruction
among Christians.
• In tapestry, fabric is produced by hand weaving colored threads upon a warp. The woven
designs often end up as pictorials, wall hangings, and furniture covering. During Middle
Ages, they were hung on the walls of palaces and in cathedrals on festive occasions to
provide warmth.
• Mosaic, is an art of putting together small pieces of colored stones or glass called tesserae
to create an image. The stones are cut into squares and glued on a surface with plaster or
cement. Mosaic is an important feature of Byzantine churches.
•
• As for drawing, this visual art type is usually done on paper using pencil, pen, ink, or
charcoal. It is the most fundamental of all skills necessary in arts. It is also considered as
good training for artists because it makes one concentrate on the use of life. Shading can
also be used to make drawing make more life-like and realistic.