Introduction to Art Chapter Six: Painting

Mural

A large painting that is painted on a wall or ceiling

Easel painting

A painting that is a self-contained, portable work of art

Painting

The application of fluid color to a 2D surface, a work of art created by this technique

Paint is made from…

Pigment + vehicle

Pigments

Substances that absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light that allow us to see color

Vehicle/medium

The materials that together with pigment forms paint

Ingredients of a vehicle/medium

Thinner and binder

Thinners

A rapidly evaporating material that dilutes paint-give it a fluid consistency so that it can spread easily (ex: water)

Binders

The adhesive substance in a medium that holds the particles of pigment together and to the ground (ex: egg/oil)

What is priming?

Applying a preparatory coating to a surface as a base-includes size and ground

What is a size?

A preliminary coating of diluted glue applied to a surface to seal it, reduce its absorbency and porosity, and separate it from the paint

What is a ground?

A preparatory coating applied to a 2D surface as a base for painting

What is the order of prep for a painting?

Support (what material that art is painted on)-size-ground-preliminary transparent coat of paint-paint layers

What is the glaze technique?

A technique in which a thin, transparent color is applied over a previously painted coating of another color to modify the color and appearance of the lower layer, the transparent layer of paint created using this technique

What is the impasto technique?

A style of painting in which thick, built-up, opaque paint stands away from the surface

Examples of traditional painting media

fresco, encaustic, tempera, oil, transparent watercolor, gouache

Fresco

Two techniques are used to form MURALS: pigments suspended in a binder are painted on a dry wall (fresco secco), or pigments mixed only with water are painted on a fresh, wet plaster wall (buon fresco)

Encaustic

Pigments suspended in wax are used to create rich-colored works…artist works fast because this is like painting with melted wax from a candle

Tempera

Pigments combined within an emulsion (like stop oil/vinegar from separating) are applied with a hatching technique to form linear, delicate works (dries incredibly quickly and cannot mix or correct mistakes)

Oil

Pigments mixed with linseed oil are used to form works with numerous possible colors (fluid and flexible-can be applied over a long period of time, dries well so that it’s not delicate, can be made into impastos and have cool effects)

Transparent watercolor

Pigments suspended in gum Arabic sink into white paper, creating a light-filled look to transparent colors (complex because it is impossible to hide mistakes)

Gouache

Transparent watercolor mixed with extra binder and chalk forms an opaque, dense paint coat-it differs from TW because it is thicker, you can fix mistakes, and it even offers the color white

Acrylics

A type of paint made with pigments suspended in a synthetic emulsion binder; a method of painting using this paint (easy to use and can be applied directly to supports, very few limitations)