A World of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A World of Art - Essay Example In regard to printmaking, the most notable component is that nearly identical images can be produced by inking and printing from original work (Works On Paper, 1984). Woodcutting, etching, printing, lithography, and silk screening are those characteristics of printmaking that separate it from drawing and painting (Works On Paper, 1984). â€Å"L’Oiseau de Bourges† by Malcolm Osborne is an example. Painting, like drawing, is mostly about the tools, or mediums used that help define it like brushes and paint colors. An artist needs to understand what colors make what when they are mixed together, and which brushes to use to attain the correct look he or she wants. Vincent Van Gogh is an excellent example of this with his work â€Å"Starry Night†. The characteristics that form similarities between the three art genres are that they all rely on the mediums to form the artwork. 2. Encaustic- This painting technique was initially developed by Greek shipbuilders who used hot wax to fill the holes in their ships. Artists today use wax as a means to create art by heating it and applying colored pigments then incorporating metal tools or brushes to shape it before the wax cools on top of a wooden base (Sayre, 2007). â€Å"Blue Poem† is a prime example of encaustic paintings. ... Tempera- This type of painting originated all over the world from Russia, Greece, Italy and Islam, and is most frequently used by Muslims (Sayre, 2007). Egg tempera, as it is also known by, consists of dry pigment, egg yolk and water (Sayre, 2007). The combination of ingredients creates an outstanding product which ages very well considering other painting techniques. â€Å"The Crucifixion† is an example of egg tempera painting. Oil Painting- Unlike with the consistency of the tempera paintings, oil paintings have a more undetermined history based on the fact that they do not age as well. However, it is estimated it began in Japan and used in other early civilizations. â€Å"View of Delft† is an example of this as it contains pigment in drying oil like linseed and varnish can be added to improve glossiness (Sayre, 2007). Watercolor- This technique is the oldest known by man (Sayre, 2007). It is utilizing water-soluble pigments by painting them on paper. The pigment was even incorporated into a series of washes to help illuminate the artwork (Sayre, 2007). It is one of the most difficult painting techniques. Monet did a lot of his paintings in water color. Gouache- This technique was originally paired with tempera as an addition to it rather than its own technique, rendered so by the Italians (Sayre, 2007). What artists did was add chalk to make water color opaque. It enhanced colors that the artist intended to bring out in the piece. â€Å"Pathway Painting† uses the gouache technique. Synthetic Media- This technique refers to calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate compounds, i.e. gypsum or limestone (Sayre, 2007). The crushed, dehydrated and heated compounds become stiff-like and perfect for sculpting for artists on a budget.