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Art & Art History vocabulary · Materials & Techniques

Medium

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˈmiːdiəm/nounCore term

In art & art history, medium means: The material or technique an artist uses to make a work, such as oil paint, bronze, video or photography; also a liquid added to paint to change how it behaves.

In Turkish: teknik, malzeme, ifade aracı, medyum

How it is used

On labels and in catalogues, the medium line says what a work is made of, such as ‘ink on silk’. In the general sense the plural is media (mixed media, new media); for paint additives, painters say mediums. Artists work in a medium or explore new media.

Example sentences

  1. Clay was her favourite medium for twenty years before she turned to video.

  2. Add a little medium to the paint if you want it to flow more easily.

Common collocations

  • work in a medium
  • mixed media
  • painting medium
  • a versatile medium
  • mixed mediaThe use of more than one material or technique in a single artwork, such as paint, collage, photographs, fabric and found objects.
  • oil paintPaint made by mixing pigments with a drying oil, usually linseed oil; it dries slowly, so artists can blend colours and build up layers.
  • watercolourPaint that is mixed with water and used on paper, giving thin, transparent layers of colour; also a picture painted with it.
  • printmakingThe art of making images by transferring ink from a prepared surface, such as a metal plate, a woodblock or a screen, onto paper, so that several copies can be made.

More terms: Materials & Techniques

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