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Art & Art History vocabulary · Materials & Techniques

Mixed media

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˌmɪkst ˈmiːdiə/nounCommon term

In art & art history, mixed media means: The use of more than one material or technique in a single artwork, such as paint, collage, photographs, fabric and found objects.

In Turkish: karışık teknik, karma teknik

How it is used

Common on labels and application forms: mixed media on canvas, a mixed media installation. It works as a noun or before another noun (a mixed-media work). Galleries often list the exact materials after it.

Example sentences

  1. The label just says ‘mixed media’, but you can see newspaper, acrylic and thread.

  2. Her mixed-media collages combine old family photos with embroidery.

Common collocations

  • mixed media on canvas
  • mixed-media work
  • mixed-media artist
  • mixed-media collage
  • mediumThe 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.
  • installationAn artwork made for a particular space, often filling a whole room, which visitors walk into or around and experience with more than just their eyes.
  • textureThe way the surface of an artwork feels, or looks as if it would feel, for example rough, smooth, thick or soft.
  • 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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