On her Facebook page last week Ellen posed the question ‘What type of Art do you like? That turned out to be a tricky question for me. I like what I like, but what type is that?
Taking things back to basics, particularly for those beginners amongst us, art is essentially determined by medium, form, genre and style.
Medium or form: The substance or materials that the art is made from and the type of artwork itself, such as painting, drawing or sculpture and the form that the art takes from the materials used in the creation. What type of medium are you drawn to?
Technique: The manner of making the art or the method used to create. Many times the medium will determine the technique of the art. Even within a particular medium there will be numerous different types of techniques, such as the use of oil paints, acrylic paints or water colours. All paints can be on canvas, but each has its own unique technique, skills and finished artwork. Is there a specific technique you prefer to experience?
Medium: Charcoal Drawing
Medium: Paints in Morocco
Medium: Concrete Garden Sculpture
Genre: With books or movies genres are things such as horror, romance or comedy. In art, genres are things such as still life or landscapes. What genre catches your eye?
Style: The style of art is the manner of artwork and is often linked to an historical period, a particular artistic movement or even a set of ideals. This is where styles such as impressionism, cubism and surrealism come into play. What styles do you recognise in the artwork that you like?
If you are still struggling to answer the question posed, don’t despair. There are no hard and fast rules in art. You like what you like, you create what you like and as long as you enjoy art then that’s all that matters.
The best way to determine what type of art you do like is to look at art you enjoy and ask yourself these questions; what medium, form, technique, genre and style is it and from there determine if, over time, the answers reveal a pattern.
So if you know what type of art you like, let us know on the Ellen Michel Art School Facebook Page. We’d love to hear from you.
Comments