Art, whatever its style, is a form of communication. It is a series of images, which together have a meaning the artist is attempting to share. The message might be a simple one, such as the beauty of a landscape or of the human form. Or it may be more complicated, for example the conceived suffering in the lot of man, or the heroism and the horror of war.
For many thousands of years humanity has sought to communicate its thoughts through the medium of art. On cave walls paintings have been discovered which were created more than 40,000 years ago. Images line the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, and the Greeks and Romans decorated their cities with majestic statues - before art took a step back during the dark ages.
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One thousand years later the Renaissance re-awoke man's love of art - and it has developed ever since. From Leonardo da Vinci to Tracy Emin, the world of art and the materials used may have changed, but the core remains; a sharing of ideas through the creation of an image.
But whatever the artist's message may be, he needs the means to convey it. Here are some of the materials artists have used throughout the millennia and up until the present day, to illustrate their point.
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1.
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Watercolour may be the oldest kind of paint, possibly dating back to prehistoric cave paintings and certainly in use by the ancient Egyptians. But why is it called 'watercolour'? |
|
[ ] |
Because water is used to make the paint |
[ ] |
Because the paint is great for painting lakes and rivers |
[ ] |
Because the paint is water soluble |
[ ] |
Because the paint flows like water |
|
|
2.
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Until it was replaced by canvas in the 16th century, what was the most common material for an artist to paint on? |
|
[ ] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Paper |
[ ] |
Card |
[ ] |
Cotton |
|
|
3.
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To protect paintings which are not going to be framed beneath glass, a final coat is often added. What type of material is this final coat? |
|
[ ] |
Turpentine |
[ ] |
Gloss paint |
[ ] |
Egg white |
[ ] |
Varnish |
|
|
4.
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A new type of paint, which is water soluble when wet but water resistant when dry, became popular in the 20th century. What is it called? |
|
[ ] |
Eggshell paint |
[ ] |
Acrylic paint |
[ ] |
Poster paint |
[ ] |
Satin paint |
|
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5.
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What is the name of the technique in which a brush full of solvent is loaded with diluted paint and then applied to a support which is also covered in solvent? This method should create a semi-transparent, uniformly coloured area with no brush strokes, if it is done correctly. |
|
[ ] |
A shine |
[ ] |
A wash |
[ ] |
A glaze |
[ ] |
A soak |
|
|
6.
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What is the technique of mural painting in which a water based pigment is painted on to fresh plaster? |
|
[ ] |
Gecko |
[ ] |
Secco |
[ ] |
Tesco |
[ ] |
Fresco |
|
|
7.
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Just as wooden panel supports were superseded by canvas ones, which type of paint became obsolete when oils were developed? |
|
[ ] |
Woad |
[ ] |
Gouache |
[ ] |
Egg Tempera |
[ ] |
Bone Palampore |
|
|
8.
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Canvas has been the most popular form of support for oil paintings for over 400 years. Today it is usually made from cotton or linen but the original canvas material was made from what? |
|
[ ] |
Hemp |
[ ] |
Wool |
[ ] |
Flax |
[ ] |
Goat skin |
|
|
9.
|
Prior to application, paints are made into liquids by the addition of a solvent. Two examples of solvents are turpentine and white spirit, but what is the most commonly used type of solvent amongst artists? |
|
[ ] |
Water |
[ ] |
Toluene |
[ ] |
Acetone |
[ ] |
Methyl acetate |
|
|
10.
|
Oil paints are made by binding pigments together with a kind of oil. Which of these oils have been used in oil paints? |
|
[ ] |
Poppy seed oil |
[ ] |
Linseed oil |
[ ] |
Walnut oil |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
1.
|
Watercolour may be the oldest kind of paint, possibly dating back to prehistoric cave paintings and certainly in use by the ancient Egyptians. But why is it called 'watercolour'? |
|
[ ] |
Because water is used to make the paint |
[ ] |
Because the paint is great for painting lakes and rivers |
[x] |
Because the paint is water soluble |
[ ] |
Because the paint flows like water |
|
|
2.
|
Until it was replaced by canvas in the 16th century, what was the most common material for an artist to paint on? |
|
[x] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Paper |
[ ] |
Card |
[ ] |
Cotton |
|
|
3.
|
To protect paintings which are not going to be framed beneath glass, a final coat is often added. What type of material is this final coat? |
|
[ ] |
Turpentine |
[ ] |
Gloss paint |
[ ] |
Egg white |
[x] |
Varnish |
|
|
4.
|
A new type of paint, which is water soluble when wet but water resistant when dry, became popular in the 20th century. What is it called? |
|
[ ] |
Eggshell paint |
[x] |
Acrylic paint |
[ ] |
Poster paint |
[ ] |
Satin paint |
|
|
5.
|
What is the name of the technique in which a brush full of solvent is loaded with diluted paint and then applied to a support which is also covered in solvent? This method should create a semi-transparent, uniformly coloured area with no brush strokes, if it is done correctly. |
|
[ ] |
A shine |
[x] |
A wash |
[ ] |
A glaze |
[ ] |
A soak |
|
|
6.
|
What is the technique of mural painting in which a water based pigment is painted on to fresh plaster? |
|
[ ] |
Gecko |
[ ] |
Secco |
[ ] |
Tesco |
[x] |
Fresco |
|
|
7.
|
Just as wooden panel supports were superseded by canvas ones, which type of paint became obsolete when oils were developed? |
|
[ ] |
Woad |
[ ] |
Gouache |
[x] |
Egg Tempera |
[ ] |
Bone Palampore |
|
|
8.
|
Canvas has been the most popular form of support for oil paintings for over 400 years. Today it is usually made from cotton or linen but the original canvas material was made from what? |
|
[x] |
Hemp |
[ ] |
Wool |
[ ] |
Flax |
[ ] |
Goat skin |
|
|
9.
|
Prior to application, paints are made into liquids by the addition of a solvent. Two examples of solvents are turpentine and white spirit, but what is the most commonly used type of solvent amongst artists? |
|
[x] |
Water |
[ ] |
Toluene |
[ ] |
Acetone |
[ ] |
Methyl acetate |
|
|
10.
|
Oil paints are made by binding pigments together with a kind of oil. Which of these oils have been used in oil paints? |
|
[ ] |
Poppy seed oil |
[ ] |
Linseed oil |
[ ] |
Walnut oil |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|