Surfaces in visual arts evolve according to the technology present in a particular time. Surface in art is defined by the sense of touch which is either rough or smooth. Materials also contribute to the visual texture of the arts; for instance, the medieval paintings are done using variety of materials such as mosaics, vellum, and regular wall paintings or frescoes. The surfaces of a mosaic artwork is rough due to the raised pebbles making the texture rough, vellum was an animal based material used for scrolls and books, an animal skin is rough, therefore, vellum paintings also tend to have rough textures. Furthermore, regular wall paintings also varied depending on the surface of the walls. For instance, frescoes due to the application of plaster can be smooth while ordinary wall paintings without plaster have rough surfaces.
With the advent of the Renaissance in the 14th to 15th centuries, artists discovered other materials for their artworks. For instance, a popular material used by the artists during this period constitutes of wooden panel, canvas, frescoes, and marble. In painting, the linseed oil was first discovered in the first half of the 15th century and since then used by the artists such as Van Eyck, Durer, Da Vinci, and many more. Depending on the surface and the brush strokes, artists can manipulate textures through visual illusion such as smooth lines, thin brush strokes, and paint indicates smooth surfaces. On the other hand, a popular medium available at this time was the tempera wherein artists used the egg yolk as a binder for pigments. Paintings done using this method often exhibit cracked and rough surfaces because of the aging material yet tempera pigments remain translucent and mellowed throughout the ages. Gesso a material used fresco painting creates a rough texture when dried. (Jones, “Art History” and Northern Renaissance,” 12-59). In the 17th centuries, the visual surface combines rough and smooth textures. The Baroque period noted for its opulence and attention to intricate details manipulated the surface through visual illusion, making it appear smooth and three-dimensional. Baroque’s strong adherence to chiaroscuro, strong energetic lines and colors, and realistic portrayals of the two-dimensional body as three-dimensional with mass. In this case, the notion of surface becomes complex as it is no longer limited whether it is rough or smooth but rather if it is two or three-dimensional. The massive theatrical display of the Baroque period contributed to the change in visual surface in the 17th century art. (Jones, “Counter-Reformation & Baroque,” 4-37). Surface in the visual arts of the 19th century Romantic Movement reverted back to the combined Classical and Baroque theatrical display, the surface of the paintings done from this era have quite a smooth appearance due to the subtle brushwork; although chiaroscuro was still used in paintings, the appearance of the surface as seen from the distance remains two-dimensional and not three-dimensional which was a great contrast of the Baroque aesthetics. In general, the concept of surface evolves depending on the time period; the notion of surface changed from simple flat and two-dimensional surfaces. The changes in depiction of iconographies and the excellent manipulation of the elements of art made it possible to overcome the barriers of the artistic expression. Furthermore, the surface is something that even old fashioned paintings have. The changes had been brought by the time differences especially since people from the past only attempted to illustrate non-realistic arts rather than portraying human-like characters. (Jones, “Romantic,” 3-132).
WORKS CITED
Jones, Lars R. “Week 1-2: ‘Art History’ & Northern Renaissance.” n.d. PDF File.
Jones, Lars R. “The Counter Reformation & Baroque in Italy.” n.d. PDF File.
Jones, Lars R. “Romanticism Part 1.” n.d. PDF File.
