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Terrific Techniques

Artists have a wide choice of mediums to choose from: photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media… the list goes on. Within each medium, they then have a huge variety of techniques to choose from: oil painting, collage, assemblage… the possibilities and endless. For this collection, Artsper has compiled our selections of interesting and innovative techniques. It's the perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with the various methods contemporary artists within the visual arts.

Oil painting has been popular for almost six centuries now. Initially popularised by the Flemish Painter Jan van Eyck in 15th century, it was quickly became the predominant medium in Western art and contemporary artists still use oil painting today. Some work in more traditional figurative techniques and push them to their limits by creating stunning hyperrealist and photorealist paintings. Others exploit the medium's properties, building up thick impasto layers or creating Jackson Pollock-inspired paintings like French artist Tic.

In the 20th century, acrylic grew in popularity, it had faster drying times and was easier to work with than oil paint. Today it is the most widely used technique. However, it is only in the 1960s that acrylic painting became widely spread in Europe, where it was used by famous artists such as Joan Miro and Max Ernst. On Artsper, explore the works of artists working with acrylic paint, like Robert Combas or emerging artist Jazzu.

A a halfway point between painting and drawing, the poetic technique of watercolour is a traveler's favourite. Appreciated for its quick drying time and spontaneity, it was often used for on-the-go works, such as travel diaries. Watercolour established itself as an artistic practice of its own in the 19th century with British watercolourists, and today contemporary artists such as André Biellin are using this technique for creating a unique hazy effect by carefully blending hues into each other.

Alongside painting, sculpture is another prominent medium. Contemporary artists make use of the wide variety of materials and supports available to them to create original sculptural works. For example, some are reinterpreting the classical tradition of wooden sculptures, like artists Corneille, who celebrates womanhood with his colourful sculptures, often decorated using acrylic painting. Explore the many numbers sculpting techniques and mediums: bronze, steel, marble, low relief, ronde bosse…

Finally, the most recent medium is of course photography, and artists have not yet exhausted its possibilities. Invented in 1839 by Louis Daguerre, the first daguerreotypes were introduced to the general public and photo studios became very popular. In the 20th century, photography was able to assert itself as an art form in its own right. From Henri Cartier Bresson to Robert Mapplethorpe and Robert Doisneau, photographers have opened up the scope of possibilities in this medium.

From Jeff Koon's balloon sculptures to hyperrealistic artworks, Artsper's selection celebrates the limitless possibilities of artistic production.