What is “Mixed Media” Art?
The term mixed media means that a variety of methods and materials were used to make one work of art. Collage, assemblage and installation art are all examples of contemporary art practices that use a combination of materials or things to create artistic meaning.The BeginningArtists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque are usually credited with being the first to use collage when they introduced bits of real objects like newspaper and oilcloth into their early paintings. Until then, Western painters were concerned with creating the illusion of three dimensional space with traditional artistic technique like painting or sculpture.Mid 20th CenturyThe mixed media experiments continued with the surrealists and “Dada” artists in the mid 20th century who relished the added meaning objects and materials from the real world could impart in a work of art.Pop ArtLater, pop artist Robert Rauschenberg integrated a variety of methods and materials to create his seminal “Combines” of 1954-1964. By utili
Technically speaking, “mixed media” is any combination of two or more primary artistic mediums combined in a single piece of artwork. Popular materials for mixed media art include, but are certainly not limited to, paper, hardware, wood, shells, fabrics, and “found objects”. This page will look at some popular forms, provide links to artists working in mixed media, and showcase books about the topic. For a more in depth look at Card Making, another Mixed Media Art, please visit Card Making If you are more interested in found art jewelry, you may want to see Found Art Jewelry The photo at right is an example of an original mixed media design. It features ink painting, rubber stamping, and collage.
