What are the plastic arts? 7 examples explained

The plastic arts are as old as the human being. Throughout the history of humanity, different cultures have created art through a series of materials that, molded with their hands or Through tools, they have become artistic expressions in which human beings have shaped their beliefs, their religiosity and their feel.

What are the plastic arts? Here is a brief summary and some illustrative examples.

What are the plastic arts?

We consider plastic arts to be those that they use materials that, modified by the human being through specific techniques, become a final work. For example, literature and music would not be plastic arts, since the main support for creation is intellectual (despite the fact that, technically, paper is needed to write).

The plastic arts are various: from the most famous, such as painting or sculpture, to some lesser known, such as goldsmithing, engraving or ceramics.

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What types of plastic arts exist?

As with most classifications, the plastic arts have varied throughout history. Although currently the classic (painting, sculpture and architecture), the evolution in the cultural panorama has promoted the appearance of new supports and techniques, such as modern digital technology.

Next, we offer you a list of the most important plastic arts, as well as a brief description of what each of them consists of.

1. The painting

Together with sculpture, it is one of the plastic arts par excellence. Practiced since ancient times, painting you need, first, pigments or other material to compose the work and, second, a support on which to fix them. Depending on the technique and the material, we distinguish several types of painting.

Frescoes, for example, are pigments agglutinated in water and adhered to the mortar on the wall, so it is necessary to paint when the wall is still wet. Encaustic is a technique that uses wax as a binder and whose usual support is board (wood), although we can also find manifestations on walls. Oil, on the other hand, is made with pigments and oil as a binder, and its most common support is canvas, although we can also find it to a lesser extent on board and wall.

There are many more pictorial techniques and, of course, all have suffered variations over the centuries, due to technological evolution and the materials used.

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2. The sculpture

Another of the plastic arts par excellence is sculpture, practiced since time immemorial. The base is the material (which can be of various types), in which the sculptor shapes the work..

Depending on the material used, the artist's tools vary. In the case of marble or stone, the most common are the chisel and the trephine. As for carving, whose material is wood, the artist must use tools such as gouges or chisels. A complex technique is, for example, the lost wax technique, which makes it possible to make bronze sculptures from a model.

During the history of art, new techniques have emerged, such as the assembly of materials such as iron, in addition to other innovative materials in the field of sculpture such as paper, plastic or cork.

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3. The architecture

Architecture is the art that consists of erecting buildings that have various functions. They can be religious or civil constructions, leisure or state places, etc. Throughout history, architectural styles and the materials used have varied enormously, from stone and marble to iron architecture and from lintelled structures to vaulted.

4. The drawing

Drawing is closely related to painting, but it has its own character and autonomy. Just like that one, it needs pigment and support; Usually, materials such as pencil and charcoal on paper are used, although other resources such as pen or digital drawing are currently becoming fashionable.

5. Engraving

Probably not as popular as painting or drawing, printmaking is nonetheless a very common resource in the history of art, as it was a recurring method to disseminate works by other authors.

Among the techniques used historically for engraving we have woodcuts or carvings, closely related to the first printed books. On the other hand, there is copper engraving using the burin tool and the etching technique.

6. goldsmith

Traditionally considered a "minor art", goldsmithing is one of the most impressive plastic arts.

This is a very laborious process molds and joins precious metals and stones to conform them to the desired shape. There are numerous techniques: assembly, embossing, fretwork, hammering...

Goldsmithing made its way into history from the ages of metals and obtaining the necessary skill to shape them. In many ancient cultures, goldsmith's materials were status symbols and often accompanied the deceased at their burial. Later, in Christianity, they became a true symbol of religion and power: famous is ecclesiastical goldsmithing and its extraordinary works destined for cathedrals and churches.

7. Ceramics

In ancient civilizations, the possession of ceramic objects was an indication of status. The discovery of clay firing promoted pottery production in the ancient world., increasingly sophisticated and elaborate.

Depending on the type of clay and firing, there are several types of ceramics, including earthenware, stoneware or the famous porcelain. The latter, for example, is fired at much higher temperatures than usual ceramics and, in addition, in its composition we find a special type of clay. All this gives it its characteristic soft and luminous appearance.