From the Latin medius. It is a term in use since the 19th Century. It indicates the various combinations of oils, essential oils, resins and other substances, utilized in the oil painting technique to render colours more fluid and/or brilliant. The medium for retouching, with more siccative properties, is instead used for the creation of a homogeneous base useful for successive layers of colour.
In some cases, the term may refer to the same preparation techniques of the colour and thus may be utilized as a synonym to binder. |