1.Introduction

The innovation and integration of materials in composite painting play an important role in the inner thoughts of the creator in the work. The medium of materials can all be used to express the painter’s thematic thoughts and emotions. The proper choice of appropriate materials can give the painting a strong visual effect and make it impressive, while the use of different materials can make the viewer more deeply appreciate the inner thoughts of the creator. Each material has its own unique expression of emotion. In painting, the medium is paint, in sculpture, the medium is stone, wood, and other materials, and many works of art express emotion through different mediums, depicting scenes from life. This thesis explores the diversity of materials and their profound effects on composite painting and their unique visual effects, including how they are used to express the emotions of the creator, by summarizing the use and expression of materials in paintings by Chinese and foreign artists.

2.The Current Environment of Integrated Painting

In recent years, with the diversification of the times, a wide variety of art and culture and an endless variety of synthesized materials have unique ways of expression. Many design projects are not always about making gorgeous works and images, sometimes the focus of the work is on the use of materials to create a different experience for the viewer. From the nineteenth century onwards, the Renaissance era came, and the rise of various art cultures advanced the development of Western art at that time [1]; and their diverse painting expressions laid the groundwork for the subsequent popularity of mixed media, such as Mixed media. Mixed media began with cubist paintings and collages around 1912, and as artists’ acceptance of art materials gradually relaxed, mixed media became popular with a wide range of artists [2]. Many works with similar content and themes using different materials often bring different creative meanings and emotions. Mixed media, with its versatility and its unique expressiveness and unsurpassed creativity, has left its mark on the history of art, and will continue to do so.

3.Diversity of Materials

In this era of endless artwork, diversity is the basis of many painting inspirations. The derivation of culture cannot be separated from the artificial interpretation of designers, and most of the emotional expressions of many designers are expressed through the use of materials. And with the development of the times, integrated materials are becoming more and more diversified, how to better play the beauty of the material itself and how to express it is especially important for the artist’s creation. Today’s paintings using different media or materials are called Mixed Media Painting, which has become a separate field of painting. You can use any material in Mixed Media Painting, including magazines, newspapers, photos, etc., and you can apply acrylic paint to enrich your work [1]. A common type of mixed media art is collage, paper cutting, and found art, which is a form of visual art that uses different visual forms to combine together to form a new image [3]. Often the artist uses materials such as photographs, newspapers, or wood and combines them on the surface of another object to create a new artwork. Secondly, paper cutting is a DIY crafting technique that applies paper cutouts to an object and seals the object to make the object more like a painting [1]. Whereas Found art uses everyday objects to create forms of artwork, these everyday objects would not normally be considered materials with artistic value, but what they create would still be called artwork. Found art is an unusual art form in that it often contains the artist’s ideas and better reflects the emotions that the artist wants to express. The emergence of these art forms represents artists who are not content to work with a single painting material, but practice creating exceptional works by experimenting with new materials. The materials are not just a simple medium for the work, but the “artistic language” that the artists express in their works. In these art forms, whether the materials are intentionally or randomly combined, the final images and objects they create are very important to the artists, because the different materials are given new meanings in the final images, and it is easier to create characteristic artworks [4].

3.1.Material Analysis of Pablo Picasso’s Still-life with Chair Caning

In summary, the use of mixed materials is valuable for the study of the work afterwards, and the decision of the medium in mixed materials is central to a work of art, where the medium reflects the value of the material itself. Each material has its own unique expression. The different materials used in the work will determine the overall theme of the work and the visual perception of the audience. The realism of the materials in Mixed Media Painting replaces the false sense of paint in normal painting and makes the work more three-dimensional [5]. Not only that, but the materials chosen by the artists were also well thought out, as in the case of Pablo Picasso’s Still-Life with Chair Caning from 1912. The painting is 37 cm long and 29 cm wide, and the whole is an oval [6]. Picasso made the first cubist collage in history by using oilcloths to paste objects from the table onto an oval canvas [5]. As a whole, the painting seems disorganized and seemingly without any pattern. It can be seen that there is no particularly clear picture of the objects in the image, but a closer look reveals a series of objects: a knife can be seen in the upper right corner of the canvas, in addition to still objects such as a wine glass and a napkin and pipe [6]. The materials used in this painting are not ordinary paints, but a combination of fabric, paint, and rope [7]. The rope in particular stands out in this work and is one of its most important parts, as the rope circles the entire painting. This is in stark contrast to other famous works of art, where the borders are decorated with ornate gold frames, the rope stands out, and the special nature of the rope is an integral part of this painting, which shows the different senses brought about by the different materials. In Picasso’s case, the overall piece would be very abrupt if it were decorated with an ornate border, and the rope material is perfect for this oval canvas. In turn, this material with a sense of reality connects the illusory image to reality, which looks like a window into the reality we are observing. Picasso uses realistic materials and false paintings to create a visual deception [5].

Figure 1: Still-Life with Chair Caning [6].

3.2.Material Analysis of the Bicycle Wheel Made by Marcel Duchamp

In addition to Still-Life with Chair Caning, the Bicycle Wheel made by Marcel Duchamp in 1913 was an important contribution to the development of mixed materials [8]. What distinguishes this work from other paintings is Marcel Duchamp’s choice of unusual materials. The work is taken from the daily necessities around us, and the wheel that can move is placed on the chair that is static, so that this work can be an interactive machine with the viewer [8]. As seen in the works, Marcel Duchamp abandoned his artistic style with the past, not focusing on visually striking materials and opting for more practical materials, which laid the foundation for the subsequent development of the art movement as an artistic field. After the Bicycle Wheel became popular, Marcel Duchamp’s distinctive understanding of art received the attention of experts, and his work changed the preconceived notions of art at the time [8]. His works do not focus on the aesthetics of appearance, but by giving a deeper meaning to the artwork, the viewer can appreciate the artwork not only for its superficial appearance but also for its meaning [8]. Marcel Duchamp does not use ornate, rare materials, but rather common household items to create a work of art. Marcel Duchamp wants the viewer to appreciate and be interested in the artwork not just because of the magnificence of the materials, but because of the meaning expressed in the artwork itself. He hopes that the artwork afterwards will not be obsessed with the appearance, but should discover the hidden meaning of each artwork and the emotion that each artist wants to express. In the midst of this, plain materials are very important and are the best and most suitable materials chosen by Marcel Duchamp for Bicycle Whee. Marcel Duchamp’s move gives a higher “status” to these household items, and is a very visual representation of the direct combination of art and non-art [8]. In addition, the bicycle wheel shows that the range of materials used to make the artwork is very broad, and that the materials used to make the artwork express the meaning that the artist has given to the artwork. This is the emotional expression of the material in the artwork.

Figure 2: Bicycle Wheel [8].

3.3.The Importance of Material in Integrated Painting

Materials play an important role as an indispensable part of the painting process, and different materials used in the same direction produce different results and feelings. Not only that, but the feeling of the material in the minds of different viewers is also very subjective, which is the charm of the material. Like Picasso’s Still-Life with Chair Caning, the realism of the material often replaces the illusory component of the painting, and it is this painting that leads the way to more possibilities in the art field that will follow [5].

In the field of art, materials are not just used to fill in colors. Throughout the history of art, many famous works of art have been inextricably linked to their use of materials, even with the development and beginnings of a field of art stemming from the use of materials. In addition, the materials used by artists are closely related to their artistic style, and different materials have different effects on each artist [9]. The material is also very subjective to the viewer in terms of the emotional expression of the work, which is the charm of the material. It is because of this fascination that the materials are particularly important in the creation of artworks, and the final product will be richer and more vivid.

Integrated painting artists should also understand the characteristics and expressive power of various materials, and the combination of various materials should often be matched with matching painting techniques, so that the artist’s own thoughts and emotions can be expressed in the painting. Integrated painting is not simply the use of a particular material, but the personal style of each artist who combines his or her own painting with the material. Artists seize the qualities of the materials and use their own painting skills to make a perfect blend of materials and techniques, which is the charm of mixed media painting.

4.Conclusion

Mixed media as the artist’s painting language is of research value, and the diversity of materials through the materials used for painting, the materials used for frames, etc., also brings wireless possibilities for artworks. Art is something that requires constant exploration to discover its hidden charms. In the artists’ creative process, the use of materials affects the visual direction of their work and reveals the emotional themes expressed in their work. Nowadays, more and more special materials are gradually discovered, and the artists’ continuous innovation in the use of materials makes the comprehensive paintings more attractive. Not only that, the artists’ different methods of expression of materials make the paintings more rich and vivid. The use of materials also shows the artists’ artistic sensitivity to materials, and it is a challenge for the artists to make cheap, special materials known to the audience as artworks. Finally, how to combine the nature of material representation with the artist’s own emotional expression is also the next direction we need to study and explore.