5 Types of Artists
Different types of artists exist for a reason. What kind are you?
Everyone starts somewhere.
Some kids dream of becoming geologists, doctors, teachers, or chefs.
As teens and adults, their pursuits may change.
Whereas medical or law career trajectories are clearly defined, the road to creativity can be long, winding, and unpredictable.
In an ever-changing cultural landscape, artists must adapt. They learn practical skills, gain meaningful experiences, and meet rising collaborators.
Did you know there are three branches of the arts? Visual, literary, and performing.
Architecture, ceramics, drawing, filmmaking, painting, photography, and sculpting pertain to images. Fiction, drama, poetry, and prose are influenced by words. And live or recorded performances across dance, music, and theatre inspire action and visceral emotion.
Five types of artists impact culture. Intradisciplinary, multi-media, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary.
Discover what it takes to start and sustain each creative discipline.
Intradisciplinary Artist
Intradisciplinary artists commit to one specialty for life. Early on, they may have investigated various techniques but a single discipline stood out. For example, an illustrator draws or creates images for magazines, books, and other media. A sculptor carves, casts, or shapes figures. A painter collects a palette of pigments to paint people, places, or things.
Intradisciplinary Artists: Auguste Rodin (sculptor) + Claude Monet (painter) + Irving Penn (photographer) + Luis Buñuel (filmmaker)
Case Study: Auguste Rodin, the founder of modern sculpture, specialized in bronze and marble figures. Devoid of mythological or allegorical themes, his renderings of the human form were naturalistic and emotional. Beyond tradition, the Frenchman's statues provided glimpses into a subject’s life through expressive poses (see The Thinker), gestures, and features.
What happens when an individual follows more than one discipline?
Mixed-Media Artist
A mixed-media artist incorporates a variety of materials into a single artwork. This can range from paint and cloth to paper and wood. Assemblages, collages, sculptures, and altered books are popular methods.
Some innovators save found objects—like newspaper clippings, ribbons, or matchboxes—for their “intriguing or aesthetic properties.”1 In the context of a finished piece, viewers perceive discarded personal items in a new light. Their stories are reimagined. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Mixed-Media Artists: Pablo Picasso (painter/printmaker/sculptor/ceramicist) + Dale Chihuly (glass and neon light artist/illustrator) + Phyllida Barlow (installation and visual artist) + Sarah Lucas (installation and performance artist/photographer/sculptor)
Case Study: In Pablo Picasso’s early days, he assembled collages with canvas, rope, cardboard, strings, paper, and wire. He gained recognition as the master of Cubism, a style of art that shows “objects from varying angles and viewpoints in a geometric, deconstructed style.”2 Picasso also left an imprint on the Dada and Surrealism artistic movements. His humble beginnings led to avant-garde, multilayered perspectives.
Multidisciplinary Artist
Multidisciplinary artists are known for heavy research into substances and processes. Instead of emphasizing one material, they experiment (within set boundaries).
These contemporary “Renaissance” men and women are not limited to one discipline or material. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences guide the manifestation of ideas.
Some multidisciplinary artists may start as one type of professional. Along their journey, they meet pioneers in other fields who challenge them to think outside the box. These interactions give birth to exciting artistic movements.
When an architect draws blueprints, they’re not creating art for art’s sake. It’s a technical process. However, they can wear different hats and enter secondary or tertiary fields. For example, Frank Lloyd Wright was primarily an architect, but he also reserved time for personal projects like furniture design.
Multidisciplinary Artists: Frank Lloyd Wright (architect/designer/writer/educator) + Le Corbusier (architect/designer/painter/urban planner/writer) + Zaha Hadid (architect/designer/painter/illustrator) + Alex Prager (photographer/filmmaker)
Case Study: Frank Lloyd Wright is revered for his contributions to the field of architecture: 1,000+ structures over 70 years. However, his signature style extended to standalone disciplines: sketching, watercolor painting, and furniture design.
Interdisciplinary Artist
An interdisciplinary artist prioritizes themes over materials. They may combine expertise across two or more fields—such as art, natural sciences, engineering, technology, history, and philosophy—to explore a central concept.
As a synthesis of several distinct parts, the final coordinated and coherent work achieves higher levels of meaning. For instance, an artist trained in sculpture, installation, and sound production could craft an immersive exhibit that appeals to several senses. Three skills in one striking presentation.
There is no dominant discipline or genre demonstrated across an interdisciplinary artist’s painting, sculpture, installation, or live show. Even if the experience verges on abstraction, audience members can step back, focus on the bigger picture, and identify the larger themes.
Interdisciplinary Artists: Es Devlin (artist/stage designer) + Tomás Saraceno (artist/sculptor/architect) + Andy Warhol (painter/printmaker/photographer/sculptor/filmmaker) + Judy Chicago (installation artist/painter/sculptor/educator)
Case Study: English artist and stage designer Es Devlin is a force in entertainment. After majoring in English Literature at Bristol University, she was later accepted to Central Saint Martins, where she pursued theater design. Specializing in light mapping, projected films, and kinetic sculptures, she has worked with an array of top-tier talent ranging from U2 and The Weeknd to Adele and Beyoncé. Beyond concerts, she has conceived scenography for major theater and opera productions, fashion shows, and large-scale public art installations.
Transdisciplinary Artist
When audiences view a transdisciplinary artist’s entire work, it’s difficult to move backward and separate individual components, since they take on new meanings. While some pieces are abstract, others are experiential and interactive.
This mode of creation is similar to an irreversible chemical reaction like cooking. Once you combine A and B to obtain C, you can’t return to the fundamental elements. The arrow moves in one direction. Once an egg is scrambled, it will never return to its original state.
What is the common theme? Transdisciplinary transcends traditional boundaries and challenges preconceived notions.
Transdisciplinary Artists: Yayoi Kusama (installation and performance artist/painter/sculptor/poet) + Olafur Eliasson (installation artist/sculptor) + Ann Veronica Janssens (installation and visual artist) + James Turrell (installation artist/photographer)
Case Study: Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama has spent over five decades producing art. Working primarily in sculpture and installation, she has also studied painting, performance, video art, fashion, and many other forms of expression. Her oeuvre—filled with polka dots, psychedelic palettes, and infinity nets—delves into themes of “psychology, feminism, obsession, sex, creation, destruction, and intense self-reflection.”3
There are countless ways to share thoughts, feelings, and desires. Many individuals choose art as their mode of self-expression. Various factors—including background, education, peers, mentors, and challenges—shape their unique voices.
Everyone’s creativity flows in a different direction. How does yours adapt and grow?
Let us know which type of artist you are in the comments below!
