Mosaics

Mosaics are…
 the art of creating images with small pieces of
colored glass, stone or other material. It may be
a technique of decorative art, an aspect of
interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual
significance as in a cathedral. Small tiles or
fragments of pottery (known as tesserae,
diminutive tessellae) or of colored glass or clear
glass backed with metal foils are used to create
a pattern or picture.
 History of Mosaics
 Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-
city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic villas, and
Roman dwellings from Britain to Dura-Europos. Splendid mosaic
floors are found in Roman villas across north Africa. In Rome, Nero
and his architects used mosaics to cover the surfaces of walls and
ceilings in the Domus Aurea, built AD 64.
 Mosaic art also flourished in Rome, gradually declining as
conditions became more difficult in the Early Middle Ages. Fifth-
century mosaics can be found over the triumphal arch and in the
nave of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The 27 surviving
panels of the nave are the most important mosaic cycle in Rome of
this period. Two other important 5th-century mosaics are lost but we
know them from 17th-century drawings. I
 Mosaics influenced…
 Islamic art
 Jewish Faith
 The Christian East
 Renaissance and Baroque
 Byzantine Culture
 Rome in the High Middle Ages
Historical Mosaics
 Modern Mosaics
 A modern example of mosaic is the
Museum of Natural History station of the
New York Subway. Some modern mosaics are the
work of modernisme style architects Antoni Gaudí
and Josep Maria Jujol, for example the mosaics in
the Park Güell in Barcelona. Today, among of the
leading figures of the world in mosaic art is Saimir
Strati. His process is similar to traditional oil
painting wherein the artist first sketches a design
onto a canvas before creating the layers of the
artwork. Among his credits are two Guinness
World Records for largest 'Nail' and 'Toothpick'
mosaics.
Modern Mosaics
Toothpick and Nail Mosaics
 Mosaic Terminology
 Mosaic is an art form which uses small pieces of materials placed
together to create a unified whole. The materials commonly used
are glass, ceramic, marble, pebble, mirror, shells and china.
 The term for each piece of material is Tessera (plural: tesserae).
The term for the spaces in between where the grout goes is the
Interstices. Andamento is the word used to describe the movement
and flow of Tesserae. The 'opus', the Latin for ‘work’, is the way in
which the pieces are cut and placed varies and is known.
 Opus Tessellatum: Tesserae laid in regular straight lines like bricks.
 Opus Regulatum: Vertical and horizontal lines in regular grid.
 Opus Vermiculatum: Flowing lines of tesserae wriggling over the
surface.
 Opus Musivum: Vermiculatum used totally over image and
background.
 Opus Palladianum: Irregular fitting shapes like crazy paving.
 Steps to creating a Mosaic
 Create a good design, but no words or cutesie
cartoons!
 Take broken tiles to layout your design on a piece
of wood or cardboard, taking color and shapes
into account (you can paint the broken tiles with
acrylic before you glue them down to give them a
better look).
 Glue them down with hot glue/ Wood glue, etc.
 Carefully put grout in between the tiles to seal
your design… try to be neat so the grout doesn’t
get all over your tiles!
 Allow to dry.
 Your assignment
 To create a picture or design using the
mosaic tiles provided.
 Use a method learned in the presentation.
 You must glaze or paint the tiles to
enhance your design.
 You will use grout to fill in between the
tiles.
 Make it cool, not LAME!!!!!!!