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MOSAICS -
History
Mosaics have always been considered one of the "minor arts" One presumes that this art originated in the Middle East and then moved on towards Greece and eventually Rome. The oldest mosaic has been found in Jordan and dates back to VIIa.c.
For many centuries mosaics were developed on large
surface
The Byzantines are world known to have brought to Europe this technique. The most famous testimonies of this Byzantine art are to be found in Ravenna and Venice (due to their strong connections with Costantinopoli) they are easily recognisable by the frequent use of gold. Infact in San Marco one can admire the synthesis of a whole era. The Romans used this art more frequently, bringing it into their luxurious villas to decorate floors. Some very good examples can be found in Pompei and in Villa Adriana in Tivoli. After the Romans came the Dark Age for mosaics, at this stage it was considered a second rate art that would never be able to match oil or water painting because of the lack of variety of colours available. The absence of demand for this art almost extinguished the number of skilled craftsmen to be found.
As new tecniques in colouring developed , so mosaics had a new chance.
In 1800 the art of mosais came back into vogue,
thanks
also to some famous artists such as Gustave Klimt. It became fashionable
to collect mosaic miniatures used to decorate home objects such as tables
, vases and boxes.
The art of mosaic is now very active. the father of this new era is considered Gino Severini who injected new life into this art during the 1930's and even today there are many talented artists-craftsmen who develop this art and propell it into the modern era of design .
It is a tecnique that remains the same throughout time; a composition of different materials,colours and cut that combined together on a cement base produce the splendid effect of an everlasting work of art.