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| Wednesday, 26 May 2004 |
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Mosaic, Madness and Me by Tasneem Hatim Mosaic is a decorative art form using 'tesserae' - small pieces of glass, marble, ceramic or stone - to create images or patterns. It is an extremely adaptable medium and endless variations of subjects, materials, colours and applications have been explored over the ages. The method of making mosaics has not changed much over the centuries and, even though it is an ancient art form, it has stood the test of time and is increasingly popular today as a versatile contemporary craft.
Mosaics is a very ancient form of art going back to 4,000 years or more and has, through centuries, developed from crude pebbled pavements to an art form with precise geometric patterns and detailed scenes of people and animals. Its development has passed through the Graeco-Roman period and made a prominent resurgence from the 5th century A.D., centered in Byzantine period (now Istanbul - Turkey) when this form of art took on new characteristics, which included Eastern influences in styles and the use of special glass tesserae called smalti made in Northern Italy. The Moors brought Islamic mosaic and tile art to Western Europe around the 8th century A.D. and to this day examples can be seen in Spain at the Great Mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace.
They also incorporated the broken crockery and other found objects, a revolutionary idea in formal art and architecture. Another very influential site is the La Maison Picassiette (Northern France) the idiosyncratic work of Raymonde Isidore between 1938 - 1964, who covered his entire house with mosaics of broken crockery. To this day mosaic is in a healthy state despite a tendency for it to be thought of more as a work of crafts-people than artists. Perhaps this is a difficulty in accepting the fact that mosaics often have dual functions, e.g. as flooring and also because it is a very accessible, non-elitist form of creativity. Experience The field is rich with new ideas and approaches, and organisations such as the British Association for Modern Mosaic and the Society of American Mosaic Artists exist to promote mosaic. Art in various forms is Alefiya's passion. Since her childhood days she has, through painting, expressed her ideas the thoughts. Hence, taking to the mosaic art form was as natural to her as fish taking to water. Her recent travels to Italy and Spain, and her special love for Islamic art and architecture, generated her desire to try out the mosaic art form. Her visit to Australia opened a new opportunity for her to learn and experience mosaic art. Beautiful Since acquiring these basic techniques and skills she has, within a period of one and a half years, designed and produced many works of mosaic, which are not only aesthetically beautiful,but also are of very practical use, e.g. tables, mirrors, wall hangings, sign boards and many more.
An exhibition of some of her work will be on view at the Hermitage Gallery, 28 Gower Street, Colombo 5, from May 29 to 31. Her works include some traditional Sri Lankan patterns interpreted in the mosaic art form, Art Nouveau styles and more conventional designs. The gallery is open from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The history of mosaic goes back some 4,000 years or more, with the use of terracotta cones pushed point-first into a background to give decoration. By the eighth century BC, there were pebble pavements, using different coloured stones to create patterns, although these tended to be unstructured decoration. It was the Greeks, in the four centuries BC, who raised the pebble technique to an art form, with precise geometric patterns and detailed scenes of people and animals. By 200 BC, specially manufactured pieces ("tesserae") were being used to give extra detail and range of colour to the work. Using small tesserae, sometimes only a few millimetres in size, meant that mosaics could imitate paintings. Many of the mosaics preserved at, for example, Pompeii were the work of Greek artists. The expansion of the Roman Empire took mosaics further afield, although the level of skill and artistry was diluted. If you compare mosaics from Roman Britain with Italian ones you will notice that the British examples are simpler in design and less accomplished in technique. Motifs With the rise of the Byzantine Empire from the 5th century onwards, centred on Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey), the art form took on new characteristics. These included Eastern influences in style and the use of special glass tesserae called smalti, manufactured in northern Italy. These were made from thick sheets of coloured glass. Samlti have a rough surface and contain tiny air bubbles. They are sometimes backed with reflective silver or gold leaf. In the west of Europe, the Moors brought Islamic mosaic and tile art into the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century, while elsewhere in the Muslim worked, stone, glass and ceramic were all used in mosaics. In contrast to the figurative representations in Byzantineart, Islamic motifs are mainly geometric and mathematical. Examples can be seen in Spain at the Great Mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace. In Arabic countries a distinctive decorative style called zillij uses purpose-made ceramic shapes that are further worked by hand to allow them to tessellate (fit together perfectly to cover a surface). The Art Nouveau movement also embraced mosaic art. In Barcelona, Antoni Gaudi worked with Josep Maria Jujol to produce the stunning ceramic mosaics of the Guell Park in the first two decades of the 20th century. These used a technique known as trencadis in which tiles (purpose-made and waste tiles) covered surfaces of buildings. They also incorporated broken crockery and other found objects, a revolutionary idea in formal art and architecture. Grottoes Found objects have been used as mosaic materials in a range of ways, for example in Victorian shell grottoes and "putty pots", where china and other items (buttons, toy figures etc) are stuck to a base with linseed putty. This kind of collage of personal objects with connections to everyday life is also sometimes called "memoryware". A very influential site has been La Maison Picassiette (in Charters, northern France), the idiosyncratic work of Raymonde Isidore between 1938 and 1964. As a middle-aged manual worker, he covered his entire house and garden with intricate mosaics of broken crockery. His nickname ("Picassiette" came from a French expression meaning a "scrounger": This expression - "pique assiette" - is the name given today to this very popular style of mosaic. Mosaic is in a healthy state in the early 21st century, despite a tendency for it to be thought of as more the work of crafts people than artists. Perhaps this is a difficulty in accepting the fact that mosaics often have a dual function, for example as flooring, and also because it is a very accessible, non-elitist form of creativity. A stunning array of wall art, tables, chairs, mirrors and trays, vibrantly and intricately mosaiced into signature pieces will be exhibited at the Hermitage Gallery, 28 Gower Street, Colombo 5 from May 29-31. The exhibition hours are from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. **** Back **** |
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The Art Nouveau Movement embraced mosaic art. In Barcelona, Antoni
Gaudi with Joseph Maria Jujol produced the stunning ceramic mosaics of
Guell Park in the first two decades of the 20th century.
