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information and interpretation in art & design

Published on Nov 19, 2015

Mosaic art by Mandy Smith

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

information and interpretation in art & design

Mosaic Art

Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona

I have chosen mosaic art as my artistic pathway as I’ve had an interest in mosaic art since my teenage years. My first memory of mosaics was at a visit to the Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain in the late 1980’s where brightly coloured ceramic tiles covered vast areas of the palace in intricate geometric patterns giving it a grand and also mystical quality. During my art A level I came across Gustav Klimt and admired his use of mosaics in some of his work during his ‘Golden Period’. A few years later and a trip to Barcelona, Spain viewing some of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi work, mosaic covered architecture which 'cemented' my love of mosaics!
Photo by john.purvis

My Mosaic Sunflowers 1990's

I started making mosaic pictures and decorating surfaces after buying a mosaic art book by Elaine Goodwin in the 1990’s. I taught myself using the mosaic book for reference and tried using different mosaic methods of laying tiles directly onto a cement bed (direct method) and indirectly by gluing the tiles face down onto paper and when dry, picking the finished piece up and then laying whole onto a cement bed (indirect method). I love the feel of the square glass and ceramic tesserae and I enjoy cutting the tiles to form a picture. In the past I have made a pebble mosaic in my garden and several mosaic pictures for indoor display.

Smalti, golds, pearls, marble...and lego

are used to make this artists work by Giulio Menossi
What I like about mosaic is that like painting there are different ‘styles’, you are able to make a structured mosaic picture with uniform glass or ceramic tesserae or you can smash ceramic crockery and tiles or use random found objects to make a loose pattern or design. Shells and pebbles are common found objects that have been traditionally used in mosaic design however contemporary mosaic artists also used buttons, lego, small toys, marbles, plastic cutlery ...indeed almost any smallish object can be cemented into a base to make an overall larger picture or design.

Mosaïzm “Gallaxizm multi media installation

with mosaic
The art of mosaic has always played a dual role, being both decorative and functional which is a quality that I find very appealing, it can be used both indoors and outdoors, on floors, walls or even ceilings; made into pictures or placed onto sculptures or pieces of furniture, the possibilities are huge! Up until a mosaic revival in the 1990’s mosaics were mainly used in a practical form, as decorative floor and wall panels. However more recently there has been a rise in artists using the media in novel new ways.

contemporary

mosaic
For my next section of this task I will be researching historic use and style of mosaic art and exploring some contemporary mosaic artists and looking at possible reasons why British contemporary mosaic artists seem to be struggling compared to their European counterparts.