Page 103 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 103
ersatility of mosaics: psychological,
sociological, aesthetic and organizational
aspects
Maja Frencl, Boštjan Žvanut
Introduction
The art of mosaics is a craft in which various materials (e.g., stones, tiles, glass, plastic) are
joined into different motives. Unlike other, more universal arts, mosaics were in the past
limited to Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. However, some evidence of mosaics
has also been found in the pre-Columbian cultures (Chavarria, 1999; Goodwin, 2001). It is
hard to define the exact chronological beginning of this art. Many authors agree that the
first archaeological remains which might be call mosaics are located in the region between
the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Old civilisations in Mesopotamia and later also in Egypt
documented that workers combined different materials of different shapes and colours in
order to create various forms, panels, surfaces etc. (Della Vedova, 2008).
Early examples of specifically cut materials have been found in the ancient Greek cul-
ture (Goodwin, 2001). They had spread to certain Greek islands, Sicily, and also to certain
parts of the present-day Turkey, which later became part of the Roman Empire. During
this period, mosaics spread to temples and other public establishments and geographical-
ly also all around the empire (Chavarria, 1999; Goodwin, 2001; Honour & Fleming, 2002).
During the Greek and in particular the Roman periods, the mosaic gained importance and
was not treated as a decorative element only. As it was installed in important places, it also
symbolized power and prosperity. The rise of Christianity led to the development of wall
mosaics, which did not need to fulfil the functional purposes such as flooring and, there-
fore, allowed the use of new materials (Chavarria, 1999). This marked a substantial techni-
cal and artistic improvement in this art. In the Byzantine period, the mosaic also gained
religious significance, especially in the Justinian period (Goodwin, 2001). Unfortunately,
from the 14th century onwards, the mosaic was losing its status (Goodwin, 2001), but at the
beginning of the 20th century, the art of mosaics received a significant stimulus from sever-
al artists, most notably Antoni Gaudí (Goodwin, 2001; Honour & Fleming, 2002).
According to the analysis of available literature and our previous experience in this
field, we assume that today, with the development of human consciousness, the art of mo-
saics is gaining new dimensions. The mosaic as a technique is very interesting because it im-
101
sociological, aesthetic and organizational
aspects
Maja Frencl, Boštjan Žvanut
Introduction
The art of mosaics is a craft in which various materials (e.g., stones, tiles, glass, plastic) are
joined into different motives. Unlike other, more universal arts, mosaics were in the past
limited to Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. However, some evidence of mosaics
has also been found in the pre-Columbian cultures (Chavarria, 1999; Goodwin, 2001). It is
hard to define the exact chronological beginning of this art. Many authors agree that the
first archaeological remains which might be call mosaics are located in the region between
the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Old civilisations in Mesopotamia and later also in Egypt
documented that workers combined different materials of different shapes and colours in
order to create various forms, panels, surfaces etc. (Della Vedova, 2008).
Early examples of specifically cut materials have been found in the ancient Greek cul-
ture (Goodwin, 2001). They had spread to certain Greek islands, Sicily, and also to certain
parts of the present-day Turkey, which later became part of the Roman Empire. During
this period, mosaics spread to temples and other public establishments and geographical-
ly also all around the empire (Chavarria, 1999; Goodwin, 2001; Honour & Fleming, 2002).
During the Greek and in particular the Roman periods, the mosaic gained importance and
was not treated as a decorative element only. As it was installed in important places, it also
symbolized power and prosperity. The rise of Christianity led to the development of wall
mosaics, which did not need to fulfil the functional purposes such as flooring and, there-
fore, allowed the use of new materials (Chavarria, 1999). This marked a substantial techni-
cal and artistic improvement in this art. In the Byzantine period, the mosaic also gained
religious significance, especially in the Justinian period (Goodwin, 2001). Unfortunately,
from the 14th century onwards, the mosaic was losing its status (Goodwin, 2001), but at the
beginning of the 20th century, the art of mosaics received a significant stimulus from sever-
al artists, most notably Antoni Gaudí (Goodwin, 2001; Honour & Fleming, 2002).
According to the analysis of available literature and our previous experience in this
field, we assume that today, with the development of human consciousness, the art of mo-
saics is gaining new dimensions. The mosaic as a technique is very interesting because it im-
101
