Barbara Delikaris
K-12 Art Specialist
Springfield Public Schools
Paper
Millennium Mosaics
“Mosaic
art flows through history like a great river through a porous desert,
disappearing and reappearing again.” – Carlo Bertelli
OBJ: Given fadeless paper, black and gray mat board, scissors, and
Modge Podge, students will create a mosaic to be seen in the millennium.
Standard 1.3 – utilize arts elements and arts media to
produce artistic products.
Standard 1.5 – identify various historical, social, and cultural influences and traditions which have generated artistic accomplishments throughout the ages, and which continue to shape contemporary arts.
ACT: Introduce students to the history of mosaic
art. Show that while mosaics is an
ancient art form, it reappears throughout history and will be adapted in some
way in the future. Provide a number of
historical and cultural examples.
Students will make a preliminary drawing in their sketchbooks. Have students write where they would like to
install their mosaics (ceilings, lamps, projected images, etc.) Once their
sketches are approved, students will cut out paper tesserae for their
mosaics. Encourage students to use
different sizes of mat board for a more interesting final exhibit. Students are to show some shading by using
different values of a hue. Remind
students to keep their size of tesserae the same. Students will use contrast to set off their subject against their
backgrounds. Modge Podge will be used to adhere paper tesserae to mat board.
ASSESSMENT: Critique, graded mosaic, class
participation, Art Show.
Definition: A mosaic is
a decoration where small pieces (tesserae) of colored glass, stone, or other
material are set in cement to form a pattern.
Mosaics can be found on floors, walls, ceilings or other objects.
Basic desire for order and ornamentation.
Sumerians
Greeks
Floors
Romans
Depicting gods
Everyday life
Simple monochrome “silhouette” images
Animals
Abstract design
Ceilings, walls
Introduction of gold tesserae
Art Nouveau
Barcelona – Architect Antonio Gaudi
Contemporary
Individual
pieces of a mosaic have no meaning. All
the pieces of tesserae contribute to the meaning of the whole. Compare to works of Seurat and Chuck Close. Photomosaics. Where will an offshoot of mosaic art turn up next in the years to
come? How can mosaics be adapted to new
uses in the millennium?