What Is Mosaic?

Some people remember fondly the mosaic unit in their high school art class, which entailed studying the magnificent mosaics in Rome and the ancient palaces of Greece. This might have been accompanied by a project in which students tried to make their own versions. It involved gluing a lot of little pieces of coloured paper or tiles to a board. For the more hard-core types who wanted the authentic effect, this might have required smashing coloured beer and wine bottles to bits ~ to their parents' horror!

Mosaic is a decorative art which involves creating designs by fastening coloured tiles (called tesserae) to a surface. The tesserae can be made from a great variety of materials, including: pebbles; stone; pottery and glass. Early mosaics were made from bits of coloured glass and pottery. The extravagant mosaic floors of ancient Roman villas denoted wealth and status. By the 4th century AD Christian themes appeared in mosaics. The Byzantine Empire is known for its rich mosaics depicting Christian images. The art form also appears in Islamic architecture. In North Africa, the art is known as zillij.

Many modern secular buildings, such as libraries, government buildings and subway stations are decorated with mosaics.  Contemporary artists also employ the art form. For instance, Chuck Close's famous large scale portraits use thousands of individual 'units' which are arranged to create the image. Although each 'unit' is applied with paint, the concept is similar to the use of tesserae to create a surface that is at once multifaceted and unified.