Mosaic Essay

From the early cave man to modern day, people have used different materials and tools to create images, which helps people to connect and communicate. Art can help bring people together which represents how a society’s culture. There are many forms of artistic expression such as paintings, drawings, and sculptures. A mosaic is one of the many artistic styles that were used in the western world to express ideas and represent a culture. They can be made from many different materials such as pebbles, glass, minerals, and more. These materials are put together to create an image. During the ancient to medieval periods, the Greek Empire, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic mosaics were comprised of different styles and themes, which

During the Roman Empire in the city of Pompeii and cities of Vesuvius, the mosaics became used on more things than floors such as walls and ceilings. Furthermore, these mosaics became used for decorative purposes (Kleiner 172). The subjects of the mosaics focused on mythological figures such as in the mosaic Neptune and Amphitrite (Fig. 3) (62-79 CE). This mosaic has a range of different colors portraying Neptune and Amphitrite. During the High Empire (2nd-3rd century), both public and private places had black and white mosaics (Kleiner 191). For example, the black and white mosaic, Baths of Neptune (Fig. 4) (140 CE) was used as decorative pieces intended to challenge paintings. This mosaic depicts seahorses that are carrying the Neptune, the Roman sea god (191). These mosaics were design appropriately for floors due to the lack of complex polychrome (different colors) and three-dimensional windows like the Pompeii mosaics were. During the Late Antiquity, the mosaics in the windows were made out of glass to reflect light (Kleiner 223). In Early Christian mosaics were seen in larger distances such as in an apse of a church or an ambulatory vault, which meant the mosaics were made from larger pieces of tesserae. The designs were very simplistic with focusing on Christian themes through medieval times (223). For example, Christ and the Good Shepard (Fig. 5) in Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna depicts Jesus sitting among a

During the Early Byzantine Empire, the mosaics themes revolved around Christianity, however, mosaics formed a new aesthetic, which is weightless, frontal figures (Kleiner 239). For example, the Justinian (Fig. 6) (547) mosaic on the north wall of the apse, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. Justinian is placed in front of the figures that seem to be floating/weightless. Furthermore, the artworks rejected classical illusionism. In the Middle Byzantine Empire, Basil I created a mosaic about the Mother of God in Hagia Sophia (Fig. 7), Turkey in 867 (Kleiner 247). This mosaic showed the domination of iconophiles. Furthermore, the mosaic involves rich colors such as golden