The Good Sheperd Mosaic - Ravenna, Italy

There are several ‘The Good Shepherd’ mosaics that you can check out.

In Ravenna Italy, you can find a 5th century mosaic of the Good Shepherd at the Galla Placidia Mausoleum. It is of Byzantine heritage. When you enter the mausoleum, you will see this mosaic art. You if you examine it closely, you will notice that it has a variety of bright colors and different tiles were used to create the ‘depth illusion’.

During the Roman Empire, Ravenna City played an important role in the mosaic industry. It was a fleet base during the time of Emperor Augustus and by 402 AD, Honorius made the city a capital of the Roman Empire in the west. From 493 AD to 540 AD, the city was full of buildings and outstanding monuments. Mosaic icons dominated during this time. Buildings and churches had mosaic works and one of the greatest works is the Good Shepherd at Galla. In this mosaic, you can see that Jesus is leading a faithful flock of sheep. When one of the sheep was lost, He went out to find it. The mosaic tells a lot about the life of Jesus as well as His Kingdom.

Another Good Shepherd mosaic can be found in Ravenna but this art work is of Greek origin. It was created in the late 20th century. The mosaic shows the Lord carrying the lost sheep. The sheep symbolizes an individual who has strayed. It also shows that God will do everything He can to bring back a lost soul. Through this mosaic, many people were able to understand the likeness and image of God; and that He gives the people freedom of choice.

The Simple Shepherd is of Greek origin and it can also be found in Galla. It is for sale for only $14. The mosaic shows Nicholas Planas, a priest.

Many years ago, religion is a very important part of the everyday life of people. Although religion still remains an important part of modern society, the passion and intensity of the worshippers in the past was reflected in their great works. Most of the ruins and relics dating back centuries ago show that the mosaics were reflections of their beliefs, ideology, and faith.

Christians were not free to express their belief back in the old days. Through art works, they were able to impart to the world their strong faith to the Lord. If you have a chance to visit the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, take the opportunity to see the three mosaic art works by various artists. Mosaic works like these are rare and it tells a lot about history. Mosaic has definitely withstood the test of time.

Galla Placidia Mausoleum offers breathtaking mosaics and aside from that, you will also have a chance to visit one of the oldest structures in Ravenna. The mausoleum itself was built back in 430 AD in honor of a powerful empress – Galla Placidia. It wad intended to be a tomb for the Empress but she was buried at St. Petronilla near the basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Millions of tourists and local visitors are impressed of the mosaics in the mausoleum.

Aside from the Good Shepherd mosaics, you can also find other mosaic designs like that of the starry night and he golden patterns of plants and flowers on the side arches. Come to the mausoleum and be intrigued by the magnificent mosaics there.

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Posted via web from Dynamic Mosaic Art

Contemporary Fine Art Mosaic Techniques

This quote from Maestro Giulio Menossi from Udine, Italy just about says it all:

“I believe that the slow painstaking mosaic process exposes our personal stories. The difficulties of the journey follow the lines of the glass, where each tessera represents a new encounter, where hues and shades harmonize into new colors. Where the shapes, too close to our noses don’t allow us to recognize the vision as a whole, which we only discover by taking several steps backward and looking with fresh eyes.

Creating a mosaic is a process of pairing, shaping, adding and removing tessera after tessera, until the work is complete. Each piece needs to be chosen not only according to the one that precedes it, but also taking into consideration the ones that will follow. It is a process of deliberate construction where the most important element is passion.”

Menossi is a master at using glass tile to create fine art.

His renderings whether they are portraits or contemporary abstracts are rich with design mosaic techniques, color, style and a variety of materials from glass tile to found objects and stone. Viewing the fine art mosaic of Menossi is similar to taking a walk through a candy store. The richness and exquisite detail of each piece is exhilarating, a true treat to the heart, mind and eyes.

In 1998 Menossi created a pivotal work of glass tile mosaic art which start him on the journey to what he now terms his “dynamic mosaics”. While he is most recognized for his fine art portraiture, he is winning awards for his creative contemporary art mosaic abstract.

The glass tile fine art mosaic portraiture in the hands of the Maestro is an truly amazing, exciting and passionate piece of art. Using the ancient techniques and tools, the hammer and hardi, he is able to cut exact and precise pieces of hard glass to shape expressive eyes, the curve of the lips, to design and place the glass with techniques that give depth and perspective to the expressions of the face. These mosaics particularly are used in churches, as memorials, in homes as wall art, in spas, pools and in public buildings.

With the advent of his “dynamic mosaics", the contemporary abstract fine art mosaics he is traveling a new path and creating a new road for mosaic art. These 3D sculptural mosaics are lively, colorful, with a variety of material and definitely dynamic. The shapes often times explode past what the viewer might think would be the boundaries of the design, causing the person viewing the mosaic to move and flow with the design. In these dynamic mosaics Menossi often hides symbols or perhaps a dragon fly, causing the viewer to search among the glass tiles in order to see the hidden objects.

The strongest voice comes from complete mastery of what has come before us, right up to the minute prior to finding our own voice and style as a master. But becoming a master of the work will always miss something if not built upon the explorations of the past before striking out on one's own.

Maestro Menossi in his apprenticeship with Maestro Domenico Colledani of Milan learned and mastered all the fundamentals before he would break away and develop his outstanding career. Now he invites you to join this ancient tradition, by working with him, through direct study and his guidance, as a way of fully developing your own unique style. Menossi bases his teaching on the oldest traditions of mosaics rooted in time, place, and tradition but also in striking innovation which arises from a true and deep understanding of what mosaics were, are, and will be.

Maestro Menossi knows that giving anything less to the students he is teaching would denigrate and diminish the rich and ancient traditions of mosaic art and would be disastrous to the students that come to him to learn.

The fundamental skills that are required to create beautiful mosaics are the same for figural work, portraits, interpretations, abstract works and the unique and original designs that come from the artist's own heart and mind.

Following in this tradition, the classes that Maestro Menossi is offering in 2010 will establish within you as a student the deepest roots upon which to build your own unique style. You will certainly find your own voice and style in the workshops which Menossi presents.

Maestro Menossi is offering two, two week classes in 2010. The first one May 16 -28 he will be teaching his portraiture techniques using the Venetian double indirect method and the second course May 30 – June 11 he will teach the direct method as a way discover a reinterpretation of a Klimt painting.

Why not study and work directly with one of the great mosaic masters of our time... one who combines the deep traditions and the deep, solid roots of the past (where they actually were expressed, in Italy) with the thrilling potential of the future. Go directly to the source and study with one of the greatest Maestro of our time, Giulio Menossi.