Mosaic is a style of art where a larger image is created by arranging and attaching bits of clay, glass, stone or other materials directly to non-flexible surfaces. The resulting surfaces, whether smooth or rough, brilliantly hued or somber in color beg to be explored by human hands, and these sturdy materials have the power to endure for a very long time.
This potential durability becomes clear when you consider the intricately patterned mosaics found on the floors of ancient synagogues and mosques in the Middle East, the walls of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, and in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral or the ruins of Pompeii. Or consider more playful mosaic environments such as Antoni Gaudi’s Parc Guell in Barcelona, designed between 1900 and 1914 and Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers in Los Angeles opened to the public in 1954.
All of these mosaic installations, no matter their age, exhibit a tactile energy and relevance that draws us to them. Perhaps it is for that very reason they have been used, preserved, lovingly touched, and trod on by people for so many years. Surely this is why Mosaic New Mexico members and others have been inspired to continue to explore and update this ancient craft.
