There’s more to ancient and Byzantine mosaics than meets the eye. The design and arrangement of hundreds or thousands of tesserae — stone or glass cubes — is a complex process involving meticulous planning.
But before a mosaicist begins any project, a solid foundation is necessary. From there, the artist can create a work of art that could last for centuries.
In the video below, Matteo Randi, a master mosaicist from the Chicago Mosaic School, demonstrates his art by recreating a section of the Art Institute of Chicago’s fifth century Byzantine item “Mosaic Fragment with a Man Leading a Giraffe.”
The video was produced with support from the Long Range Fund grant provided by the Community Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago. The video is part of LaunchPad, a program of digital interpretive materials that supplement the viewing of artwork on display at the institute.
Video: Making Ancient and Byzantine Mosaics
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