Modern Mosaic Expo at MAR

Modern Mosaic Expo at MAR: a wonderful Farewell Party. Hotel near MAR in Ravenna.

Photo:1)modern mosaic,2)Museo d'Arte Ravenna, via di Roma

Everything started 500 years ago, when young Domenico Ghirlandaio just came out with the assertion that a mosaic is a true painting for eternity.

Unfortunately, these words of Ghirlandaio set forth one of the outstanding characteristics of the mosaic - its capacity to endure.

For about 500 years the mosaic has been considered as a category of painting and its value was judged in the way it yielded to the rules of a fluid brushstroke or pencil bordering, than in the way its hard and angular tesserae require simplification and contrast between them.

In 1934 painter and mosaicist Gino Severini wrote: "One of the reasons why mosaic is decading is the distinction between the artist who makes paintings and who makes mosaics, that is between art and craft".

Having lost its autonomy, the mosaic lost its splendour, vigour, prestige and self-renewing capacity.

For the mosaic art of Ravenna, now merely an imitation of  the bizantine style and iconography the return to the ancient autonomy was really too problematic: it would have been more useful to reconcile it with the XX century spirit of Impressionism, Divisionism, Expressionism and Abstract art.

And in fact this reconciliation was very useful, during the Fifties, to the memorable "Exposition  of Contemporary Mosaics" organized by Giuseppe Bovini in collaboration with the Rotari Club in 1959.

In this exposition the mosaic came back to its original artistic expression and again suggested the importance of fresh sensibility and free intuition of the artist.

In the contest of Ravenna in 1959, the exposition appeared to be  progressive, valid and very useful. Today it is still interesting but as a historical document of an already passed period, a wonderful farewell party to the mosaic under the hegemony of painting.

Prof. Gianni Morelli

The pleasure of fine accommodation in the centre of Ravenna: we recommend the Fabbri hotels for a pleasant stay as follows:

The Centrale Byron Hotel, 3-star hotel in the centre of Ravenna, close to the main momuments;

The Bisanzio Hotel, 4-star hotel in the centre of Ravenna, close to the main momuments;

Once you have reached the hotel and parked your car, forget it and walk everywhere, because everything is within walking distance.

The railway station is near our hotels and within walking distance