Now that I have shown you some of the ancient mosaics of Ravenna, let’s go forward in time. On the day after I binged on historical monuments, I decided to go visit the Art Museum of the city of Ravenna, that hosts some really surprizing mosaics. Before that, I didn’t even think about modern mosaics. To me, mosaics were beautiful, but could only be ancient or made in a traditional style. I never imagined they could be contemporary. Well, I was wrong.
It so happens that you can use any material to create mosaics, and that includes pieces of ceramic vases, clothes pegs, beads, bells, fabric, stones, or even playing cards. And it doesn’t have to be flat, it can also be in 3D. I know, right, mind blown!
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My Favourite Piece
My favourite piece was a carpet. The artist made it look very real and folded, to give an impresssion of movement and lightness. I can’t find the name of the artist anymore, but I remember that a member of the staff told me about the tumb of Rudolf Noureev, in France, that is covered with a similar carpet. To me, it is a fantastic example of modern mosaics.
Any Material Can Be Turned Into Art
Mostly, what fascinated me in this museum was that you don’t have to be rich to create a mosaic, you can just use everyday things like pins and still manage to create a beautiful traditional bust with a twist, or use traditional materials but choose a modern subject. It gave me a very different idea of what mosaics can be and of who can do them. It even made me want to try to create one.
Visit Ravenna
I hope that you liked this overview of modern mosaics, and that maybe you will be tempted to know more about it and go visit Ravenna. I posted this second article about the city because I wanted to give you a complete understanding of what mosaics are and of why Ravenna is known as the capital of mosaics.
To see more photos of Italy, you can visit the gallery Italy.
