Tag Archives: mosaics

The Massachusetts State House

November 29, 2014

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Last week I attended the awards celebration of New England Chapter Institute of Classical Architecture and Art held at the State House in Boston, a fabulous Charles Bulfinch building built in 1798 with later additions. It is sited close to the summit of the south side of Beacon Hill overlooking Boston Common and the Back Bay. Bulfinch was not only the architect of the building for the seat of government, but also a public-minded citizen and selectman. At its completion, it was proclaimed one of the more magnificent buildings in the country.

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Italian Mosaics

November 5, 2014

Imagine this pattern in larger format. It feels fresh and current today even though it was created and installed hundreds of years ago.Slideshow

I simply love mosaics–from the earliest ones I’ve seen at Ephesus, Herculaneum, St. Mark’s and other Venetian churches, to the charming creations in the foyer of early 20th century Paris apartment buildings as well as modern interpretations of any of these designs. I always look for elegant cuts, artful arrangements and placement of the tesserae, the tonal value of the palette and the skill of the artisans. The beauty of mosaics is in the detail. Whether simple black and white or multi colored, mosaics use thousands upon thousands of small and precious tiles to tell their stories, assessing the effect of light and shade or exploiting complementary colors.

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National Park, Israel

November 4, 2014

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This will probably be the final post on my trip to Israel.

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Mosaic Inspiration: Metropolitan Museum of Art

November 8, 2012

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Several weeks ago we were on our way to see the new installation of Islamic art at MMA when we lost our way, if only temporarily. This detour turned out to be a bonus because I stumbled upon the beautiful black and white mosaics in the great hall of the Greek and Roman Department that I had forgotten about. Not only are the rugs elegant and graceful, but rendering them in black and white, set in a nearly solid black field, makes them feel both modern and traditional and classically timeless. We discovered they were installed in the 1920’s.

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