The Art of Glass Mosaics
09 May 2022
- 11 May 2022
09:30 AM
- 02:00 PM
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum, affiliated to the Cultural Outreach Sector, organizes a training course entitled "The Art of Glass Mosaics", Monday to Wednesday, 9–11 May 2022; 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center, Multipurpose Hall.
The course includes a number of lectures as well as practical workshops highlighting one of the most prominent types of art; the art of mosaics. The mosaic industry has spread and diversified its methods of implementation and purposes for which it was created since ancient times, especially in Greece, Asia Minor and Italy. The Mediterranean and its islands is an important source of art. The mosaics used to decorate floors and walls during the Greek and Roman ages, and then arches and churches during the Byzantine era.
Byzantine artists are credited with using new materials, such as glass and metals to create new artistic themes. Byzantine artists depicted emperors as well as Christian religious figures, and themes inspired by the Bible, which required the introduction of new and decorative architectural elements, most prominent of which was glass and gold. The wonderful effects of such additions appeared in Churches and basilicas in Rome and Milan.
The use of glass mosaics continued until the Islamist age, where Muslim artists used glass decorations on domes and minarets, and even introduced other elements, such as crystal and shells. The Islamic mosaics featured complex architectural decorations and intertwining plant decorations, which decorated the most famous Islamic establishments, such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock, and is still used today.
The first day's activities include a range of lectures on the importance and history of mosaics, as well as lectures on the maintenance and repair of mosaics and stones. The activities of the second and third days include a workshop on how to create a simple model of glass mosaics, so that the trainee can create a piece of art on their own.
- Duration: Three days, 4 hours a day.
- Target group: Those who are studying the field and those who are interested in it.
- Maximum number of attendees: 25
- Registration is required for attendance.