Mosaic art opus musivum

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By Vasari's "Vite" issued in 1550:

«...Trovarono, dunque, fra l'altre cose belle i pavimenti di pietre ispartiti con varii misti di porfidi, serpentini, e graniti, con tondi e quadri, et altri spartimenti, onde s'immaginarono che fare si potessero fregi, fogliami et altri andari di disegni e figure. Onde, per poter meglio ricevere l'opera tal lavoro, tritavano i marmi, acciò che essendo quelli minori, potessero per lo campo e piano con essi rigirare in tondo e diritto et a torto, secondo che veniva lor meglio; e dal commettere insieme questi pezzi lo dimandavano musaico, e nei pavimanti di molte loro fabriche se ne servirono; come ancora oggi veggiamo all'Antoniano di Roma et in altri luoghi, dove si vede il musaico lavorato con quadretti di marmo piccioli, conducendo fogliami, maschere et altre bizzarrie; e con quadri di marmo bianchi et altri quadretti di marmo nero fecero il campo di quegli.»

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contemporary mosaic

Since 2nd half of the 19th century the mosaic knows revival as monumental art and it begins to have a language and expression its own.
Before then - with exclusion Byzantine period - the mosaic was a tecnique subordinate to the painting art.
The artists tried the maximum true to reproduce the paintig subject. This has been the reason for the mosaic survival, but on the other side it has been very limitation for the growth as indipendent art.
Some artists with their works has pushed the mosaic to -before technical then artistic and cultural- revival.
At the end of the 1800, Gian Domenico Facchina creates a reverse way method (indirect method, "a rovescio"); the work is made on paper, in the workshop. The birth of the painter-mosaicist -to be able to paint the model and to make the mosaic work- pushs the mosaic from minor to major art.
By italian painter Giovanni Signorini the mosaic art borns like indipendent expression within the contemporay art.
In Paris Signorini and other master mosaicist from Ravenna (Rocchi, Melano, Guardigli, Cicognani etc.) realizes big works; especially he applys to the mosaic art new aesthetic and critic value.
Since the 1957 Riccardo Licata directs Severini's school, he continued his work about the creation and formation the young artists.
Renato Signorini, since 1935 to 1976, director of Ravenna's mosaic school, improved the direct method tecnique on temporary stucco.
For easel works it's used the direct method on permanent stucco. The piece and the interstice its complement are determined in this harmonious whole that is the mosaic.
So it rise a new, original and expressive language in a nice play between progress and tradition

Proper in this relation (progres and tradition) and on the interest of the cultural operator will be the future of the mosaic art.

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classification

	Opus signinum - very far pieces to form geometric design. The pieces are inlayed on a floor of lime and pounded earthenware.
	Opus tesellatum - cubic form pieces used for geometric design and bordures.
	Opus vermiculatum - there is many opinion; maybe a mosaic made with pieces very small and carefully cut. In this mode it's possible shading color to make figure.
	Opus sectile - floor made with regular form pieces carefully cut.
	Opus interassile - it used for wall. Multicolor marble pieces are inlayed on other big plate.
	Tarsie - like opus sectile and opus interassile.
	Opus segmentutum - opus sectile with pieces more thin
	Opus scutulatum - color and dimension unlike pieces are inlayed on ground made by uniform pieces.
	Opus alexandrinum - made with very hard material, like the porphyry.
	Émblema - opus sectile, tessellatum e vermiculatum toghether to make emblem.
	Opus musivum - covering of wall and vault made with pieces of vetrous material.
	Opus incertum - mosiac made with irregular cut pieces.
	Opus certum - like opus incertum with regular cut pieces.
	Opus reticulatum - opus tessellatum with pieces arranged to form oblique line.
	Opus lapilli - mosaic made of pebbles.

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ancient job

* these activity are considered artistical job.

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