As published in: Glass Craftsman Magazine, Spring 2009
Written by Gina Hubler
For the past decade I have been giving Mosaic tours in Italy and most recently Spain. It has been an interesting journey working with the many artists and friends I have been honored to meet in the U.S. and abroad, creating these tours. Though each year’s tour is different, one place I have always stopped is Ravenna. This town is known in mosaic circles as the “Capital of Byzantine Mosaics.” The title has come rightfully, as there is the highest concentration of original Byzantine period mosaics in the world left intact in this northern Italian cittadina (small city). This is due mainly to the fact that it evaded bombing during the war, and that the mosaics in Constantinople, (modern day Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire were devastated by war and deterioration.
Ravenna is the home of the Mosaic Restoration Institute, as well as a thriving group of both restoration and contemporary mosaicists. This cities notoriety is based on this, as it has nurtured its artisans through periods of obscurity, as well as today’s thriving international awareness of this artform. Today there are thousands of tourists stopping in Ravenna to study and view the mosaics and mosaicists of Ravenna.
We were able to spend a bit of time with Anna Fietta the owner of annafietta.it, a mosaic supply store in town near the Basilica of San Vitale. This is a lovely store where both professionals and hobbyists alike can find materials; Italian smalti, marble, millifiori, and imported products such as stained glass from the United States! I always love to visit Anna’s store, the displays are beautiful, and have been an inspiration for my own store in Miami! She is a lovely person, whom became involved with mosaics at a transitional point of her life (as is the case with many of us). Previously she has had a career in archeology and upon her return to Ravenna took over her family’s store transforming it into the mosaic resource it is today. She has since nurtured a lovely store, which is a meeting point for those of us, with a love of materials and mosaics, which return to Ravenna regularly. Her staff is like family, and it is a warm and wonderful environment.
Ana makes small tourist souvenirs as well as some lovely sculptural mosaics created from a sheet metal infrastructure. She cuts and bends the copper sheeting into the desired form, and then sets her tesserae with a mixture of thinset and pigments onto this infrastructure. Her designs are cheerful, and interesting both due to the texture and materials, which are incorporated. She is also offering short classes to those passing through with a desire to try their hand at this contemporary method! I see traces of Dusciana Bravura’s work being an inspiration in the work executed at this studio.
Another visit was with Arianna Gallo & Luca Barberini from Koko Mosaico, a young couple who studied at Istituto Statale d’Arte per il Mosaico G. Severini” (Ravenna’s Mosaic School), and have built a thriving studio, where they teach as well as create commission works. Possibly their largest project to date was executing a copy of the “Alexander Mosaic” the original of which is housed in the Naples Archeological Museum. Many of the students, which come to study here, come for extended periods working on longer term projects in their studio. When I last visited, they were working on an installation for a local home with gold initials and details, setting the work in the hydrated lime base in the double indirect method which Ravenna is known for Arianna & Luca are a delightful couple, eager to share their knowledge and their studio. They also have a contemporary flair to their personal work, though their education is based in classical methods.
Our next stop was that evening, Dusciana Bravura, was having an opening at her studio. We were awed by the installations that she had created! The centerpiece mosaic was over seven feet high, two doves, one in black and the other white, over a mirrored bowl, inspired by Pliny’s Doves, a work seen throughout the city, the original being in Rome at the Capatalini Museum. Her columns, and mirrors were magnificent leaving you with the feeling of an ice palace, glistening in the night. Large stones covered in gold, silver, white and black tesserae climbed skyward. Dusciana is a lovely woman leaving you with the impression of quiet grace. The opening was a fun event, seeing other friends such as Marco and Adrianna Bravura (her parents and an internationally accomplished mosaicist), as well as other local friends and media. I thought the opening was an interesting event; much of what was shown was really like an installation, though she had quite a bit of smaller work for sale in her second floor annex. She is represented by a gallery in Murano, and exhibited internationally with most of her work being that of large mirrors and frames. I like how her style comes through no matter what the infrastructure or scale of her work.
There is no trip to Ravenna complete without a visit with my friend and mentor, Luciana Notturni, at her Mosaic School. Luciana is a professor at the restoration institute, as well as having run her school since 1969 in the heart of Ravenna. It is always interesting seeing the works in Luciana’s school, as well as at her private home studio. This year I was intrigued by the flower study exhibited in the studio, showing how color effects our perception. Though there are many schools in Italy, Luciana is really an extremely gifted and dedicated professora. I must say that she is a benchmark of sorts, which I strive to as an educator. I truly respect her expertise and the manner in which she imparts it to her students. To date she has had thousands of students pass through her school, many of which have gone on to become professionals. She has also exhibited widely and creates commissions throughout Europe.
Ravenna is always a fun stop, and I feel excited to visit this vibrant city, and its mosaicists this coming May 2009! Every stop on the tour brings its own charm, and delights, making it easy to keep the tours fresh even after ten years! What a wonderful way to share our cultures and artistic sensibilities!