The skills of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli at the Fabbrica di San Pietro in the Vatican
The Fabbrica di San Pietro asked the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli for support to develop its skills as part of the mosaic courses held in the Vatican, at the Scuola delle Arti e dei Mestieri (School of Arts and Crafts).
Based on the needs expressed, some of its qualified teachers were identified by the management of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli: for the course Characteristics of mosaic materials and application technologies, the master mosaicist Elena Pauletto who held lessons on materials technology, and the master mosaicist Luca De Amicis, for further information on the installation of mosaics, the architect Massimiliano Pavon for a course in Computer graphics and digital modeling. The teachers covered specialized topics with a deliberately practical approach, confirmed by examples and demonstrations dedicated to the materials used in the mosaic, the application solutions, the design and the digital rendering of the different construction phases.
The Studio del Mosaico Vaticano (Vatican Mosaic Studio) is also part of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano, a laboratory, directed by Doctor Paolo Di Buono, of ancient constitution which today carries out conservation and production functions of the large mosaic surfaces present in the Basilica, preserving the peculiar tradition of mosaics and micromosaics made with “spun enamels”.
The Scuola delle Arti e dei Mestieri (School of Arts and Crafts) of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano, with frontal and laboratory lessons divided into specific areas, aims to train a small number of selected students, capable of keeping that artistic “know-how” alive, craftsmanship typical of the “art workshop” and necessary to maintain and enhance a priceless heritage in terms of history, beauty and quality. Precisely for this reason the Fabbrica di San Pietro turned to the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, recognizing not only its international role as a training center, but also as a place of research and innovation in the mosaic arts. In fact, the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli is not only the custodian of an ancient tradition expressed by the Friulian masters, of which it becomes the heir and guardian, but is also a starting point for experiments on techniques and materials, on new solutions and expressive forms, on a vision of the mosaic that is linked to the present, to contemporary culture and life. Knowledge and skills that are acquired in the field, in daily planning and execution, which do not remain in the theoretical field, but materialize in activities and works where students are involved right from the conception.
This was the contribution, in addition to the notions transmitted, that the three teachers of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli brought to Rome, much appreciated by both the students and the teachers of the Fabbrica di San Pietro who followed the lessons and discussed with the teachers of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, recognized as an international center for mosaic art.
March 8, 2024
