Andamento: The Language of Mosaic with Anabella Wewer

Mosaic Arts Online is excited to bring you a more in-depth approach to understanding andamento. In this course, Anabella Wewer will teach you how andamento can be interpreted as different languages. Going beyond the principles of andamento laid out in Anabella's first course "Classical Andamento for Modern Mosaics”, this course shows you how to apply those principles. This follow up course is taught by showing a multitude of scenarios on how to approach lines, and exploring materials and the character of tesserae to achieve different effects and create narrative. As with every one of our courses, there is no need to take notes — you have the benefit of referring back to any section as often as you like, and ask questions right on each section as needed..

Letters form words, which form sentences, then paragraphs, and eventually entire texts which tell stories or otherwise allow us to communicate. In the same way, tesserae form lines, which form shapes, which tell stories and allow us to communicate a theme or our creative vision. The character of each line, each tesserae, and their placement within space, allow us to create a multitude of different effects in mosaic, much like languages have dialects, accents and slang. Grammar and typography govern how we arrange letters into words and determine how easy or hard a text is to read and understand. In mosaic, the language is seemingly simpler in that there are no language barriers — it is universal — but texture, spacing, and dimension, layered over the basic principles of andamento can give lines, and therefore a mosaic, very different characteristics, or accents. Making analogies rooted in her love of typography and languages, Anabella builds on the principles of andamento to create different languages within mosaic, exploring options for different narratives by simply adjusting spacing, material qualities and dimension, all while maintaining strict andamento in the work.

Classical andamento need not be thought of as boring, restrictive, or old fashioned, but rather as the grammar of mosaic, giving definition and clarity to the work. In this course, presented in 24 sections, Anabella shows a multitude of considerations that set the stage for each one to explore his or her particular mosaic language, calling attention to the nuances of the grammar that go beyond the simple principles of andamento established in her first Andamento course: "Classical Andamento in Modern Mosaics".

In this course, Anabella discusses how each slight variation in how we cut and set tesserae, much like the rules of typography and how we set type, make a "paragraph" read more or less easily, allowing us to see the work better. You will see, through the use of samples, how each element affects how we perceive a work, and will watch as Anabella makes decisions about each tesserae's placement as she builds lines of different character around what she calls "lines with personality" or "the accent of lines."

You will have the benefit of an over-hands view as Anabella analyzes the quality of lines on her "do's and don't" samples, as well as going into detail about why she made specific choices in some of her finished work. This wealth of information is yours to watch as many times as you wish, in perpetuity, with unlimited log-in access to the platform, and the ability to ask questions which will be responded to within the page accompanying each segment.

Both of Anabella's Andamento courses are also available as a bundle, at a lower price than if purchased as single courses. Follow this link to purchase the bundle, or enroll in each course individually as you wish!