A Brief History of Found Object Art
“I like it because it tells so much about my story . . . life smashes things to bits and you glue it back together to make something beautiful with the pieces.” —an unknown mosaic artist
| |
A Brief History of Found Object Art “I like it because it tells so much about my story . . . life smashes things to bits and you glue it back together to make something beautiful with the pieces.” —an unknown mosaic artist |
The Victorian era is sometimes regarded as a creative dry period in the timeline of modern civilization because of its reputation for moral austerity and the widespread emphasis on the virtues of dignity and restraint. But in spite of—or because of—this social climate, many types of art actually flourished. Shard art, a type of mosaic tile technique, was one of those mediums. It was popularized by Victorian men and women who began turning their broken pieces of china, old jewelry, and glass into new decorative objects such as vases, flower pots, and tables. These new creations were also called “putty pots,” a name derived from the putty used to affix the found objects to the vessels and surfaces, and “memory ware,” in reference to the sentimental value of the materials.
The contemporary name of “pique assiette” came into being in 1938 when Raymond Edouard Isidore, an average Joe from Chartres, began gluing stuff to other stuff, namely found objects, pieces of broken glass, and remnants of pottery to his home and gardens near Paris. The towns-people gave him the nickname Picassiette, which means “stealer from plates”—a moocher or a freeloader. Can’t you just imagine the exchanges of the locals?
“I saw Picassiette down at le café last week. Mon dieu! I could have sworn I caught sight of him concealing his dinner plate down his trousers!”
“Sacré bleu! That monsieur certainly risks his derrière for the sake of his ridiculous object d’art.”
“Oui.”
Today, Raymond Edouard Isidore is regarded as a visionary. His home, now known as La Maison Picassiette, is treasured as a work of art—the extraordinary result of this man’s work, accomplished over a span of 26 years. Visitors from all over the world derive inspiration from the house and garden he covered with intricate mosaics. Although scholars and admirers alike have tried to pinpoint the source of this everyday laborer’s revelation, or discover the identity of his muse, I believe that the truth is plain to see: his natural creativity simply met its ideal form of expression. Throughout history, this has been the catalyst for life-changing, world-changing art.
We are, after all, still talking about him. The nickname Picassiette stuck (no pun intended) in a big way. As if part of a giant, 75- year-old game of Telephone, the word slowly evolved into pique assiette, the contemporary name for shard art, Today, you can view public and historical examples of pique assiette all around the world. I guess you could call these found object artists the pioneers of the recycled art movement.
Popular and Famous Mosaic Tile Destinations
La Maison Picassiette
Raymond Isidore
Chartres, France
Raymond Isidore’s devotion to the project left behind a family home and garden covered in intricate mosaics made of tiles, crockery, and magical found objects
The Rock Garden
Nek Chand Saini
Chandigarh, India
The Rock Garden, now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world, is said to be the greatest artistic achievement seen in India since the Taj Mahal.
The Tarot Garden
Niki De Saint Phalle
Capalbio, Italy
Influenced by Parque Güell, Niki de Saint Phalle decided that she wanted to create a garden of whimsical sculptures inspired by the symbols found on Tarot cards. After more than twenty years of work, the garden, called Giardino dei Tarocchi in Italian, was completed in 1998.
Watts Towers
Simon Rodia
Los Angeles, California
Simon Rodia (above) spent thirty-four years in the early 1900s building the seventeen Watts Towers and decorating them with mosaics of tile, broken glass, seashells, and other found objects.
Mosaic Trail
Jim Powers
New York City
Jim Powers created the mosaic trail on a series of light poles (approximaterly eighty light poles total) across New York City’s Lower East Side and Greenwich Village. Made of broken dishes and tiles, the mosaic trail took five years to complete.
Parque Güell
Antonio Gaudi
Barcelona, Spain
Parque Guell is the amazing work of Antonio Gaudi. built in the years 1900 to 1914. Gaudi designed and created the tile garden to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a walk in the park.
You can visit many of the mosaic tile wonders of the world online:
Other fun mosaic tile place to visit: