Some Considerations on the Interplay Composition - Surface

Abstract

When analysing different floors of Roman mosaic, it must be noted that the choice of the iconographic program for the decoration of one or more spaces in the same building follows, in general, the guidelines given by the commissioner of the work according to his preferences or the objectives of representativeness that he hopes to achieve through that program. However, the adaptation of the chosen composition to the surface to be decorated is surely up to the mosaic artists. According to their expertise and probably also to the budget allocated to the work, they will adapt the composition as a whole and the integrated patterns (present therein) to the measurements of the surface to be decorated. The analysis of these elements is mainly decisive in the study of pavements with compositions based on geometric schemes.

Keywords

• roman mosaic
• composition
• style
• patterns
• space planning