monalisa

By: Mary Fran Bontempo

Bits and pieces.

As everyone who remembers fourth grade science could attest, everything in our world is made up of bits and pieces. Nothing exists that can’t be broken down into ever more minute sections. When you’re thinking of molecules and atoms, the idea sounds clinical. But bits and pieces can be beautiful.

Consider mosaics. Art created from bits and pieces of other things can be nothing short of awe inspiring when viewed as a whole.

Mosaics have been around for centuries; witness ancient religious mosaic icons housed in the great churches of Europe. Painstakingly crafted, the works are glorious.

With the advent of the digital age, the creation of mosaics may have become more technical, but no less fascinating, as electronic manipulation of images allows for ever more intricate work, even prompting the birth of businesses that create mosaic art specifically for clients.

Yet, in an effort to take the creation of mosaic art back to its roots, one such company, Picture Mosaics, recently completed a mosaic of the Mona Lisa, featuring 30 hand painted images which together formed the classic picture.

The individual images used in the project were chosen from among the top 100 destinations in the world. Eventually, 30 pictures were selected to be recreated for placement in the mosaic and each was then hand painted by artist, Jackie Greco. Once the separate pictures were completed, they were placed together to form a fascinating interpretation of the Mona Lisa masterpiece.

Enjoy this video of the Mona Lisa Masterpiece Mosaic project, below, and check out Picture Mosaics for a zoom-in feature that will allow you to see the individual paintings that make up this new version of a masterpiece!