Ever since I discovered B.C. Binning’s mosaic work I’ve been a fan of large scale abstract tile work. Binning was an artist and architect, and his work is prevalent along Canada’s West Coast. There’s a particularly amazing example of his mosaic mural work downtown in what used to be the CIBC Building on the corner of Granville and Dunsmuir in Vancouver, and is now a drug store. Other great examples of his mosaic work can be seen on the base of the Electra Building, and at the University of British Columbia.
The latest issue of Modernism magazine has introduced me to another great mosaic artist, Paulo Werneck. Self-taught, inquisitive and experimental in his design, Brazilian Werneck started his career as an architectural draftsman and illustrator, but in his 30s he became heavily involved in mural making.
“This material, which was completely new to me, was no disappointment. Once the initial hurdles were overcome–which were not significant–I had the joy of seeing my intentions take shape. Thus, the development of the artwork, from the first sketches; the basic project; assembling the panel, when each ceramic piece put in place on the wall and the work that finally emerges as a definitive feature of the building; the certainty that the colours meet our eyes are unchanging and will withstand sun and rain, heat and cold, weathering and the movement of the medium, whether it be masonry or concrete: all this lifts the spirit of the artist and more than makes up for the hard work involved; because, I must say, it is very hard to work with mosaic.”
Many of his motifs were of abstract geometric forms influenced by sports, fauna and nature, and appreciated by numerous high-profile architects such as Oscar Niemeyer.
