Classroom use of the art print

* On August 24, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman city Pompeii in 25 feet of ash and stone. Thousands of people perished in the catastrophe and hundreds of works of art and objects were lost. In the latter half of the 18th century, excavators and archeologists began to unearth the lost city, discovering treasures of paintings, sculptures, mosaics and other decorative art forms.

* The mosaics found in the excavation of Pompeii were created by Greek artisans and were copies of Greek designs. Common subject matter included scenes from mythology, historical scenes (such as the Alexander Mosaic discovered in the House of the Faun) and scenes from nature. Geometric patterns were often used as decorative borders around scenes, or purely as interesting abstract designs.

* The material pieces used to form mosaic are called "tesserae." In ancient Rome, wall mosaics were primarily made from tiny pieces of colored glass. Floor mosaics were made from more durable materials such as marble, stone, terra-cotta and brick. In fact, floor mosaics survived the cataclysmic eruption far better than those produced in glass.

Glass tesserae were made by cutting thin strips from a glass slab. Sometimes artisans applied thin layers of gold or silver leaf to the slabs, which produced the brilliance of many Roman mosaics. Glass mosaics were more brilliantly colored than mosaics made from natural materials, as the artisans could create an array of colored glass slabs. Most floor mosaics are, in contrast, limited to earth tones.

* The human skull as a symbol of death has been a recurring symbol in art for thousands of years. The Skull Emblema is a copy of an original Greek design from the Hellenistic period, a style in Greek art noted for hyperrealism and an emphasis on dramatic tension.

* Many of the artworks and artifacts discovered at the site of Pompeii are now housed in the National Museum of Archeology in Naples, Italy. To view objects found in Pore peii (and Herculaneum), go to the following Web site: sights.seindal, dk/sight/1073_National_Archaeological_ Museum.html.

* Mosaic art first appeared approximately 4,000 years ago in pavements and basic decorations. Mosaic art as it is known today began with the ancient Greeks, who elevated the craft to an art form. Mosaics were commonly used in ancient Roman house and urban design, and the form continued on well into the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Examples of mosaics from the Middle Ages can be found by researching two churches famous for their mosaic decoration: San Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy, and the Church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.

Islamic art of the 8th century incorporated mosaics in the form of geometric and abstract design. The 19th century saw a resurgence in mosaic art, especially in the work of the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) and his collaborator Josep Maria Jujol (1879-1949). Their ceramic mosaic works can be found in Guell Park in Barcelona, and viewed online at www.thejoyofshards.co.uk/ww/barcelona/index.shtml

* The Skull Emblema can be considered part of genre in art known as "memento moil." Art in this genre seeks to remind the viewer of the transience of life and the inevitability of death. Memento mori works often incorporate the human skull and skeleton imagery.

THINGS TO DO

* Primary. Introduce the featured artwork by reading Pompeii: Lost and Found, by Mary Pope Osborne and Bonnie Christensen (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006). This book accounts the final day of the Roman city and the discovery of its ruins. Illustrated with original fresco paintings in the style of Pompeiian wall paintings, students will receive a basic understanding of Roman daily life and the historical significance of the discovery and excavation of Pompeii.

* Elementary. Students can design and construct a simple mosaic pattern or scene. Have students experiment with designs and patterns on paper before they begin to select and glue their pieces onto board. For younger students, use simple materials like small stones, pasta, coins, buttons and beads. Older students can replicate the Roman style by using small glass tesserae. For instructions on how to make mosaics, go to www.thejoyofhards.co.uk/projects/pr1stepl.shtml.> * Middle School. Students can digitally explore actual Roman mosaic design at gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/ mosaic/index.htm. The site provides a grid program where users can plug in different colored "tesserae" to create both original designs and recreations of classic Roman motifs.

* High School. The process of making a mosaic in ancient Rome consisted of many steps. After three layers of a limestone-based plaster was applied to form a base, a final layer of wet plaster was applied, onto which the image was painted using the fresco technique. The tiles were then pressed into the wet plaster. Artisans had to work quickly and in small sections, as the top plaster layer dried quickly. After the tile-laying process was complete and allowed to dry, grout was pressed into the spaces between the pieces.