MASTER CLASS OF CERAMICS
MAJOLICA IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

(History, Iconography, Technique, Reproduction)

The Master Class of Ceramics will focus on the Art of Majolica in Italian architecture during the Renaissance. This art, requiring great skill and knowledge, has always been renowned throughout Europe, both commercially and artistically thanks to its illustrious designers. The main purpose of this Master Class will be to instruct participants in the methods used during the Renaissance in the creation of the unique majolica floorings which can still be found in Italy and which are protected as part of the national heritage. Practical lessons will be given on the various techniques needed for the preparation of the clay pottery and on the colors, materials, shapes and decorations typical of the Italian Renaissance tradition, together with lectures on the history of this art and its maturation through the centuries to the present day. Included in the lessons will be laboratory work, relevant guided tours and stimulating discussions on new ideas for modern designers.


The History of Majolica
Origins - Arab and Spanish influences - Italian majolica - History of style - Faenza's "Stile Bello" - The major sites (Deruta, Faenza, Montelupo, Arezzo, Caltagirone, etc.) - Majolica floorings in the Renaissance style - Italian artists abroad.

The Art of Majolica
Iconography - Analysis of the various types of decoration (archaic; cobalt blue in relief; Moorish cobalt blue; Italian-Moorish; Della Robbia-Gothic; Moorish-Gothic; Eye of a peacock feather motif; Palmette motif; Persian rosette motif; etc.) - Majolica floorings - Single-cell tiles - Examples of contemporary artists' creations.

Design
Reproduction of Renaissance decorative motifs - Design and reproduction techniques - Various decorating methods - Composition - Pounce - Tracings - Cartoons - Subjects - Models.
Introduction to reproduction: Equipment - Selection and preparation of the various clays - Modelling - Drying procedures - Firing - Glazing - Plaster of paris casts - Colors - Brushes - Varnishes.

Laboratory Work
Preparation of clay model - Division in sectors of surface area - Application of enamel - Decoration of enamel - Slip - Firing times - Biscuit decoration - Grès (refractory clays).

GUIDED TOURS

• La Verna - Frontino (one day)
• Siena - Florence (one day)
• Faenza - Bologna - Sassuolo (one day)

Duration: Two weeks - 104 hours (Arrival and departure Saturday afternoon)
Number of participants: Min. 12 - Max. 14

This Master Class is open to designers, architects specialized in this field, professional interior decorators and technicians for companies producing coatings.

The Master Class is open to designers, architects specialized in this field, professional interior decorators.

MATILDE TRAPASSI
Matilde Trapassi, after getting her diploma in Decoration at the Fine Arts Academy in Palermo, taught as assistant-professor at the same Academy.In 1988 she moved to Milan where she worked as an assistant-professor at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. Subsequently, she qualified as a full professor and taught at the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts until 1992 when she went back to Milan where she has taught Decoration and has been the coordinator of the Decoration Institute since then.
In addition to her teaching engagements she works intensely as an artist: through a personal and original process of symbiosis, she achieves an evocative synthesis of painting, sculpture and architecture. She has participated in many national and international collective exhibitions: "Nuovi Materiali, Nuove Tecniche" (Venice, 1969); "Mediterranea" (Messina, 1976); "Villa Malfitano" (Palermo, 1986); "Città di Brera" (Milano, 1993). She had a personal exhibition in 1994 in Bodegraven (Holland) and her work has been in many collective shows, "Trush Trento Museo" (Trento, 1997) is the latest. She is also a representative of the International Relations Office at the Academy and is responsible for the Socrates/Erasmus Program. She devotes herself to the furthering of art competitions both in Italy and abroad. She has also held many seminars (Bristol, 1992; Granada, 1992 -1997).