Endomosaic is an artistic technique developed and named by the sculptor

Emile Norman Emile Norman (April 22, 1918 ‒ September 24, 2009), born Emil Nomann, was an American artist, widely known for his sculptures, mosaics, panels, and jewelry He was the subject of the 2006 PBS documentary, ''Emile Norman: By His Own Design.'' B ...

which features crushed glass and other materials suspended between sheets of

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

. It was developed during the 1950s and used for the four-story window in the lobby of the California Masonic Memorial Temple on San Francisco's

Nob Hill Nob Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States that is known for its numerous luxury hotels and historic mansions. Nob Hill has historically served as a center of San Francisco's upper class. Nob Hill is among the highes ...

, which has become the artist's largest and best-known work. The technique was developed as a natural progression of Norman's interest in the use of both natural and man-made materials. On a trip to Europe in the 1940s, Norman learnt about the "German Mastic" technique and first encountered

epoxy Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...

. The endomosaic technique was later developed and used while designing the window displays for the

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman. To ...

luxury goods department store in New York City. After Norman's move back to California, the technique was used to create a

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

at Casa Munras Hospital in

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

, California. It was this mural which attracted the attention of the Masonic Temple's architect Albert Roller. Roller invited Norman to design the large window which would be placed over the entrance to the building. The endomosaic technique incorporates naturally coloured materials like seashells and stones mixed in with coloured glass and acrylic as well as fabric, grass, earth, and glass powder. The materials are sandwiched between thin panes of clear plastic or glass which are then soldered together and hung in a window frame. Since its use in the 1950s, the technique has gone out of fashion with Norman himself moving on to use different techniques as his career developed.

References

{{Reflist Mosaic Sculpture techniques

See also

References