Luigi Scodellar, Artistic Director
Born in Spilimbergo, Italy, Luigi studied in Spilimbergo,
Rome, and Switzerland before moving to Mexico in 1952 . Scodeller
is a key figure in the history of Mexican mosaic art. Not only did
he form a bridge between Mexican and Italian mosaic, he was
consultant to Diego Rivera, Carlos Merida and other acclaimed
artists. He is a celebrated master mosaicist and an expert in the
making of smalti glass. He has been with MVM since 1987. Don
Luigi, even at age 91, plays a key role in the Portraiture workshop
and still work in the art studio every day.
Giuseppe Semeraro, Instructor
Giuseppe Semeraro was born in Mottola, in the coastal region of
Puglia in southern Italy. He is a 1998 graduate of Artistic
Studies at the Lisippo Institute in Taranto, Italy. He left Mottola
to study at the prestigious Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli di
Spilimbergo, where he attended from 1998 to 2001.
Semeraro achieved the title of ‘Mosaicista Professional’ and stayed on at the school to become the assistant to master mosaicist and world renowned artist Giulio Candussio. He also taught mosaic and terrazzo at the Spilimbergo school.
During this time Semeraro also collaborated to realize in mosaic two great works, Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Seurat’s ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’, each over 25’ wide. Both were featured at the Italian Parliament in Rome and the Royal Ontario Museum and now reside at the school.
Semeraro has produced numerous award winning works and won the Folkest 2006 Award in Friuli. Semeraro has since focused his talent and energies on experimenting with a variety of surfaces and techniques in modern three-dimensional and geometric mosaics using smalti, ceramic and marble.
In 2007 he was invited to share the laboratory of Luigi Scodeller at the Mosaicos Venicianos de Mexico (MVM) Byzantine studio where he now collaborates on important designs and commissions.
In addition to mosaic technique, Semeraro is highly skilled in design, color theory, computer imaging, architectural applications and mosaic history.
Other MVM artists, including Natalia Perdomo, assist in the capacity of instructor so that each student has ample attention at all times. These artists have the most valuable experience in creating art with smalti.