Astonishing Series of Mosaic Illustrations paying tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo

Visual desigenr Charis Tsevis designed an astonishing series of mosaic illustrations based on the great tradition of Azulejo. Azulejo, a 5 centuries old form of tile painting art, is a typical part of Portugues culture. Origins of this can be found in the Arab pattern tradition, the Italian tile craftmanship and the Greek mosaic art, but also in other countries. However, those who have mastered this art and have intergrate it to the everyday life are the Portuguese artists and that is what made Azulejo something like a trademark of Portugal.

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– How did the interest in tiles occured and why did you choose to use the tradition of Azulejo tiles in your mosaics?
I have a long time passion for mosaics and complexity and a big respect in traditional art. The more you are studying the more you respecting the value of traditional and folk art. Because these are the ideas that have lasted in time. That passed from generation to generation and have surpassed the limits of time.
As a person who has dedicated many years in mosaics it comes naturally. Tile mosaics are there for millenniums. The idea of the mosaic is so common in the ancient civilizations like mine (Greek), the Romans, the Arabs, the Spanish, the Portuguese. The idea of mosaic is so powerful because it’s the proof of the gestalt psychology’s rule that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. And when it comes to tiles you can”t help it than respecting and studying the great Portuguese tradition. Because for the Portuguese culture the azulejo is not just a form of art. It’s part of the identity. And this is really powerful.

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– Why did you choose Cristiano Ronaldo?
There is so much to say about him. He is one of the most interesting figures in contemporary sports and not only in sports. In pop culture generally.
Ronaldo is not just an excellent athlete. Strangely enough for someone like me who dedicates so much time in working with sports images I am not a big sports fan. I like sports but I am not the person who goes to stadium or is crazy about a team or an athlete. My interest for sports is more about the stories and the culture than the sport itself. For me today’s champions like Ronaldo are a unique combination of a hard manual worker, an artist like a dancer, an actor or a performer, an entrepreneur, a pop star even a politician. It’s not easy to succeed in any of this particular sides. And it’s not easy to manage time, success, pain, big audiences, people’s believes…
Ronaldo is making it great with all these roles. But I also like that he is a very expressive guy. He’s not hiding his feelings. On the contrary he is no trying to avoid controversies. And this is how a dialogue can be started. This is how interesting conversations could be made.
Last but not least Ronadlo is handsome. I believe in beauty in many different ways. Of course the classic approach to beauty comes first. It’s a chant to humanity. An ode to human nature. I believe these are ancient and always valid concepts that go beyond borders and limits of time.

You may read a nice interview of Charis Tsevis in Portugese by Journalist Ana Amélia Fernandes .

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Check out more and see the high resolution of these images here.

 

DETAILS

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Maria Papaefstathiou

VISUAL DESIGNER since 1996 and blogger since 2010. Living in Athens, Greece. She has been focusing her research on poster design and particularly on social poster design and portrait design. Her main poster project is a series of posters celebrating great personalities of traditional and popular culture in Greece and Jamaica. These include actors, singers, musicians, poets etc. This is an ongoing project. “I believe that design is a powerful tool that we designers can use to spark enthusiasm, change mindsets and bring positive actions to our world and our culture”. FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF GRAPHICART-NEWS.COM BLOG. She carefully curates high-quality designs, illustrations, and art, from all over the world that will teach and provoke other designers. Many consider her blog to be an exceptional educational tool. CO-FOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL REGGAE POSTER CONTEST which was launched on December 2011, partnering, the creative activist Michael Thompson aka Freestylee. (www.reggaepostercontest.com)

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