The Manifesto
In 1924, in view of the zealous restoration activity and as part of more general considerations regarding the teaching of this art, Vittorio Guaccimanni, the Director of the Ravenna Academy of Fine Arts, decided to expand the educational opportunities offered by the institute with a course of studies in mosaic art that would provide solid technical training alongside a sound artistic cultural knowledge. Giuseppe Zampiga, an expert in both the recovery of ancient techniques and the use of new materials, was chosen as the most appropriate person to educate the young students. This mosaicist devoted himself with great commitment and dedication first to setting up and then running the School until 1934.
The School of Mosaics in the 1930s
On the death of Giuseppe Zampiga in 1934, Renato Signorini (1908-1999) was appointed Director of the School of Mosaics, a role that became increasingly important in the reappraisal of the language of mosaics in Italian art between 1930 and 1940.
Signorini, who had graduated with honours in 1929, had already been involved in highly prestigious projects since 1931, such as the decoration of the apse of the San Giusto Cathedral in Trieste, Italy, executed alongside his wife Ines David based on a cartoon by Guido Cadorin. A skilled mosaicist and a versatile artist gifted with creative autonomy, Signorini also approached contemporary art with interest, turning designs by Cafiero Tuti (1907-1958) into valuable mosaic works such as Le Tre Grazie (The Three Graces).