Coloured pieces of glass, stone etc. arranged to make a painting or form is known as:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
The correct term for an image or pattern created by arranging small, colored pieces of hard material like glass, stone, or ceramic is a Mosaic. These small pieces, known as tesserae, are individually cut and then set into a cement, plaster, or adhesive to form the final, durable artwork. Mosaic is an ancient art form that was highly developed by the Greeks, and later by the Romans and Byzantines, primarily used for decorating walls, ceilings, and floors in both religious buildings and secular spaces. The technique relies on the deliberate, painstaking placement of these tiny pieces to create color, contrast, and form, perfectly matching the detailed description given in the question.

The incorrect option is 1:
A Mural is fundamentally a work of art, typically a painting, executed directly onto a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. While a mosaic can be classified as a type of mural if it is executed on a wall, the term 'Mural' refers to the location and scale of the art, not the specific technique of using arranged pieces of colored glass or stone. Murals are most commonly created using paint techniques like fresco, tempera, or oil, which is a different process from the tesserae assembly of a mosaic.

The incorrect option is 2:
Plastic Art is a broad term that refers to all three-dimensional art, particularly sculpture, that involves modeling or molding materials like clay, wax, or plaster, or carving materials like wood or stone. The key defining characteristic of plastic art is its three-dimensionality and the process of manipulating a malleable substance. The question describes a method for creating a two-dimensional surface image by assembling small pieces, making it fundamentally different from the shaping and modeling characteristic of plastic art.

The incorrect option is 3:
Action Painting is a specific style of modern art, a sub-genre of Abstract Expressionism, that emerged in the mid-20th century, most famously practiced by the artist Jackson Pollock. It involves the spontaneous and vigorous application of paint, often by dripping, pouring, or splashing it onto a canvas laid on the floor. This method emphasizes the artist's movement and physical action, focusing on the expressive use of liquid paint, which bears no relation to the methodical, ancient technique of arranging glass or stone pieces.