Collage paintings

Collage: the art of fragmented reality

Collage – this is a fine art method that involves the use of various artistic materials (pieces of paper, fabric, wire, photographs, etc.). The image is created by gluing different layers onto paper, wood or other decorative surface.

Types and features of a collage

The method is based on the principle of equality of materials in creativity. He expressed the protest of avant-garde artists against the dictates of classical culture. The artistic language of the old era was hailed as corrupt, discredited, and incapable of expressing truth. Another feature of the collage is the negation of the whole. The picture, consisting of shreds, accustoms the viewer to the perception of complex objects, as combinations of small fragments. Artists deliberately used improvised materials found in everyday life. This technique made it possible to see the universal connection between the phenomena of the world and served as a kind of poetic metaphor for the ability of art to transform reality.

Several types of collage are known in contemporary fine art:

1. Decoupage. It is created by sticking scraps of colored paper on various objects. The finished look is given to the image by coloring, cutting out fragments or coating the surface with a dye.
2. Assembly. A kind of collage that uses three-dimensional objects and materials (pieces of wood, laces, ropes, fragments of plastic packaging and glass objects).
3. Application. An image that is created by gluing / sewing some flat materials to the surface of a fabric or paper.
4. Photo collage. A type of collage that uses fragments of printed images.

Designs of fine art using the collage method

For the first time, collage was presented to the general public as a fine art technique at the beginning of the 20th century. It allowed representatives of modernist trends to realize the desire to go beyond the academic tradition and justify the use of materials that were not previously considered artistic. The invention of collage is associated with the names of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Both artists used it in combination with simple drawings. It was they who began, as part of their experiments with cubism, to add inserts of other artistic materials. The collage made it possible to focus attention on the planes of three-dimensional objects and to "expand" them on canvas for visual examination. Artists actively used the technique at the stage of synthetic cubism, focusing on surface texture, lines and patterns.

The first artist who devoted himself entirely to collage was the Dadaist Kurt Schwitters. He owns a series of compositions called "Merz", created from "found objects". Everything that could be found on the street was used: pieces of rope, newspapers, envelopes, pieces of wood, and even tram tickets. The shocking collages of Schwitters fully corresponded to the spirit of Dadaism, which challenged the traditional fine arts.

Futurist artists also made a significant contribution to the development of the method. The rejection of the past and the desire to create the art of the future led the masters on the path of free experiment and violation of the canons of academism. The collage in the work of the futurists was compiled according to the principles of dynamism, speed and vigor. In contemporary art, this technique continues to retain its former popularity due to its simplicity and effectiveness.