What's collage?
Taken from the French word coller, which means to either stick together or glue, the term collage described the process that was taken when creating Collage Art. Collage within art was first coined by cubist artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso who were the first pioneers of this movement. Existing as the first two artists who worked with different mediums in an attempt to make art, Braque and Picasso began their cutting-edge assemblages around 1910.
The power of collage
The reason that the style of collage differs so significantly from other
artistic styles is that it allowed artists the opportunity to add
commentary to their work through the inclusion of common images and
objects. In doing so, dimension was added to collages, which had the
ability to further demonstrate the idea that was being carried forth.
Within contemporary art, many artists displayed a sudden interest in
materials such as magazine and newspaper cut-outs, printed words,
photographs, dirty cloths, and even metal pieces.This was due to the
fact that the inclusion of these elements was able to successfully
convey the criticisms and comments that the works implied, which was not
previously possible in merely painted works.
The method of collage made the historical and political contexts of the
work inseparable from one another, due to the fact that collages
typically incorporated mass-produced images within their works. Thus,
collage artwork existed as an influential means of social commentary, as
its ability to question society's assumptions and biases made it a
worthwhile art form that was explored within a variety of other
movements.
Famous Collage artists
Throughout Collage history, many significant collages painting pieces and works were made, which went on to greatly impact the direction of this cut-and-paste method of art creation. Some of the movement's more well-known artists have been listed below, along with their iconic collage works that helped shape the techniques within the movement.