The history of collage: An expression against traditional art

May 30, 2019 at 23:36 hrs.


The history of collage: An expression against traditional art


The history of collage is full of nuances and good moments. This artistic expression has evolved over the years, in its composition and forms. Beyond the field of official art, there are current illustrators who use this method getting great results. In addition, the difference between analog and digital, has made it improve its artistic aspect. Although some people consider it an expression that does not correspond to art, others keep a different opinion.

There are artists and critics who despise the collage. Almost always, they keep the idea that the author would be using the work of others to hide their lack of ability. Even a poor talent and creativity. Although Picasso is one of the creators of this medium, it seems that it is not a sustainable argument.

The collage existed before it was named

 

Regardless of the history of the collage, we can define it as a technique used to produce art that uses the assembly of different parts. All those "pieces" embody to build a new artistic work. In painting, a collage can be composed of photographs, wood, leather, newspapers, magazines and everyday objects.

A curious fact is that the first works with collage go back to the Japanese calligraphers of the 10th century. These, used cuts of fabrics and papers to make a fund on which they later wrote their poems.

In addition, throughout history we see the use of collage in different situations and times. For example, during the Middle Ages, materials were stuck on the religious illustrations to enhance the figures that were represented.

Despite these examples, collage was a decorative technique used in the background. It was until the twentieth century when the collage came to take that name and became an art technique by itself.

Against the status quo of art

 

The term collage comes from the French coller, which means "to stick" and was coined by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. For this reason, at the beginning of the 20th century it became an important part of modern art.

Even it is considered that it was Picasso who invented the collage in 1912 with his painting Still life with grid chair. However, it is said that Georges Braque had already used collage in sketches. The first had glued photographs to his drawings as early as 1899, and in the spring of 1912 he incorporated grid-shaped rubber to his painting Still Life with Grid Chair.

He came to stay

 

The importance of collage lies in the emergence of the artistic avant-gardes of the twentieth century. Europe lived a deep crisis that would lead to the First World War. Capitalism showed its limits and economic and intellectual poverty directed society. Therefore, lThe avant-garde artists proposed to break with everything old. In addition, they advocated the creation of a new value system and a new society.

With this, different isms arise. Futurism, Dadaism, Cubism, Constructivism, Ultraism, Surrealism, Suprematism, Rayonism. And rebellion was a latent denomination. And the integration of materials within the canvas produced a revolution in the concept of painting.

Although some artists resisted this new expression, it became one of the flags of many currents such as Russian art. Or surrealism. And it is up to the present that the collage is present in our day to day. The history of collage is not far from that of many artistic expressions, always against the traditional and pending forms of the context.