What is collage and where did it start?
The term collage originates from the French word coller, meaning to glue. It was titled by the cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque who, throughout the 1910’s were creating avant-garde collage. This was as an extension of Cezanne’s exploration of analysing the deconstruction of an image. As a result of this both Picasso and Braque are considered the two most well-known artists in the publicising the arrival of collage into the Art market.Dadaism- A reaction to the horrors of war.
Kurt Schwitters Is most well-known for his use of printed media and sentimental arrangements made from found objects on the war-ravaged streets. A particularly seminal piece is Mz 601 (1923) which fully encapsulates the relevance of creating works from the everyday and the domestic.Hannah Hock was one of two female artists to exhibit at the first Dada international art fair. The photomontage exhibited was the innovative, 'Cut With The Kitchen Knife Dada Through The Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany' 1919-1920, which was surprisingly well received at the time. Hock used cut out pieces of newspaper and magazine to illuminate the social injustices used to uphold Weimar Germany.
Surrealism- Illustrating the art of the unconscious
Eileen Agar was the only British female artist to exhibit at the International surrealist Exhibition of 1936 as purely an artist- not a model or a muse. This exhibition marks the time that surrealism really grasped Britain. The social critiques, humour and irony that Agar played with are evident in Precious Stones, 1936 where a classical profile is cut out from an antique jewellery magazine creating a grid like pattern on top of the cut-out profile. The complexities between art and order are aesthetically put together poked and prodded at by Agar.Pop Art- Mass media and popular culture as a central inspiration
Richard Hamilton’s iconic piece 'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?' is a seminal piece of Pop Art that visually represents the movement. With the everyday disturbed with phallic lollipops and tinned ham, it represents the world as it was with postwar confidence in the future.John Stezaker’s works investigate the place that photos relate to popular culture and the world as we know it, serving as a document or a memory. His collages are built from various media such as film stills, postcards and magazines in order to create juxtaposing imagery with a sense of humour and irony. One of his most poignant series is Marriage. An exploration into portraiture through the lens of the Golden Era of Hollywood.
The Contemporary- The art of today, and the recent past
Linder’s emergence onto the art scene came when she was still studying at Manchester Polytechnic. She created multiple collages for the punk rock band The Buzzcocks. Even having one of her pieces as the cover of their single Orgasm Addict. Linder curates imagery from the domestic and the pornographic as a means to openly criticise the status quo.Jimmy Turrell is a Graphic artist and Video director creating collage, video and large-scale installations based on popular culture. Turrell’s talent and vast scale of subject matter has enabled a star-studded client list including Nike, Vanity Fair and Universal music. In addition to this, Turrell has worked with singer, songwriter Beck in designing the covers for both Colours and Hyperspace, alongside the WOW lyric video.
Jimmy’s work is available at Hancock Gallery, to view the collection click here
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