Mediums

Collage
Picasso may have named it, but Höch made it cool

It’s said that Picasso and Georges Braque coined the term collage from the French word coller, ‘to glue’ to describe the practice of cutting up bits of paper, printed material and canvas and gluing it back together to form a new artwork, but this gives these gentlemen too much credit. While it may not have had a fancy French name, the practice of combining art materials into a whole dates back to 200 BCE, when paper was invented in China, and calligraphers affixed poems onto artwork. The English artist Mary Delany adapted the Victorian hobby of decoupage, gluing together cutouts of different colored paper, into a form of collage, making 985 artworks over the course of her life. Regardless of its invention, collage emerged as its own powerful and unique form of expression in the early 1900s—largely from the arresting immediacy of Hannah Höch’s surreal compositions.

Reed Enger, "Collage, Picasso may have named it, but Höch made it cool," in Obelisk Art History, Published March 03, 2015; last modified November 06, 2022, http://www.arthistoryproject.com/mediums/collage/.

Read More
Plate 4520: MAYBE, Charles Dellschau

Plate 4520: MAYBE Charles Dellschau, 1899 – 1900

The Spark of Life, Charles Dellschau

The Spark of Life Charles Dellschau, 1899 – 1900

Interventionist Demonstration, Carlo Carrà

Interventionist Demonstration Carlo Carrà, 1914

CAAD Auto Fallease, Charles Dellschau

CAAD Auto Fallease Charles Dellschau, 1919

Cubist Composition, María Blanchard

Cubist Composition María Blanchard, 1916 – 1919

Proun 19D, El Lissitzky

Proun 19D El Lissitzky, 1920 – 1921

Cubist Self-Portrait, Salvador Dalí

Cubist Self-Portrait Salvador Dalí, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 1, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 1 El Lissitzky, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 2, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 2 El Lissitzky, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 3, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 3 El Lissitzky, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 4, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 4 El Lissitzky, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 5, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 5 El Lissitzky, 1923

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 6, El Lissitzky

Kestner Portfolio, Proun 6 El Lissitzky, 1923

The Denaturalized Material, Destruction 2, Theo van Doesburg

The Denaturalized Material, Destruction 2 Theo van Doesburg, 1923

Watched, Hannah Höch

Watched Hannah Höch, 1925

From Above, Hannah Höch

From Above Hannah Höch, 1926 – 1927

Figure, André Breton

Figure André Breton, 1928

The First Days of Spring, Salvador Dalí

The First Days of Spring Salvador Dalí, 1929

Untitled, from an Ethnographic Museum, Hannah Höch

Untitled, from an Ethnographic Museum Hannah Höch, 1929

Untitled, from an Ethnographic Museum, Hannah Höch

Untitled, from an Ethnographic Museum Hannah Höch, 1929

German Girl, Hannah Höch

German Girl Hannah Höch, 1930

Red Army Men, Varvara Stepanova

Red Army Men Varvara Stepanova, 1930

Untitled, Hannah Höch

Untitled Hannah Höch, 1930

Be Ready!, Varvara Stepanova

Be Ready! Varvara Stepanova, 1932

Monster on the Beach, Dora Maar

Monster on the Beach Dora Maar, 1936

Collage, Ad Reinhardt

Collage Ad Reinhardt, 1940

I Saluted at Six Paces Commandant Lefebvre des Noëttes, André Breton

I Saluted at Six Paces Commandant Lefebvre des Noëttes André Breton, 1942

Headlines, Charles White

Headlines Charles White, 1944

Dream Ride, Hannah Höch

Dream Ride Hannah Höch, 1947

Untitled, Charmion von Wiegand

Untitled Charmion von Wiegand, 1950

Shattered Light, Lee Krasner

Shattered Light Lee Krasner, 1954

Bird Talk, Lee Krasner

Bird Talk Lee Krasner, 1955

Study for Planes in Modulated Surface, Lygia Clark

Study for Planes in Modulated Surface Lygia Clark, 1957

Adonis in Y-fronts, Richard Hamilton

Adonis in Y-fronts Richard Hamilton, 1962

Southern Pasture, Benny Andrews

Southern Pasture Benny Andrews, 1963

The Street, Romare Bearden

The Street Romare Bearden, 1964

A Platform for Democratic Peace, Antonia Eiriz

A Platform for Democratic Peace Antonia Eiriz, 1968

Swinging London 67, Richard Hamilton

Swinging London 67 Richard Hamilton, 1968

Little Sun, Hannah Höch

Little Sun Hannah Höch, 1969

Sunday After Sermon, Romare Bearden

Sunday After Sermon Romare Bearden, 1969

Angst, Hannah Höch

Angst Hannah Höch, 1970

Circle, Benny Andrews

Circle Benny Andrews, 1970

No More Games, Benny Andrews

No More Games Benny Andrews, 1970

Untitled, Antonia Eiriz

Untitled Antonia Eiriz, 1970

Mama’s Knee, Romare Bearden

Mama’s Knee Romare Bearden, 1971

Moon Masque, Loïs Mailou Jones

Moon Masque Loïs Mailou Jones, 1971

A Soul, Benny Andrews

A Soul Benny Andrews, 1974

Free Space I, Lee Krasner

Free Space I Lee Krasner, 1975

Free Space II, Lee Krasner

Free Space II Lee Krasner, 1975

Captivity and Resistance, Romare Bearden

Captivity and Resistance Romare Bearden, 1976

More Art Mediums
View All
Etching, Mediums

Etching

Charcoal, Mediums

Charcoal

The quickest way to make a mark

Ink, Mediums

Ink

From the caves to the desktop

By continuing to browse Obelisk you agree to our Cookie Policy