| A collage
(From the French: coller, to glue) is a work of art, primarily in the
visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating
a new whole. Use of this technique made its dramatic appearance among
oil paintings in the early 20th century as an art form of
groundbreaking novelty.
An artistic collage work may include
newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers,
portions of other artwork, photographs, and such, glued to a piece of
paper or canvas.
Techniques of collage were first used at the time
of the invention of paper in China around 200 BC. The use of collage,
however, remained very limited until the 10th century in Japan, when
calligraphers began to apply glued paper, using texts on surfaces, when
writing their poems.[1]
The technique of collage appeared in
medieval Europe during the 13th century. Gold leaf panels started to be
applied in Gothic cathedrals around the 15th and 16th centuries.
Gemstones and other precious metals were applied to religious images,
icons, and also, to coats of arms.[1]
In the 19th century, collage
methods also were used among hobbyists for memorabilia (i.e. applied to
photo albums) and books (i.e. Hans Christian Andersen, Carl
Spitzweg).[1]
The term collage derives from the French "coller"
meaning "glue".[2] This term was coined by both Georges Braque and
Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became
a distinctive part of modern art.
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