Collage is the Art of Combining Various Materials into Pictures, Learn the Techniques of Making

Kapanlagi.com - There are many artworks that can be easily made but still beautiful, one of which is collage. You must be familiar with this art. Collage is the art of combining several images in one frame. Although it sounds simple, collage cannot be made haphazardly. Like other artworks, making a collage also requires skill and creativity.

Collage is a two-dimensional art work that is suitable for beautifying decorations. Collage can be easily made by anyone, making it suitable as a productive activity. With creativity and skill, collage art can become a beautiful work with high value. This means that making it is not just a hobby or leisure activity, but can also be a source of income.

Interested in trying to make a collage? Then, how to make a beautiful collage? Summarized from various sources, here is a review about collage as the art of combining many images in one frame.

1. The Definition of Collage

(credit: flickr)

The word collage comes from the English word 'collage' and the French word 'coller'. Both words, in Indonesian, mean 'adhesive'. In the Indonesian Dictionary, the meaning of the word collage is an artistic composition made from various materials (such as cloth, paper, wood) that are glued to a surface image.

Based on the original meaning of the word and the definition in the dictionary, it can be concluded that collage is an art that sticks or attaches various materials in one framed field, forming an image. This conclusion is in line with the explanations of several experts regarding the art of collage as follows.

According to Robins, collage is an art done by sticking pictures or patterns on a surface as a background, using different materials, such as paper and cloth.

According to Nicholson, collage is a picture made or created from pieces of paper or other materials arranged by being glued to a surface.

Sumanto believes that collage is an art application made by combining techniques in painting (hand painting) with certain materials to be glued.

2. History of Collage

Collage is not a new art form that has emerged recently. On the contrary, it turns out that collage has been around since 1912. As reported by liputan6.com, the period from 1912 to 1914 marked the beginning of the emergence of collage art. At that time, collage was done by cutting, pasting, and deconstructing the subject to be depicted using those pieces of material.

Collage art was first introduced by Pablo Picasso in May 1912. At that time, he glued oilcloth to the surface of "Still Life with Chair Caning" and attached rope around the edges of the oval canvas. Then in September 1912, Georges Braque also tried to glue imitation wood grain wallpaper to "Fruit Dish and Glass".

The development of collage art continued. In 1919, Hanna Hoch glued pieces of photos from magazines and advertisements in works like "Cut with a Kitchen Knife". This was then followed by German artist, Dadaist Kurt Schwitters, who glued pieces of paper he found in newspapers, advertisements, and other discarded items.

Since then, collage art has become more widely known. Collage art also continues to evolve. It is evident that collage art is still a favorite of many people to this day.

3. Differences between Collage, Montage, and Mosaic

(credit: flickr)

Collage is one of the popular art forms today. However, in reality, many people still have difficulty distinguishing between collage, montage, and mosaic. In fact, these three types of art are very different and have their own characteristics. To better understand the differences, here is the explanation.

1. Collage
As mentioned earlier, collage is an art form that combines several pieces of material in one field, so that they are arranged and can form a new image or pattern.

2. Montage
On the other hand, montage is a collection of interconnected images combined in one field. Montage is generally created based on a specific theme, making it more formal than collage. The exclusive use of photos in collage is called photo montage.

3. Mosaic
Mosaic is an image composed of small parts that traditionally consist of small tiles made of terracotta, glass fragments, ceramics, or marble and are usually attached to floors and walls.

4. Types of Collage

(credit: flickr)

Along with its development, collage art is now known to have various types. These types of collages can be seen from various aspects, such as based on function, material, pattern, and dimension. For more details, pay attention to the following explanation.

1. Collage based on Function
According to its function, collage art is divided into two types, namely pure art and applied art. Pure art is an artwork created solely to fulfill artistic needs. Meanwhile, applied art is a visual art created to fulfill practical needs.

2. Collage based on Material
Based on the type of material used, collages are divided into two. First, collages made from natural materials such as leaves, twigs, dried flowers, shells, and so on. Second, collages made from synthetic materials, such as plastic, synthetic fibers, metal, used paper, bottle caps, and so on)

3. Collage based on Pattern
According to the pattern, collages are also divided into 2 types, namely representative and non-representative. Representative collages mean having a representation in accordance with reality. Meanwhile, non-representative means collages are made without displaying tangible forms or are more abstract in nature.

4. Collage based on Dimension
Based on dimension, collage types can be divided into two, namely collages on two-dimensional surfaces (two-dimensional) and collages on three-dimensional surfaces (three-dimensional).

5. Tools for Making Collage

Collage is a fairly simple art. One of the simplicity can be seen from the equipment needed during the process of making it. Here are some common tools that are often used to create collage art.

1. Cutting tools, such as knives, scissors, cutters, saws, pliers, and so on (adjusted to the type of material used).

2. Adhesive materials, such as paper glue, vinyl adhesive, white/PVC glue, plastic glue, needles and sewing thread, and other types of adhesives (adjusted to the type of material).

6. Techniques for Making Collage

(credit: flickr)

In addition to the tools used, the simplicity of collage art can also be seen from the way or technique of making it. The techniques in making collage are simple and not complicated, such as some techniques below.

1. Overlapping technique.

2. Spatial arrangement technique.

3. Repetition technique.

4. Composition technique, combining various textures from various materials.

That is the review of collage as an art of combining various materials to become a picture. Hopefully useful and can increase knowledge. So, are you interested in making it?

(kpl/psp)