Assemblage+Collage

// together miscellaneous or found objects.// **//col//** **//‧//** **//lage://** //an artistic composition consisting of materials pasted on a surface.//
 * //as//** **//‧//** **//sem//** **//‧//** **//blage://**  //a three-dimensional artistic composition made from putting//

__Origins__ 200BC - Paper making and paper crafts begin in China. 1200’s - The Japanese make pasted paper backgrounds to decorate poetry. 1600’s - Découpage is used as furniture decoration in France. It eventually becomes a popular pastime throughout Europe; pictures are mass produced to decorate personal items. 1800’s - Traditional paper cutting prevalent in eastern Europe (ex.: Polish Wycinanki). 1912 - Collage becomes part of the fine arts when Pablo Picasso and George Braque begin gluing materials to their canvases. Assemblage emerges parallel to collage during this experimental use of preexisting materials. 1900’s - Both collage and assemblage are employed in the 20th century art movements of Cubism, Futurism, Dada, surrealism, pop art and conceptual art. __Art Techniques__ The essential art objective in both collage and assemblage is to create a successful **//composition//**. This is done using the basic **//elements of art//** (**//line, shape, form, color, value, texture and space//** ) while employing the **//principles of design//** (**//balance, unity, variety, contrast, emphasis, movement, rhythm, pattern and proportion//** ). An interesting use of the art elements along with a mastery of design principles will result in appealing compositions. However some artists may break these principles on purpose in order to communicate specific ideas. **//Symbols//** are an important element in collage and assemblage. Works often rely on the viewer reading and interpreting symbols in order to fully appreciate the piece. __Materials__ Anything goes for materials in collage and assemblage. This often includes **//found//** or **//recycled objects//** such as newspapers, magazines, photographs, ticket stubs, colored or textured papers, string, wire, scraps of metal, wood, abandoned objects, etc. Further to this there are numerous ways to join materials, the most common being adhesives, paint, or nails. Materials may be cut evenly or ripped and broken to give desired effects. Collage and assemblage are easily combined with other art media like painting, printing and sculpture to achieve diverse results. __Artists for further research__ //Collage:// Margo Hoff Romare Bearden Donald Mackay Houstoun Harold Town Peter Krausz //Assemblage:// Louise Nevelson Joseph Cornell Robert Rauschenberg Fred Otnes Liz Magor

//Ref.:// Brommer, G.F. (1978) __The Art of Collage.__// and // Laliberté, N., & Mogelon, A. (1971) __Collage, Montage, Assemblage.__