History
Early precedents
Techniques of collage were first used at the time of the
invention of paper in
China, around 200 BC. The use of collage, however, wasn't used by many people until the 10th century in
Japan, when
calligraphers began to apply glued paper, using texts on surfaces, when writing their
poems.
[3] 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.
[3] An 18th-century example of collage art can be found in the work of
Mary Delany. In the 19th century, collage methods also were used among hobbyists for
memorabilia (e.g. applied to
photo albums) and books (e.g.
Hans Christian Andersen,
Carl Spitzweg).
[3]
Many institutions have attributed the beginnings of the practice of
collage to Picasso and Braque in 1912, however, early Victorian
photocollage suggest collage techniques were practiced in the early
1860's.
[4]
Many institutions recognize these works as memorabilia for hobbyists,
though they functioned as a facilitator of Victorian aristocratic
collective portraiture, proof of female erudition, and presented a new
mode of artistic representation that questioned the way in which
photography is truthful. In 2009, curator Elizabeth Siegel organized the
exhibition:
Playing with Pictures [5] at
the Art Institute Chicago to acknowledge collage works by
Alexandra of Denmark and
Mary Georgina Filmer among others. The exhibition later traveled to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and
The Art Gallery of Ontario.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collage
