Collage portraits

Artist Examples

HistoryKurt Schwitters

Kurt Schwitters, Das Undbild, 1919,

All though the technique of combining media has been around for hundreds of years. Kurt Schwitters pioneered the reemergence during early 20th Century.

HistoryKurt Schwitters

Hannah Höch, Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar

Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, 1919

Hannah Hoch used a the technique ‘photomontage’ to comment on society using the tabloids and newspapers as imagery.

Hannah Hoch

History

Tom Wesselmann, Still Life #20, mixed media, collage, 1962,

Tome Wesselmann used a technique called ‘Cubomania’ where you cut up an image into squares and rearrange.

Tom Wesselmann

Technique

Romare Bearden, The Calabash, collage, 1970, Library of Congress

Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden used photographic techniques to print images onto paper and then collaged them together and sealed with a varnish.

Technique

Nina Valkoft, Collage 'Portrait' 2000

Nina Valkoft

Nina uses black and white newspaper cut into shapes to pickup

on tone which forms the face.

Notice there is only about 6 tones of grey.

Technique

Derek Gores, Collage 'Portrait'

Derek Gores

Derek uses a similar technique but with coloured magazines.

Notice how there is a limited palette.

Technique

Contrasting Colours

Technique

Standout backgrounds

Technique

Stencil Over

Cubist Style

Technique

Made up by smaller

images

Technique

Impressive detail

Technique

TASK: Create a expressive collage self-portrait

1. Draw your own face, from memory, in pencil

and with as much detail as possible

2. Recycle magazines to fill your self-portrait. Consider the mood of the image and how you will express that.