Collage facts for kids

A collage made from magazine articles and pictures

A collage is a type of art made by putting different materials together to create a new picture or design. Think of it like making a cool picture using lots of different bits and pieces! These pieces can be anything from newspaper clippings and ribbons to colored papers, parts of other artworks, or photographs. Artists glue these items onto a surface like paper or canvas.

The History of Collage

The idea of putting different materials together in art is quite old. People in China first used collage techniques around 200 BC, when paper was invented. However, it wasn't widely used until the 10th century in Japan. There, calligraphers started gluing pieces of paper together. They would write their poems on these special surfaces.

Collage also appeared in medieval Europe around the 13th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Gold leaf was often added to Gothic cathedrals. Gemstones and other precious metals were also used. These shiny materials were added to religious images, icons, and even coats of arms.

In the 1800s, people started using collage for fun hobbies. They would add bits and pieces to photo albums and books. Famous authors like Hans Christian Andersen even used these methods.

Modern Collage Art

The word collage comes from the French word "coller," which means "to glue." This term became popular in the early 1900s. Two famous artists, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, started using it. They made collage a very important part of modern art. It was a new and exciting way to create art that changed how people thought about painting.

Collage is still a popular art form today. Artists use it in many ways, from traditional paper collages to digital art made on computers. It's a fun and creative way to combine different textures and images into something completely new!

Images for kids

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  Kurt Schwitters, Das Undbild, 1919, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

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  Hannah Höch, Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, 1919, collage of pasted papers, 90x144 cm, Staatliche Museum, Berlin.

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  Pablo Picasso, 1913–14, Head (Tête), cut and pasted colored paper, gouache and charcoal on paperboard, 43.5 x 33 cm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh

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  Peter Blake, On the Balcony, 1955–1957, collage, mixed-media, Tate Gallery

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  Pablo Picasso, Compotier avec fruits, violon et verre, 1912

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  Georges Braque, Fruitdish and Glass, 1912, papier collé and charcoal on paper

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  Jean Metzinger, Au Vélodrome, 1912, oil, sand and collage on canvas, Peggy Guggenheim Collection

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  Juan Gris, Le Petit Déjeuner, 1914, gouache, oil, crayon on cut-and-pasted printed paper on canvas, Museum of Modern Art

See also

In Spanish: Collage para niños