Almost exactly a century ago, Georges Braque bought some wallpaper in an Avignon store and pasted patches of it onto several of his charcoal drawings. He showed the result to his friend Pablo Picasso who was suitably impressed and proceeded to create a series of papiers colles. Collage was born, and revolutionized the visual arts.
Collage evolved into assemblage through the integration of found objects and a broad range of unusual materials. Over the years, many artists in Europe and the United States adopted these techniques and produced art that gave expression to a new way of looking at and interpreting the world.
This course explores a broad range of creative techniques and approaches to collage and assemblage, using examples from early Constructivism through Dada, Surrealism, and Pop Art to the present. True to the spirit of the art form and its many manifestations over the years, the emphasis will be on learning through experimentation.
Participants review and discuss the work of outstanding practitioners of the art form. They will be introduced to the key materials and ingredients, and learn to apply them in individual collage or assemblage projects. The instructor guides the class in group and individual exercises, and in critiquing each others’ work. The course is structured flexibly to accommodate both newcomers to collage and experienced artists.
Download the supply list for this class
Instructor: Peter Karp
6 sessions, 2 1/2 hours each; no class on Feb. 18
