Collage is understood to have originated in 1912 as an anomalous creative act that claimed the movement from Analytical cubism to synthetic cubism (Hildner 1996). Coming from the French word coller, which roughly means “to glue”; the motive for how the collage artform came about is relatively unknown, but is generally believed that it was a result of Cubist artists’ need for reassured connections to reality (Greenberg 2018).
With works such as Pablo Picasso’s Still life with guitar, and Georges Braques’ Fruit Dish and Glass there can be seen a reasonable conclusion to that statement. In the first example of Picasso’s work it can be observed the physicality of the construction, as it lives beyond the simple plane of the canvas. The string used could have been represented easily by drawing onto the paper, instead it is presented as a physical object as a reassurance to the viewer that it exists. The whole piece exists in its manifestation. It could also be considered an expression against the traditional canvas stylings. Described in a letter to Braque, Picasso refers to his process as a gesture against “our horrible canvas” (Poggi 1992). Surface level analysis of this could assume their is a reference to the confines of a canvas within the talent of artists who have devoted their life to this craft. In the second example of Georges Braques’ fruit dish and glass, there is the extension of the subject through the use of wallpaper textured similarly to wood as representation of the backdrop of a bar. Combinational use of the charcoal drawings, approaching it with the experience of a modern eye offers a similarity to graffiti on a wall, which can bring that realistic atmosphere to the piece. The mixed use of textures is very reflective of the real world, as a café would not be on continuous texture or sight, it is made up of an assortment of textures, colours, lines and shapes.
Cristiana Couceiro is an illustrator and designer whose work has appeared in many prominent publications, and is recognised as a good representation of modern retro collage. Her pieces feature a combination of retro assets, simple shapes and illustration to produce an expanded canvas of a larger theme or subject in a collage artstyle. Showing the first example there is somewhat of a connection in bringing reality into the art work. Seemingly a theme around covid 19 and the global pandemic that originated in 2020, this piece has symbols of this pandemic used in replacement of a building and the backdrop of a skyline.
Particularly with this second example there is a parallel that could be drawn from the earlier piece by Georges Braque, with the use of illustration. Although both pieces use illustration to expand the art, one uses it to add onto the scenery and setting, while the other done by Cristiana Couceiro is used as commentary on the subject. Both can achieve the same goal in different ways. There is a clear display of modern commentaries using retro imagery and stylings. The ability to create a main subject through representation of multiple smaller assets and with a combination of different techniques is the objective goal of Modern Retro Collage.
References
Cristiana Couceiro, (N.D) Christian Couceiro (Photograph) Available Online https://cortex.persona.co/t/original/i/3d7a5a8eea5bbbac314cfe72b0c52c35635b2f584b95947e526a217815aac888/EwNwJTaWYAEuzaJ.jpg
Cristiana Couceiro, (N.D) Christian Couceiro (Photograph) Available Online https://cortex.persona.co/t/original/i/3ef6070b5f3472cdfc1548e8b992bd4d515260694ca8ede9e555802d6865c5c3/20focusgroup-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg
Georges Braque, 1912, The Met (Photograph) “Fruit dish and Glass” Available Online https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/490612
Greenberg, C., 2018. Collage. In Modern Art And Modernism (pp. 105-108). Routledge.
Hildner, J., 1996, Collage reading: Braque/Picasso. In 84th ASC Annual Meeting, Design/Design Studio (pp. 181-87).
Poggi, C., 1992. In defiance of painting: cubism, futurism, and the invention of collage. Yale University Press.
Pablo Picasso, 1912, Studio Online (Photograph) “Still Life with Guitar” Available Online https://www.studiointernational.com/picasso-guitars-1912-1914