Unit 2: An Exploration of Montage
CUT & PASTE: A HISTORY OF PHOTOMONTAGE
The art of photomontage could be said to have started just after the First World War, but the manipulation of photographs already had a history going back to the invention of photography in the mid 19th century.
Direct contact printing of objects placed on photographic plates, double exposures, and composite pictures made by darkroom masking were all popular in the Victorian era. Besides this practical use of combination photography, Victorians discovered the amusement to be had from postcards of the wrong head stuck on a different body, or the creation of strange or impossible creatures.
But it was not until the revolutionary times following the "Great War" that artists began to see the use of montage as a truly new art form. The centre of this explosion of creativity was Berlin, where a group of artists calling themselves Dada was looking for a new means of expression: one that had more meaning than the prevailing drift into abstraction, but that did not simply return to the traditions of figurative painting.
As Surrealism became the dominant European art form, photomontage gradually faded into obscurity for many years, until there was a revival in the 1960s, partly inspired by a renewed interest in Dada. Several of the artists connected with the Pop Art movement used magazine photos and text to convey the ethos of the age. At this time, and to an extent in response to the increasing populism of art, advertisers jumped on the bandwagon and started to produce more photomontages, a trend that continues to this day.
The next great revival in the use of montage in Europe was connected with the politics of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1980s. Much of the imagery at this time was designed for use in banners for demonstrations, producing a very graphic means of communication.
The history of the "cut-up" started with the still image and cinema, but since those days the field has expanded to include text, sound, and digital montage using graphics programs like Photoshop.
Direct contact printing of objects placed on photographic plates, double exposures, and composite pictures made by darkroom masking were all popular in the Victorian era. Besides this practical use of combination photography, Victorians discovered the amusement to be had from postcards of the wrong head stuck on a different body, or the creation of strange or impossible creatures.
But it was not until the revolutionary times following the "Great War" that artists began to see the use of montage as a truly new art form. The centre of this explosion of creativity was Berlin, where a group of artists calling themselves Dada was looking for a new means of expression: one that had more meaning than the prevailing drift into abstraction, but that did not simply return to the traditions of figurative painting.
As Surrealism became the dominant European art form, photomontage gradually faded into obscurity for many years, until there was a revival in the 1960s, partly inspired by a renewed interest in Dada. Several of the artists connected with the Pop Art movement used magazine photos and text to convey the ethos of the age. At this time, and to an extent in response to the increasing populism of art, advertisers jumped on the bandwagon and started to produce more photomontages, a trend that continues to this day.
The next great revival in the use of montage in Europe was connected with the politics of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1980s. Much of the imagery at this time was designed for use in banners for demonstrations, producing a very graphic means of communication.
The history of the "cut-up" started with the still image and cinema, but since those days the field has expanded to include text, sound, and digital montage using graphics programs like Photoshop.
PHOTOMONTAGE ARTIST
In the earlier part of this unit we explored various Montage Artist, such as Salvador Dali and David Hockney. Below is an artist with a focus on Photomontage. It is Canadian artist Camille Martin. Read Camille's artist statement to understand how she creates her pieces of art.
Artist Statement: Camille Martin
![Picture](/uploads/3/3/6/9/3369314/3551714.png?174)
I'm a collage artist and poet based in Toronto, Canada, with roots in the American Deep South. My collage-prints have been exhibited in Canadian galleries, and my original collages and prints are owned in private collections in the United States and Canada. In addition, my collages have been featured on the covers of numerous magazines and books.
The startling juxtaposition of images is key to my work. Lautreamont, a nineteenth-century writer, described beauty as “the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on a dissection table.” That statement, which became a sort of anthem for surrealists, speaks to me of the mysterious charm that ensues from the dialogue among the images that I marry with scissors and glue. The images might start telling a narrative, or their meaning might remain mysterious and absurd.
It’s important for me as an artist to allow both possibilities: interpretation and mystery; narrative and an irrationality that resists narrative. The interplay of these two possibilities constitutes for me the richness and playfulness of my work. There is magic and meaning – and poetry – in both states.
The startling juxtaposition of images is key to my work. Lautreamont, a nineteenth-century writer, described beauty as “the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on a dissection table.” That statement, which became a sort of anthem for surrealists, speaks to me of the mysterious charm that ensues from the dialogue among the images that I marry with scissors and glue. The images might start telling a narrative, or their meaning might remain mysterious and absurd.
It’s important for me as an artist to allow both possibilities: interpretation and mystery; narrative and an irrationality that resists narrative. The interplay of these two possibilities constitutes for me the richness and playfulness of my work. There is magic and meaning – and poetry – in both states.
Further Resources:
To see other photomontage artist from other countries you can visit http://www.collageart.org/photomontage/.