About collage

Abstract

This dissertation's intention is a research of collage technique since the first documented assemblage in history up to its admittance into the realms of art in the early 20th century when it gradually expanded within the European avant-garde movements. Special emphasis is put on the role of photography when used as source material. The photo-collage and first works discovering its possibilities are in fact the leitmotif of this text. At the same time the outlines of a wider picture surrounding the appearance of the technique are depicted as well.

The principle of collage is a heritage of the avant-garde movements. When they came to an end, the collage did not fade away with them. Quite the opposite it became one of the prevailing techniques employed by artists through out the second half of the century. Even though the dissertation does not include a detailed explanation of these post-avant-garde collages, they are presented in the frame of the technique continuity that brings us to the present position of collage.