Collage as Art

We are all familiar with photocollages that allow us to piece together our favourite memories and frame them, or collages of our favourite things in a scrapbook as an art class project, however, there is much more to this art than scissors and glue. The technique of collage originated more than 2000 years ago in China, but the style of collage art we are more familiar with was popularised by Japanese calligraphers in the 10^th century.

The art of collage has moved from simplistic approaches of gluing layers of paper forming a base to much more detailed and intricate works. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque both took a cubist approach to collage using sharp lines and curves to create whole images, while in 1919 Hannah Hoch, a member of Dada used newspaper images to create a photomontage to make a political statement on the Weimar Republic.

In this month’s auction we have a fantastic example of another style of collage, abstract mixed-media. Lot 622 is an untitled work by artist, Vivienne Bogan. Bogan studied in both Ireland and Holland, specialising in fine art, painting and print, has had her works displayed in the Hunt Museum in Limerick, and is also involved in the Arts Council in Ireland.

The work we have by Bogan is untitled but is signed and dated ‘V. Bogan, 88.’ The collage uses multiple different materials including feathers, linen, paper, paint, and other miscellaneous materials. While this work is untitled, it is very similar to the artists other works Two Fish A Sailing, Abstract with James Joyce, and Altarpiece Emergence.

The warm reds and oranges are brightened by the white brushstrokes and are complimented by additions of gold detailing on the feathers. Lot 622 is a great modern example of abstract mixed-media collage and would be a great statement piece and talking point for any room of your house.