The plot of pieces of paper: a master class on collage organized in Minsk

Artist Polina Svirshcheva held a master class on collage at the Museum of Naive Art in Minsk on October 21, reports the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

Collage is one of the most common techniques of fine art and a technique in design, in which elements of different color, texture and shape are pasted on the basis. In this direction worked such famous artists as Ivan Aivazovsky, Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Kazimir Malevich and others.

Collage is the most experimental form of fine art. Each sticker is not a mistake, but an artistic move. Sometimes people want one thing, but get another. I recommend to start pasting the background with large pieces of colored paper and then add small elements that will harmonize with large spots. But I give my students complete freedom. They can take advice or do something of their own, and that’s the right thing to do. Some, for example, cut a large letter and take it as the basis of their work. Someone starts with a specific color, another with a portrait of a particular person. Each creator has his own story, shared P. Svirscheva.

The first prototypes of the collage technique appeared in China in the II century BC. e. The traditional Chinese art of carving patterns from paper is called Jianzhi. In those days, collages were decorated with tombs. In the first century BC in China appeared shadow theater. Emperor Wu-di (Han Dynasty) was grieving the death of his concubine, Lady Li. Then the court magician Shao-wen, to console the ruler, created a silhouette of a woman using a figurine made of leather, which he began to drive behind a translucent screen. It made it feel like Lee was alive.

Illustrators of children's books use collages and with the help of them tell children cognitive stories. For example, in Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar, the insect eats foods ranging from fruit to sweets all week. On Sunday she eats a leaf, builds a cocoon and turns into a butterfly. This book helps children remember the days of the week. It is noteworthy that the master for illustrations did not use ready-made colored cardboard, but covered the paper with watercolor cuts and textures, the details were glued onto each other, thanks to which the images became voluminous, the artist added.

There are many techniques close to collage, such as assemblage, in which the composition is composed of three-dimensional details, household items, as well as collage michuring, which is characterized by mixing on the panel styles of different artists with elements of application. In contrast to the collage, there is a decollage, when the author does not add, but removes unnecessary details. Many at least once in their lives turned to this technique, when they did repairs and stripped the wallpaper from the walls.

- Now collages are used everywhere. Great popularity is gaining digital, with the help of which posters and labels are made. But many brands prefer handmade digitization. Such creativity is more valuable. People have become an integral part of life. So, some decorate family albums with collages or create a wish map for the next year, Svirscheva said.

At the master class, participants were asked to cut their favorite elements from magazines, after which each created his own work on paper.

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