Vocabulary of Art Terms (from Artlex Dictionary: www.artlex.com)
Collage - A picture or design created by adhering such basically flat elements as newspaper, wallpaper,
printed text and illustrations, photographs, cloth, string, etc., to a flat surface, when the result becomes
three-dimensional, and might also be called a relief sculpture / construction / assemblage. Most of the
elements adhered in producing most collages are "found" materials. Introduced by the Cubist artists,
this process was widely used by artists who followed, and is a familiar technique in contemporary art.
"Collage" was originally a French word, derived from the word coller, meaning "to paste."
Assemblage sculpture - A three-dimensional composition made of various materials such as found
objects, paper, wood, and textiles.
Readymade or ready-made - An object manufactured for some other purpose, presented by an artist as
a work of art. Between 1914 and 1921, Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968), who originated this
concept, selected and signed, among others, a snow shovel, a comb, and a urinal. He occasionally
altered readymades (sometimes called assisted readymades) — the most famous of which was a cheap
reproduction of Mona Lisa on which Duchamp drew a mustache.
Some notable collage and assemblage artists:
Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) A French artist important for breaking down the boundaries between
works of art and everyday objects. Originally a painter, Duchamp’s wit and disdain for conventional
aesthetic standards of beauty led him to create what he called Ready-mades out of existing objects such
as a urinal or bicycle wheel. He was associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist art movements.
Marcel-Duchamp – Biography.com
Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) An American Jewish artist born in Ukraine who became known for her
monochromatic Assemblages, or assemblies. Using cast off wood that she found on the street (or that
her friends gave her), Nevelson create pieced together works that she then unified by painting in one
color: black, white or gold. One of her assemblages was three stories high. As Nevelson put it, "When
you put together things that other people have thrown out, you’re really bringing them to life – a
spiritual life that surpasses the life for which they were originally created."
Louise Nevelson - Wikipedia
Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) An American painter and sculptor who became famous in the 1950s
with the Pop Art movement. Rauschenberg created a new hybrid of painting and sculpture that he
called Combines. These were painted canvases that included various objects including photographs,
clothing, newspaper clippings, and other objects.
Robert Rauschenberg - Wikipedia
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