Is this collage or photo montage? A difficult question. After a great introduction to the early years of photo ‘art’ we were tasked to make a photomontage, sadly ill prepared and ill equipped I was able to produce a collage, but not an effective photo montage.
Edward Weston. ‘Shells’ 1926
we discussed the art , and significance of ’photo montage’
embraced by european artist and poltical activists in the 1920’s. Gollage had been used by the Dada movement during the 1914 1918 war , Photomontage took off with the work of John Hearfield, an anti Nazi German who found a home in the US. It was used in a significant way to eradicate political enemies in the USSR
well documented in David King’s seminal book.
It continues as an effective political, editorial form, evolving from the delicate use of scissors, glue and patience, to the contemporary use of digital bit map software, Adobe Photoshop is well known,
In Britain our most well known artist using some form of photo manipulation is David Hockney with his compositions of multiple polaroid photographs
David Hockney “the Desk’ 1984
Peter Kennard is the most prolific and political contemporary British artist, orginally working with scissors, now with digital manipulation
we had a frustrating lesson in Bit Map Digital manipulation. Eventually I had access to a working computer with a new AI version of Photoshop. With the help of a fellow student I was able by cuting , pasting , zooming and rotating images I was able to produce a slapdash but satisfying Montage ‘ Heidi says NO!’
Nicholas Turner Morley Art Foundation 