photomontage

Photomontage
The technique of making
a picture by assembling
pieces of photographs;
often in combination with
other types of graphic
material.
 “I can make a work of
art out of the contents of
this wastebasket!”

~Pablo Picasso
Barbara Kruger
Untitled (I shop therefore I am)
111" by 113"
photographic silkscreen/vinyl
1987
Romare Bearden
Three Folk Musicians, 1967
Collage of various papers
with paint and graphite on
canvas. 127.3 x 152.4 cm
 2 types of montage
1 Uses two or more negatives to create a
seamless image in the darkroom. Often
combined images with text.

2 Combined photographs by hand to form an

image that was then rephotographed.
 Photomontage—Victorian Era

In the darkroom:
- printing multiple
negatives to
make one
composite image

German Postcard  
Anon  
1902
 Photomontage—Dada
• Cultural movement after WW1—anti-war, anarchist,
anti-bourgeois
• Early photomontage work was collaborative
• "Our whole purpose was to integrate objects from the
world of machines and
industry into the world of art.”
• earliest Dada montages were
used as covers and illustrations
for magazines
• From the beginning, photography purists saw the
montage of photographs as illegitimate—even
though the manipulation of photographs was
popular from the advent of photography.

• It was the members of the Berlin Dada group that

decided on the name “photomontage” to
distinguish it between the art of collage.
John Heartfield
• From Berlin
• Known for anti-Nazi
political activism.
• Produced his images in the
darkroom.
• In order to publish his
controversial propaganda, he
created his own publishing
house.
• His images were often more
simple.
Through Light to Night, 1933
John Heartfield
Cover and Illustrations for Kurt
Tucholsky
This piece is Hearfield’s
interpretation of the Nazi
military slogan. Blood
dripping from the
swastika infers that the
military (weapons and
soldiers) was all
Germany needed for
victory.

John Heartfield
Blood and Iron
1934
 This piece was used as an anti-
Hitler poster in the 1932 election.
It refers to the financial backing
Hitler received from wealthy
industrialists who feared
Germany would vote for a
Communist government.

John Heartfield  
Adolph The Superman: Swallows Gold
and Spouts Junk  
1932
Hannah Höch
• Was a “partner” to
Hausmann
• Her work often
approached the issue of
feminism.
• She eventually moved to
a small home outside of
Berlin, where many of
her pieces were later
discovered in a dried-out
well in her garden.
Balance, 1925
 Hannah Höch  
Cut With The Kitchen Knife  
1919
Hannah Höch
Grotesque, 1963
Hannah Höch  
Burst Unity  
1955
Hannah Höch  
Strong-Armed Men  
1931
Kurt Schwitters
• Rather than using
photographs,
Schwitters found his
materials on the
streets
• Read more about him

Kurt Schwitters  
Kots  
1930
Kurt Schwitters   Kurt Schwitters  
Merz 163   Merzbau
1920
Raoul Hausmann
• Very egotistical
• His work often showed his
wild and free personality
because they lacked
inhibition.
• Used color in his work.
• His work focused more on
the art world than on
politics. Dada Conquers, 1920
 Raoul Hausmann
The Art Critic, 1919
 Raoul Hausmann
Tatlin at Home, 1920
In his article "Definition of Photomontage",
Hausmann seems to pin down its power:
"…its contrast of structure and dimension,
rough against smooth, aerial photograph
against close-up, perspective against flat
surface, the utmost technical flexibility and
the most lucid formal dialectics are equally
possible…The ability to manage the most
striking contrasts, to the achievement of
perfect states of equilibrium…ensures the
medium a long and richly productive span
of life…"
 Other Artists

Andreas Gursky
Ratingen Swimming Pool Marianne Brandt
Read About This Photo Parisian Impressions
 Photomontage—1980s
• Revitalization of Dada photomontage
• Digital technology makes montage more
commonly known
Peter Kennard
• Began a painter, but
dissatisfied with
painting's lack of
immediacy
• Deals with armaments
and poverty in work
• Read more about Peter

Peter Kennard  
Protect and Survive  
1981
Defended to Death, 1982 Broken Missile, 1980
 Photomontage—Present Day
• Technology allows for a myriad of ways to
create photomontage
• Deal with ethics and copyright
Sean Hillen

An Unfortunate and Impossible Explosion of the core

of the THORP reactor, viewed from The Taj Mahal
The Lia Fail of Waterford, 1997 of Carlingford, 1994
Irelantis,
 Andy Dixon

Website scroll to the bottom for his montage work

 Resources
• http://www.cutandpaste.info/
• http://parsons.danamcclure.com/
2DIS_S08/?p=158
 Photomontage

- often selected media aside from photography, including

printed and hand-written fragments of text: letters, journal
entries, newspaper headlines and columns, advertisements,
packaging, instructions, posters, and fliers. Though
considered a mixed media, montage differs from collage, a
form of art containing sharp, cut, or torn edges.
• A few choice picks from the great photomontagists of
postwar Berlin. You can see how these images built
the foundation for the future of pop art. This work is
so much smarter, more playful and more tactile than
any of the computer/photoshop produced that we've
all seen. I know there are a few artists employing
these techniques who have been getting serious
consideration recently. Unfortunately the computer
has enabled anything to be possible. Thereby making
everything it produces considerably of less value.