collage

[kuh-lahzh, koh-]

noun

1. a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope.

2. a work of art produced by this technique.

3. an assemblage or occurrence of diverse elements or fragments in unlikely or unexpected juxtaposition.

   The experimental play is a collage of sudden scene shifts, long monologues, musical interludes, and slapstick.

4. a film that presents a series of seemingly unrelated scenes or images or shifts from one scene or image to another suddenly and without transition.

verb (used with object)

collaged, collaging 

1. to make a collage of.

   The artist has collaged old photos, cartoon figures, and telephone numbers into a unique work of art.

collage

/ kɒ-, kɔlaʒ, kəˈlɑːʒ /

noun

1. an art form in which compositions are made out of pieces of paper, cloth, photographs, and other miscellaneous objects, juxtaposed and pasted on a dry ground

2. a composition made in this way

3. any work, such as a piece of music, created by combining unrelated styles

Other Word Forms

• collagist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of collage¹

1915–20; < French, equivalent to colle paste, glue (< Greek kólla ) + -age -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of collage¹

C20: French, from coller to stick, from colle glue, from Greek kolla

Example Sentences

"The Telegram account was, for lack of a better term, a taster pack - essentially a collage of the material he had available of all the different victims," explained Lloyd Richardson, the CCCP's director of technology.

From BBC

By putting Ecuador in the forefront of his mind and of this hilarious work of collage, Cordova made a singular tribute to his loved ones.

From Los Angeles Times

When we visited earlier this month, some of the residents were sitting round a table in the dining area, making brightly coloured collages of flower baskets.

From BBC

While the main exhibition pays tribute to “Girlfriends,” there’s only one artwork — a mixed media piece by Jillian Thompson that uses acrylic, thread and collage — that displays the beloved friends group’s actual faces.

From Los Angeles Times

Nearly a year after moving in, Weiss has filled the apartment with her stitched collages, quilts and the artworks of others, many of which she described as “trades.”

From Los Angeles Times