Assemblage Artists

Assemblage Artists

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)

Duchamp was a French artist who came from a creative family: three of his brothers were also artists. He was an artist who continued to grow in his art and would explore different mediums. He has created artwork that fits into many art movements: Post-Impressionism, Cubism, and Dada. However, he is well known for his ready-mades. Ready-mades are every day items that Duchamp would declare as art. His ready-mades helped viewers take a closer look to what we depend upon each day and find the beauty in those objects.

One of the more popular ready-mades was Fountain, which was a urinal. It was made in 1917. However, the original copy was lost and was recreated in 1964. In 1917, the Society of Independent Artists were putting on an exhibition where all the artwork would be on display. Fountain was turned down from the show because it was not considered to be art. This led to Duchamp not returning to the Dada group after WWI and working more on his ready-mades.

http://www.marcelduchamp.net/index.php

John Dahlsen

An Australian artist, Dahlsen transformed as an artist in a big way: going from an abstract painter to an environmental artist. Walking along the beach, he collected 80 gallons of found objects, or what he calls “ocean litter.” He enjoys collecting the objects and seeing how they have been worn by being in the ocean or out in the sun. He mentions how sometimes he will pick up these objects and not have a connection but the connection occurs once working in his studio and being around the object for a period of time. Dahlsen’s found object artwork is not only for aesthetic purposes but also to create an environmental awareness.

Found objects from Australian oceans are commonly used in Dahlsen’s artwork. He has put plastic bags together to create Blue River, a plastic bag painting. He has created totems out of objects too, some of them even to be commissioned for public areas or in buildings. He also takes photographs of collections he has found. Thongs shows how much of one object can be found on the beach. Dahlsen causes viewers to think about the environment while enjoying his pieces.

http://www.johndahlsen.com

Jason Mecier

Mecier considers himself to be a mosaic portrait artist. His biggest inspiration was his grandmother who would draw on the back of her cigarette cartons. He said she taught him, “that I can make art out of anything I want to, and that there are no rules.” His work not only shows found objects but how finding those objects can become a collection. Mecier also incorporates food. He uses a special acrylic sealant that helps preserve the food. However, fresh foods are quickly thrown out after the portrait has been documented.

Mecier really focuses on pop culture and celebrities. Even as a kid, he would cut out celebrity pictures and try to create small assemblages of their portraits. Depending upon the portrait, it can take between 50 hours to over 2 months to finish an artwork. It takes a lot of organization of colors and textures to create his pieces. He even has themes to his portraits where certain portraits are only made out of one kind of object. His portraits have become so well known that he gets packages from celebrities’ trash to be incorporated into their pictures!

http://www.jasonmecier.com/title.html

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972)

Cornell was an American sculptor who was most famous for his boxes that arrange photographs and objects. He focused on the personal artifacts of a person. He was never formally trained, as an artist, yet was still a main component in assemblage. His assemblages usually had a clear coating on the front, usually by glass, and were interactive. He was influenced by Surrealism, which is evident in his pieces since they included irrational juxtaposition (placed close together to create contrast). Many of his boxes are influenced on things he was interested in.

Cornell also worked with experimental film. He was using the assemblage idea even in the film by creating collages from other films to create his own. Later in his life he would use collaborative footage to create montages.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/cornell.html