Michael Anderson's collage art and non-linear narratives

Art of Collage

Collage refers to the art of expression that is created by pasting a variety of materials on a given surface. A collage artist may use materials such paper, sand, wood among other materials on a surface to produce the art. This paper seeks to discuss collage with specification to collage artists such as Michael Anderson. The paper will talk about Anderson and his particular collage arts such as 'the five deadly venom' and beyond bling. The paper will also be integrated with a number of other collage artists.

Michael Anderson

Michael Anderson is reported to have been born in the United States in the state of California and grew up in a number of places that includes Texas. According to one of his biographies, Anderson studied fine arts and has his works being felt in a number of countries across the globe. He attributes creativity to God and believes that every element ought to be refined from mediocrity to perfection. The wide distribution of his works can be attributed to the fact that he makes his works out of collections from diversified geographical regions (Michael, 1).

Michael Anderson is a sort of artist whose works include collage presentations. His works are based on capturing materials that are readily available through avenues such as advertisements. In his definition of collage, he illustrates the fact that the art is about recycling of materials in operations. Anderson makes his work to be diverse by having his materials of work from a variety of places around the globe. He is for instance reported to have been using materials from places such as Mexico, France, England, Italy, Germany and also his homeland, the United States. His work that is based on experience ensures an enriched art that borders abstract art to direct presentations. His works are also extended to the definition of collage with respect to the messages that he passes across in each work. He for example reiterated that his works illustrates "non linear narratives" that are based on real life experience (Oliver Clair, 1). He modifies common materials that are mostly collected from his locality to produce arts that are captivating to the general public. (Oliver Clair, 1).

A review of the work, the five deadly venoms, as produced by Anderson is by its definition a perfect collage. The representation covers a wide variety of contents, a characteristic of collage's multi-applications. There are for example a variety of individual artists that are represented in the work through their pictures in diversity. Each artist is for example representing different expression from the other. The art also contain a representation of individuals who are dressed in attires that are more like explorers to the universe as well as some dancers. Its background is also full of a collective mixture of different materials and of varying colors (Oliver Clair, 1).

The art as represented in 'the five deadly venoms' is also characterized with diversity in its own representation with respect to culture. One component of the work that represent hip hop musicians and other complementary artists such as dancers is associated with a culture that is identifiable to black Americans in the society. There is also a representation of a culture that is particularly associated with whites in America as portrayed by the in the same work. In general terms, the work is characterized by a mixed representation, not only on the materials used, but also in the message that the artist is trying to put across. Other works of the artist have similarly been characterized by the multi-representation of cultures that are exhibited through the content of his works. In the collage art called "Black music vs. Helvetica," presentations of "Jim Morrison and Philip Hoffman" together with "Martin Luther jr. And snoop dog" were presented under a symbol of peace that was portrayed by a dove (McLendon Matthew, 4). Again, the presentation offers a multicultural representation of diversity. He explained such works as being non-linear representation of stories that can adopt a number of narrations. Anderson himself associates his diversified works to the real life situation in which almost every aspect is seen to be changing over time. He for example related his works to the changes that are being realized in the media such as the television and the internet. The abstractness in his works also brings about a diversified opinion over the works by the audience. The five deadly venoms which made a presentation of men who are seen to desire women who are represented in the same work for instance enlisted mixed reactions with a set of thought claiming that the work undermined women. This claim was based on the fact that sexual desires were elements of the presentation. He however illustrated a different meaning to his work which he accredited to the beauty of women. At the same time, he reiterated the fact that there were some women who occasionally seek sexual pleasure in associations and quits once their desires have been met. The different understandings of the works would thus be a collection of possible ideas that the artist incorporated in his collage. His works have also been likened to the art of hip hop in which a number of elements are brought together to make presentations. One of the similarity in his works and the hip hop culture is the variety of musical elements that the Djs bring together so as to make the music a successful output. The hip hop culture of street attitudes as exhibited by the artist also bears a close relationship to the works of Anderson due to the fact that the streets, through street advertisements, forms the basis of Anderson's collage work. Some of his works are also primarily based on hip hop artists. The diversity in hip hop can also thus be used to illustrate the combinatory representations in the mosaic works of Michael Anderson (McLendon Matthew, 1- 6).

Collage: a general perspective

Collage as an art entails creating connectivity between subjects by placing them close to each other. The side by side placement brings about a meaning to the relationships which can then be easily identified. It is actually argued that collage forms a good avenue for communicating such relationship due to the offered ability to "express speculative, contingent, and informal relationships" (Bemstein Mark, 1). Contrary to the flat written presentations of information in the print media, collage uses space for reasoning in order to make a presentation of information in a more captivating manner. This makes communication more attractive and facilitates the passage of information (Bemstein Mark, 1).

The international labor organization on the other hand defines collage as a collection of "photos, images and occasionally bits of texts" that are retrieved from different sources and pasted together in order to relay a given piece of information that might not necessary have the same motive as the original elements (Learning, 2). The basis of collage with is associated with humor and entertainment forms its captivating content, an element for passing its information. Materials that are used for collage are normally readily available old objects that have been disregarded. Use of new materials in the art is not restricted but again not considered to add value to the collage work. It is thus a considerably less expensive process as compared to other artistic communications avenues such as painting that requires newly acquired materials that consequently calls for extensive financial commitment. Its relative affordability together with its captivating elements makes collage a good avenue for communication especially in social campaigns. This becomes specifically effective if the entire society is integrated in the collage representation (Learning, 10).

Other collage artists

There are a number of collage artists that have also been significantly felt because of their contribution in collage. Apart from Michael Anderson, Oliver outlines a large number of artists which includes "Gosha Oestrestov, Lori Field and Andrew Erdos "among others (Oliver Claire, 1). There are also a variety of legendary collage artists that have been known throughout history. Pablo Picasso who is recognized as one of the earliest collage artists is still recognized for his artistic skills. Individuals such as "George Braque, Max Ernst and Hannah Hoch" are also identifiable historic figures in the field of collage (Endtorture, 1). The artist with specialization in collage has been characterized with passion for expressing their ideas to the general public. Some significantly recognized collage artists have for their passion to communicate been drawn into social works in which they have employed their expertise (Endtorture, 1).

Conclusion

Collage is an artistic representation that employees old materials on a surface to create a presentation. The materials are glued together in an attempt to bring about a level of interconnectivity. Michael Anderson is an example of individuals who have ventured in the art in order to express their perception of the society he lives in. His works that includes 'the five deadly venom' is a characteristic of a mosaic that is even realized to have a combination of messages brought together. His illustrations of different cultures are also clearly noticeable in his works. As a significantly popular figure that can be attributed to his collage work Anderson has not escaped critiques that are keen on his attitudes. His arrogance is for example revealed by an admirer who once visited his workshop. His category of collage artists also contains legendary people such as Pablo Picasso.

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