Berlin Drawing Room Blog: Painting Collage: Amelie von Wulffen

Collage can be a great starting point for a painting. This technique was used early on by Modern artists like Picasso and Braque, and advanced by Dada and Surrealist artists. Collage has continued to be a major artistic medium, remaining popular with young contemporary artists and established artists alike.

We did a project in the Fall Painting Workshop inspired by the painting-collages of contemporary German artist Amelie von Wulffen. She has developed a technique where she starts with a photograph and then extends the photograph as a painting. It is as if the "real" world within the photograph is merging with the invented world within a painting. Sometimes she also merges two different photographs, making them appear connected through the painted section between the photos.

Amelie von Wulffen

Von Wulffen often uses architectural photographs as a starting point. The technical advantage here is that she can extend the perspective lines within the photo into the painting, to create a consistent illusionistic space.

Amelie von Wulffen

Can you tell where the photo ends and the painting starts?

Amelie von Wulffen

Here are a couple examples examples from another artist, William Wegman, using a similar technique. Only this time, Wegman is using vintage postcards instead of architectural photographs. But you can still see how the use of perspective is very important in creating a continuous image.