col·lage / kəˈläzh; kô-; kō-/ • n. a form of art in which various materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric are arranged and stuck to a backing. ∎  a composition made in this way. ∎  a combination or collection of various things.DERIVATIVES: col·lag·ist / -läzhist/ n.

collage Composition made up of various materials (such as cardboard, string and fabric), pasted on to a canvas or other background. Cubist artists, such as Picasso, Braque, and Gris developed it into a serious art form. Collage was also used by members of the Dada movement, such as Schwitters.

collage (Fr.). A putting-together of independent styles in juxtaposition either simultaneously or successively. The separate styles usually consist of contrasting rhythm, melody, or harmony. For a true collage the juxtaposition must be of coherent sections which are the product of separate mus. elements, e.g. the many examples in the mus. of Charles Ives, where dissonances are not resolved but treated as a normal situation. The term is borrowed from the visual arts, and literally means ‘glueing together’.