The collages shown on this page represent a portion of the over 600 collages I have done to date, starting in 2004. I began doing collages when auditing art courses before I retired from teaching at schools of social work (as a social psychologist, theorist, and researcher). I learned the basics of conventional studio art and then struck out on my own, since no one taught collage. I read the small literature on collage, and tried my hand (and scissor) at as many kinds of collage as I could find, from Mary Delany's (1700-1788) beautiful 18th century paper cutouts of flowers; through Picasso's and Braque's abstract collages early in the 20th century; Romare Bearden' sensitive scenes of African American life mid-century; to David Hockney's wonderful photographic collages at the end of this hundred years. I appreciate the work of the handful of collagists (compared to painters or sculptors) who are expanding the boundaries of this method into the 21st century, and hope to contribute to this development.
A few words on each of the following collages. On the left side of the Home page is my collage version of Corbet's "Bridge at Mantes," using cut paper laid flat onto a backing board. On the right is an original collage I call "Dimensional Man," using a technique I constructed of laying strips of paper vertically on the backing board, and then coating them with a matte finish, making the piece quite strong and durable. This collage is my "poster child" for my exhibition at the Babbidge Library, the University of Connecticut, on "Studies of the Nude in Collage"
June to September, 2011.
On the page below are a few examples of different techniques and materials. One collage is made with X-Ray film (stemming from those taken 25 years ago when I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor -- it was actually less serious than that and I am still here). The "Pontormo" collage was taken from this 16th century artist who painted mostly religious scenes and one nude self portrait (my copy in upper left corner). I made a sketch of another of his drawings of a sitting male nude, xeroxed it 100 times for background, and adapted the large nude from this drawing, using layered papers of several colors. The "Gold Man" is made from with a stylus on gold (tin foil) paper, with collage mountains in the background. The "Diver" represents a moment of action, from the diving board, to just entering the water. Both flat and raised strips of paper are used in this collage. The collage, "Balance," represents a male nude balancing on a large ball; the strips of different colored paper represent the musculature like an impressionist painting, and also the tension of holding that position. The collage composed of envelopes and stamps is called "Mail Nude."
In the future, I hope to add more collages to my website. I have categorized these works in several broad groupings: 1) Landscapes (like the Bridge at Mantes); 2) Portraits (like Pontormo); 3) Athletes and Nudes (like Balance); 4) Abstracts (like the X-Ray Nude); 5) Stories -- including Fairy Tales Revisited (not for children) like my four panel "Little Red Riding Hood, revisited." Not shown here is my version of the Odyssey and Iliad combined; and the tale of Gilgamish; 6) Three-dimensional figures -- not represented here, but including my version of da Vinci's Vitruvian Man using a collage figure against a three-dimensional background; a nude skipping rope -- the figure is suspended in mid-air by means of a jumping rope whose ends are (secretly) attached to two walls; and a skier sliding down a mountain.
If you have any questions or comments, write me at my email address: Martin.Bloom@UCONN.Edu
Cheers !
John Lennon
Little Red Riding Hood, Revisited
Click here to edit
After Monet's La Grenouillere (1869)
Nude In Shower
The Duomo, Campanile, and Baptistery in Florence
The Gold Man
Alaskas Mountain
Pontormo
String Man
Mail Nude
Title Text.
Sahara Desert
/the Archer
Composed of photographic pieces of the mahogany lectern at the University of Connecticut where I photographed speakers
One male nude arising from bed
Still Life with Apples and the Reflection of the Artist in the Silver Bowl
 Self Portrait in the manner of Lucian Freud  Tree and man at Cambridge
 Paris, Notre Dame, rear view of gardens  Paris, Pantheon, and apartments across from outs  Thread Bare: Male Nude with Blue Towel  Adapted from Max Klinger's painting from the Philosopher series  Male nude: Tranquility  
The Yellow Male Nude
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 My wife, Lynn, presiding at a professional conference.
Composed of photographs  Adapted from van Gogh's self portraits  The Skier
Composed of single sheet of paper, cut and folded  Nude Male on Blue Rug
composed entirely of paper  After Copley's Self Portrait 
Male nude half kneeling and lying down
Jean Sequencing
The Surfer (in flower petals)
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