Merz 3 (0/3) 1923

Kurt Schwitters made this collage, Merz 3, out of paper and maybe some ink, and who knows what else he found lying around. It’s like he’s making art out of the world’s leftovers. The way Schwitters layers these pieces of paper, it’s like he’s building a little world. It's playful but also kinda precarious, like it could all fall apart any minute. I keep coming back to that strip of blue, right down the center; it’s so solid and calming, but it’s also totally out of place in this crazy composition. Thinking about Schwitters, I think about Dada, and I think about Robert Rauschenberg, people who understood that art doesn't have to be precious. It can be messy, funny, and a little bit sad, all at the same time. It's like they're saying, "Hey, life is chaotic, so why shouldn't art be too?"