Dimensions: support: 89 x 73 mm
Copyright: © DACS, 2014 | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This little collage, "Aphorism" by Kurt Schwitters, it’s so small! It’s made of paper scraps, sort of muted and delicate... What do you make of such an intimate work? Curator: Intimate, yes, like a secret whispered. Schwitters called these collages "Merz" – fragments of life transformed. I see a visual poem, a meditation on the beauty of decay and the poignancy of discarded moments. Does it feel like he is picking up the pieces? Editor: Absolutely! It makes me wonder what those scraps were. Curator: Exactly! Schwitters is elevating the mundane to art, asking us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. It’s like finding treasure in the trash. Editor: I never thought of it that way before. It’s kind of inspiring, really. Curator: Yes, and maybe we can all see the world with fresh eyes.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schwitters-aphorism-t12393
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The apparently random collection of papers in Aphorism come together to create a tiny but carefully balanced composition. The subtle tones of the pieces of buff paper are accented by insertions of strong colour. The layers are piled high in the top left corner, while in the lower corner the blue, green and white patterned paper seems to form a human profile. The alignment of the profile's mouth with the dotted line across the centre of the collage is perhaps suggestive of Schwitters' poetic recitations. Gallery label, August 2004
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