Suranjana's ‘Stitched Collage’ in tradition of modern art

In the first two decades of the 21st century, amid the backdrop of the emergence and prominence of cubism, futurism, collage, and dada in the continuum of modern art, Suranjana Bhattacharja (1969) has ventured into a new art form called "‘Stitched Collage’," in Dhaka and Montreal. Since 2007, after being afflicted by the debilitating disease dystrophy, she has been utilizing this new artistic medium to overcome perpetual pain and solitude.

The term 'collage' comes from the French word 'coller' or 'glue' or 'stick together'. The term 'collage' or 'the act of gluing' came from verb 'collé', which was originated from 'cowl'. It is also called 'découpage'. The verb 'decoupé' or 'coupé' means 'to cut' or 'to cut and paste'. Matisse's 'Blue Nude II' is an example of découpage. Braque's 'Fruit Dish and Glass' from 1912 is an example of papier collé. Picasso's 'Still Life with Chair Caning' is a collage. The difference between 1. collage, 2. découpage, and 3. papier collé lies in the fact that 'papier collé' strictly uses paper in its artistic style. Furthermore, collage and découpage can involve the use of materials other than paper.

Collage or découpage is not a new art form. Collage has been a part of East Siberian funeral culture for thousands of years. The indigenous people of this region adorned the graves of the deceased with colorful patches of leather, fabric, shingles, or similar materials. This art form likely spread from Siberia to China. Collage art practice began in China after the invention of paper around 200 BC. Collage was used to decorate various objects starting from fences, windows, and boxes.

From China, this art form traveled to Japan. In the 10th century, Japanese poets wrote poems on glued paper and then created collages. Some of such collage poems are believed to be preserved in Kiyoto Nishi Hongan-ji Temple. Collage was also prevalent in India, especially in the Bengal region. Topor, the conical headgear traditionally worn by grooms as part of the Bengali Hindu wedding ceremony, and headgear funeral rites performer are example of such artwork.

During the second part of the Middle Ages (1000-1500), this art form travelled to Venice from China through the Silk Road and later from Venice, collage or découpage entered Europe. Collage culture emerged in medieval Europe during the thirteenth century. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, collage was used in the decoration of cathedrals with various precious stones and metals, enhancing the adornment of churches. In the eighteenth century, it was believed that collage art was originated in Venice in the seventeenth century. Queen Marie Antoinette of France also practiced découpage or collage. Even during the Victorian era at the end of the nineteenth century, collage art form existed. Surrealist artists also used collage techniques to create dream-like scenes.

Like cubism, collage can also be classified into two categories: synthetic and analytic. When an object is divided into smaller parts and then assembled, it is called "analytic collage." Synthetic collage refers to the attempt to create a complete image by joining smaller parts together. Collage that involves cutting or tearing multiple images and joining them together is called "canvas collage." Collage can also be made using pieces of wood or metal. Additionally, collage can be created by cutting paper, joining multiple copies of the same image or photograph, or incorporating various fragments into a composition.

The term "photomontage" refers to a type of collage or découpage created by cutting images from photographs. The origin of the word "montage" is from the French verb "monter," meaning "to mount" or "to assemble" (such as in the case of "balancing" or "constructing" a scene in a landscape, as seen in "sand castle" on a horizon). The use of photomontage is also seen in cinema, such as in Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times," where scenes of worker lines and the gears of the machine are montaged.

In computer graphics, collage created using software like Photoshop or InDesign is called digital collage or e-collage. Many people also create synthetic or analytic three-dimensional collages by adding elements like metal, buttons, or prints.

In the second decade of the 20th century, when Cubism was trending in France before the outbreak of World War I, the Dada movement began in Switzerland and Germany. The movement spread across Europe, even in France, and eventually reached America. Dadaist art aimed not to please the viewer or adhere to conventional artistic norms but rather to challenge and provoke the viewer's sensibilities.

In the first two decades of the 20th century, the bourgeoisie upheld imperialism and colonialism, aiming to maintain their dominance, and they manipulated the innocent populace, pushing them to the brink of war. Dada movement emerged at a Zurich nightclub called Cabaret Voltaire in 1916 in condemnation of such politics. Voltaire's novel "Candide" describes the contemporary politics and the absurdity of religious practices and behavior of that period. Art connoisseurs have labeled Dadaist form not as "art" but as "anti-art." The Dada movement extensively used collage and découpage in its artistic endeavors.

Recently, a new trend has emerged in this movement known as "Stitched Collage." It involves creating collage through sewing or stitching various forms, colors, and textures of textile materials, hence termed as "Hand-Stitched Collage" in English. Since textiles are the primary component of this art form, it could also be referred to as "Textile Art." While this type of collage culture began decades ago in the West and the East, it is relatively new in Bangladesh, initiated by the artist Suranjana Bhattacharja, a resident of Dhaka and Montreal.

Suranjana's artwork utilizes both used and unused textiles. Although she has experimented with various stitching techniques such as buttonhole stitch or blanket stitch, and running stitch or kantha stitch, she has currently limited her use to these two stitches. Some attempts have been made to introduce three-dimensional aspects to certain collages. While most of Suranjana's stitched collages are synthetic, there are also some analytic collages.

The use of vivid colors in Suranjana's stitched collages evokes memories of the Cubist art movement of the early 20th century. Her work may hint towards the Cubist art movement's emphasis on geometric forms, but the attraction lies not in the two major differences. Firstly, in the Cubist movement, geometric forms were predominantly used. Secondly, the Cubist movement aimed at reconstructing figures through forms, evident in the works of artists like Cézanne, Picasso or Braque. Cézanne wanted to draw Mont Sainte-Victoire by using geometric forms while Picasso attempted to portray a young girl's image using cubic forms in his painting "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon."

Conversely, in Suranjana's stitched collages, apart from familiar geometric forms like circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals, there are also intricate non-geometric or fractal forms. Secondly, there is less emphasis on figure construction or reconstruction in Suranjana's stitched collages. Though some figures are created in the viewer's imagination, they are not intentionally constructed or reconstructed. The modern art movement, which began with Cubism, saw the emergence and success of collage and stitched collage as another significant transformation.

What is 'Modern Art'? The answer to this question, as given by the French poet Apollinaire, is somewhat like this: "Painters still observe nature, but they no longer imitate nature. Modern artists carefully avoid trying to create portraits or reflections of natural scenes directly observed or reconstructed through study. Great artists of the past painted perfect portraits of chubby, nude women with careful attention to every detail, purely to please the viewer's eye."

"Modern art rejects all these. A modern artist has no responsibility to please the audience!... Modernity is not chosen by anyone, it is accepted, just as people unquestioningly accept new fashions, it is much like that. I appreciate modern art very much. In my opinion, modern art is the most daring genre in the history of art, because modern art is interested in defining this beauty by questioning it, creates an integral existence. Modern art challenges this beauty by avoiding direct imitation and reconstruction of the natural world."

According to Apollinaire, Cubism ushered in a new unified existence by incorporating fragmented elements from the visual or conceptual world.

It would not be out of place to make the same comment about Suranjana's collages. But with the difference mentioned above, the more or less likeness to real persons or objects is usually the adoration of Cubist pictures. Suranjana, on the other hand, aims not at mere similitude, but at the desired abstraction. 'Rajkini prem nikshit hem, kamagandh nahi tay!' If we have to talk about some similarities, like Picasso, Braque or many others have use of common language (English or French), we see the use of language in Suranjana's collages as well, but that language is different, written in different forms, which may not be understandable to the general public. Contemporary life, politics, society and nature emerge in Suranjana's artworks, just like Dada or collage art.

On display at the Alliance Française de Dhaka from April 19 to 27, Suranjana's stitched collages hint at a degree of continuity with the Cubist and collage movement of the early 20th century in terms of subject matter and artistic style, while also asserting its own identity and independence with sufficient strength.

Author: Linguist and Professor, Institute of Modern Languages, University of Dhaka.