Key facts about Hannah Höch
Hannah Höch was a German artist. She was born in 1889 and died in 1978.
Höch was one of the key artists who started an art form called photomontage.
Photomontage is a type of Cutting and sticking items together to create an image. where images that already exist are cut up and rearranged to make a new image.
Hannah Höch was very Able to make your own decisions and stand up for yourself without the support of others. at a time when Believing that men or women are better than the opposite sex. against women was a serious problem.
She believed that art was something that was supposed to change Society is the way human beings live together. and make it better.
She also made art that examined why some people are thought of as more beautiful than others, especially in the Communications including television, the internet, radio, magazines and newspapers..
Watch: Who was Hannah Höch?
Learn more about the life and work of Hannah Höch
Narrator: Hannah Höch was born in Germany, in 1889 and as a child always wanted to study art.
At that time, women were often expected to look after the home.
They weren't taken seriously as artists.
But Hannah decided to study graphic design.
When World War One broke out it became harder to get materials for art and Hannah had to use whatever she could find.
Pictures from museum booklets, photos from magazines even printed writing from newspapers.
With these materials, Hannah was one of the first people to create photomontage art.
Hannah met other people making similar art, sharing the same messages against war.
Together, they were part of the Dada movement.
And her inspiring message, to make art you believe in, is still shared today.
What is Dada?
Hannah Höch was part of an art movement called Dada.
The Dada art movement began during World War One around 1914.
Dadaism started because artists were angry and upset about WW1, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918.
Dadaist artists wanted to make art that would shock, confuse, or outrage people.
Other members of the Dada movement include the artists Raoul Hausmann and Kurt Schwitters.
Hannah Höch's photomontages
Here are some examples of Hannah Höch's work. She made her photomontages by collecting, selecting and hand-cutting photographs and pictures and words from magazines and newspapers.
Image caption, Untitled
An untitled photomontage by Hannah Höch. Image: © DACS 2023.
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Create a photomontage
Why not try to make your own photomontage? You will need scissors and glue. Take as much time as you need to arrange the different parts of your image before sticking the pieces down.
Watch this video to see how a photomontage is made.
Joey: Photomontage is the art of combining printed images and sometimes words to create a new image.
The German artist Hannah Höch placed together cuttings from magazines and newspapers to create artworks with a new meaning.
Let's have a go!
You will need: a blank sheet of paper, old magazines, newspapers, flyers, or comics, you could even print out some photos that you have taken, scissors and glue.
I'm going to make a face.
I've cut out some images from magazines and newspapers.
Now I'm going to start arranging these cuttings onto the page.
Always lay the pieces out first before you stick them, so you know you're happy with the positioning.
I love experimenting with the scale of the images, and the positions, and layouts, to see how it changes the way it looks.
Remember it doesn't have to look realistic.
Now I'm going to carefully glue the back of the pictures and get sticking!
Look at this. A finished photomontage - many images combined to create an exciting new one.
You can make photomontages digitally too. Using a photo editing (Short for application) A program or tool that is used on a digital device. on a phone, tablet or computer will allow you to resize photographs and images easily. You could use photos that you have already taken and create a new image out of them.
Hannah Höch's factfile
Did you know?
Hannah Höch studied glasswork and fashion design before WW1 started, then she went to work for the An international organisation that works to help the victims of war, famine and natural disaster..
Dada artists had a sense of fun. They believed that things didn't always have to be serious or make sense.
Max Ernst and Salvador Dali were also considered Dada artists.
The work by artists like Hannah Höch influenced other art movements and even music and fashion movements such as punk rock.
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