photomontage
UK[ˌfəʊ.təʊ.mɒnˈtɑːʒ]US[ˌfoʊ.t̬oʊ.mɑːnˈtɑːʒ]
n
A picture consisting of photographs or parts of photographs arranged and stuck together to form a single image.
n
The technique or process of making such a picture.
Morpheme Breakdown
photo
montage
photo
light
montage
assembly
Etymology
The word 'photomontage' is a modern compound, first used in the early 20th century within avant-garde artistic circles. It directly combines the Greek-derived combining form 'photo-', relating to light and by extension photography, with the French artistic term 'montage', which denotes the technique of assembling disparate elements into a new, cohesive whole. The logic of the term is beautifully literal: it describes the assembly ('montage') of photographic ('photo') components. This reflects the core technique of cutting and pasting physical photographs to create a composite image, a practice pioneered by Dadaists and Surrealists as a means of visual critique and dreamlike expression.
Analysis
Structure: photo (light) + montage (assembly)
- photo: From Greek 'phōs, phōt-' (light). A combining form meaning "light" or "photographic."
- montage: From French 'montage' (a mounting), from 'monter' (to mount). A noun-forming element meaning "the process or result of assembling various elements into a single composition."
Examples
The artist created a powerful political critique through a complex photomontage.
We studied the use of photomontage in early 20th-century propaganda posters.
Her final project was a digital photomontage blending family portraits with urban landscapes.