Wine Red Collage

Time present and time past - Cosmina Berta *Time present and time past Are perhaps both present in future time, And time future contained in past. TS Eliot* Collage flattens time, they say. The art of today has a soft spot for collages and for bringing together the old and the new, because there is something special about each one: the combination of the artist's unique artwork and the ancient medium, along with the way they complement each other. It's that fusion that's important, I think, and the message it conveys. I use the beautiful images I find on platforms like Europeana, and the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek. I mix them together with my own drawings into collages. I use wood as the background for the collages because I feel that the wood best suits the nostalgic atmosphere of the images. I also hope to draw people's attention to the original history and provenance of the images, get them to think and ask questions about the time and the themes depicted in them, and explore further. I want them to respond to a time and cultural period that is no longer there and reflect on things that have long since happened. I try to bring precious memories back to life and anchor them in the present by adding my own touch. There are questions that need to be asked: what is the story of the subject, what is the story of the photograph itself, the story of the painter, the maker? I think that visitors will be motivated to search for means to answer their questions, find other beautiful objects and follow other stories. I also wish that people who look at my paintings feel the nostalgia, the beauty, the mystery of the old paintings, and create a dialogue between past, present and what is yet to come. Instagram: www.instagram.com/cosmina.berta