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Art History Definition: Découpage

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Display dress form decoupaged with rose wrapping paper and copies of vintage ladies' and children's portraits.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Sherry's Rose Cottage; Creative Commons Attribution License

Definition:

(noun) - Découpage is a French word that means "cut out" or "cut up." In English, découpage is a decorative form of collage, associated with craft more than with fine art.

Découpage is usually composed of paper designs or images from magazines that are cut out and glued to any surface (a canvas, a cardboard box, a chair - anything). The images may overlap as they cover the entire surface, creating a very exciting array of colors and visual relationships.

Try it yourself: How to Découpage.

Pronunciation:

day·koo·paje


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