Man soll nicht asen mit Phrasen - Kurt Schwitters

A 1930 Dada collage by Kurt Schwitters, featuring a complex arrangement of newspaper clippings, photographic portraits, and commercial ephemera.

Kurt Schwitters, a central figure in the Dada movement, produced this work in 1930. The title, which translates to 'One should not waste phrases', reflects his characteristic approach to language and visual communication. Schwitters utilised the Merz technique, a term he coined to describe his method of assembling discarded materials into new compositions. This piece incorporates a variety of ephemera, including newspaper clippings, fragments of commercial packaging, and photographic portraits.

The composition is constructed through the layering of these disparate elements. A central portrait of a man, likely a figure from the artist's social or professional circle, anchors the arrangement. Surrounding this are fragments of text, including references to Dr. Justus Bier, a prominent art historian and critic of the period. The inclusion of commercial branding, such as the 'OCOLAT' fragment, demonstrates the artist's interest in the visual debris of modern life.

Unlike traditional painting, this work relies on the juxtaposition of found objects to create meaning. The torn edges and overlapping papers reveal the physical process of construction. Schwitters treated these scraps as formal components, balancing the weight of the photographic images against the blocks of printed text and solid colour. The work functions as a visual record of its time, capturing the chaotic energy of the interwar period in Germany. By recontextualising everyday items, Schwitters questioned the boundaries between high art and the mundane. The resulting image is a dense, multi-layered construction that invites close inspection of its individual parts, while maintaining a cohesive, albeit fragmented, visual unity.