The next most notable appearance of collage as we think of it was in Japan.  Calligraphers used collage techniques by gluing bits on paper and fabric on surfaces to be used as a background for their poems in the 12th century.

Some collage techniques appeared in Medieval Europe in the 13th century but the most famous collage artist working in the 18th century was Mary Delaney.  She created very detailed, botanically correct floral collages using tissue paper and hand-colored papers.  She called them "Paper Mosaiks" and completed 1700 of these from the age of 71-88.


But some art authorities hold to the view that collage was never properly a part of "fine art" until the works of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the 19th century.  They used collage techniques in conjunction with painting, forcing the examination of art as a process and concept rather than an end product.  And the use of newsprint in their collages brought new meaning in relation to current events and social issues.

Here, Picasso included oil cloth, (similar to modern day contact paper) in this collage called "Still Life with Chair Caning".

One of the most famous artists associated with collage is Henri Matisse.  Later in life when he was in poor health and had stopped painting, he did many of these paper cut-outs.  This one is called 
"Blue Nude II" .

That is the thrill of making art I think.  It cannot only be for the artist.  Human nature  compels us to share experiences and making art is no exception.  However, I don't think it is always possible to predict what we as artists "make others see".   That is also the thrill of making art.  It opens a whole broad world not only for the artist but for the viewer as well.  Not an exact science at all.  

This piece by Gerhard Richter suggests some things to me but I daresay the suggestion is entirely different for you.