Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Joseph Cornell's Boxes


I particularly enjoyed Joseph Cornell’s artwork, mainly because it was a very unique type of collage, one I have never come across before. When I think of what a collage is, the image of many assembled photos or newspaper clippings come to mind. In any case, the collage would be flat. What surprised me in Cornell’s art was that, him being an artist and sculptor, he created three dimensional collages. Also, the fact that his collages were simple and all the while surreal (much like the artistic movement that inspired him) intrigued me. The use of objects collected by Cornell or things that at first sight seem mundane to us, are arranged in a manner that they suddenly look somewhat ethereal. 





Taken from Joseph Cornell’s personal website:

“Cornell created visual poems in which surface, form, texture, and light play together. Using things we can see, Cornell made boxes about things we cannot see: ideas, memories, fantasies, and dreams.”

Taking a closer look at his work, I realize little by little that this concept is quite applicable to his work. When observing his boxes, one does feel somewhat nostalgic, touched and is left wondering. 




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