ARTISTA key member of the Arte Povera group, Mario Merz produced expansive
mixed-media paintings, sculptures, and installations, through which he
propagated an egalitarian, human-centered vision. Through art, he counteracted
what he saw as the dehumanizing forces of industrialization and consumerism.
Together with compatriots including Jannis
Kounellis and Michelangelo Pistoletto, Merz eschewed fine art materials in favor of everyday and
organic matter, like food, earth, found objects, and neon tubing. In 1968, he
presented his first igloo, which became a motif in his work, representing the
fundamental human need for shelter, nourishment, and connection to nature. By
1970, the Fibonacci sequence became central to his work, shaping the tables and
spiraling forms for which he was known, and incorporated into his igloos and
canvases. In these Merz sought limitlessness, against the confines of modern
life.
Joseph
cornell
Naples, 1942
Medium: Box construction
Dimensions: 11 3/10 × 6 7/10
× 4 4/5 in
28.6
× 17.1 × 12.1 cm
Biography:
Widely considered one of the
seminal American artists of the 20th century, Joseph Cornell pioneered
assemblage through his boxed constructions and collages. He is best known for
his “shadow boxes” made from found materials such as marbles, toys, seashells,
and other bric-a-brac obtained in souvenir shops, penny arcades, and trash
heaps. Interests in 19th century Romantic literature, ballet, the Surrealism of
Max Ernst, childhood experiences, and the cinema coalesced in Cornell’s
allegorically charged work, which would influence generations of contemporary
artists. Toward the Blue Peninsula (1953) is among his most recognizable works,
which he made drawing inspiration from a view of the night sky in Emily
Dickinson’s bedroom and a passage of her poetry. At once figurative and
abstract, the box consists of a partially caged, empty space and a window onto
a twilight sky.
(https://www.artsy.net/artist/joseph-cornell)
Statement:
His life, like his art, incorporated
elements of high art and great beauty as well as simple and humble elements,
the kind commonly seen in the coffee shops and used book stores and
five-and-dimes of New York in the early 1960's. Cornell and the New York he
knew so intimately have passed but the boxes remain to inspire and delight.
My Connection:
Joseph Cornell a surrealist
artist specializing in shadow box collages. Cornell spent all of his life in
New York much of it taking care of his mother and disabled brother. From his
home he created dream boxes, depicting theatrical scenes from all over the
world. Looking through the glass, you can see straight into his imagination. I
loved Naples because it looked like a memory or a scene from a play. For having
never left New York, Cornell’s art is so clear and focused. He had the ability
to travel across the world without ever needing to leave the house.
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