“Logic will get you from A-B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Albert Enstein
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” Muhammad Ali
If you have ever taken a glance at some of the works
by the great 20th century artist and sculptor Joseph Cornell, you
might have imagined you were looking through the eyes of someone who has
travelled the world and experienced all it has to offer.
After all, as one of the most
celebrated exponents of assemblage there is, his ability to transform everyday
objects into spellbinding treasures is a wonder to behold.
But, when you step into this
magical world of adventure and discovery, you might be surprised to learn that
it comes solely from the imaginative mind of an artist who suffered with
shyness bordering on the reclusive – so much so that he rarely even left his
home in New York City.
Cornell loved exploring the
streets of his home town, absorbing the museums, culture, ballet and opera that
was so abundant in Manhattan. As an habitual hoarder, he also spent hours
trawling the junk shops and book stores of the city searching for the ephemera
that no one else wanted, including feathers, marbles, pebbles, stamps, toys, photographs,
maps and prints.
His imagination was vast and unhindered
by his lack of worldly experience, and despite never crossing an ocean, he was
fascinated by fragments of once beautiful objects, which depicted far flung
destinations around the world.
When he put together the bits
he found in his glass fronted shadow boxes, they portrayed a taste of the
artist’s varied interests that included cinema, Romantic ballet, ornithology, European
culture, the past, world travel and even space exploration.
The Wanderlust exhibition,
currently being shown at The Royal Academy of Arts, is a truly wonderful spectacle
which features 80 of Joseph Cornell’s most remarkable shadow boxes, collages
and films. It really is something
special to see as the pieces of art, like the artist, have rarely left their
home in the USA. Filled with delicate bits and moving parts, it is incredibly rare
to find so many of his shadow boxes together in one exhibition.
The intricate, intriguing and
diverse contents display the artist’s sense of adventure and wonder of the
world around him – possibly why Wanderlust has won such deserved acclaim from visitors
and critics alike.
The art of Joseph Cornell is
often hailed as a one-off style, so unique that it doesn’t fit into any movements
of his day. His aim was to provide pieces that everyone could relate to and
this is so magically presented in the miniature worlds on display.
This the first London survey
of this outstanding artist in 35 years. Given the playful and intriguing nature
of the exhibition, it’s easy to see why The Guardian described it as a “first
rate exhibition of one of the 20th century’s most inspiring artists”,
with the Telegraph simply describing it as “spellbinding”.
The exhibition is yet another example of how London
supports and promotes the global arts scene, with so many collectors and
patrons taking a keen interest on promoting the capital as a center of artistic
excellence. The invaluable support of
patrons such as Yassmin Ghandehari and Sasan Ghandehari continues to ensure London’s
place at the top of the artistic world.
·
If you
would like to see this magnificent work by Joseph Cornell, Wanderlust at The
Royal Academy of Arts is now showing until 27 September, 2015.
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