ARTIST RESEARCH O1:Assemblage
So many amazing artists on the list to choose from. It was hard to narrow them down. The Artist I chose to research is Joseph Cornell. I like putting found objects together and creating new scenarios/stories. His artwork connected to me instantly on that level.
Joseph Cornell
- Born Dec 24, 1903 – Dec 29, 1972 in Nyack New York.
- Father dies in 1917 leaving family in poverty.
- Family moves to a small house in Queens, New York City.
- Attends school at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts but does not graduate.
- Moves back home to live with mother and disabled brother
- Reclusive person who then never leaves the city limits of New York.
- Gets a job as a salesman at a textile company in Manhattan.
- Gets exposed to the arts within Manhattan.
- Visits Julien Levy Gallery and encounters Surrealist Artists.
- .One of the Originators of the sculptural art form known as ‘Assemblage’.
- Has his first show at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932
- 1936 participates in a show at the Museum of Modern Art with his first shadow box Untitled (Soap Bubble Set)
- 1940 leaves job and begins focus on making short films and creating shadow box series.
- 1965 brother dies, the next year his mother.
- Becomes severely depressed and produces a few collages.
- Guggenheim holds a major exhibition of his art in 1967.
- His success caused him to become even more reclusive.
- Labeled ’Outside Artist’ He rejected being labeled.
- Won awards but never went to accept or receive them.
- Enjoyed mentoring children in his last years.
Examining a piece of his work.
Joseph Cornell made six boxes for his pharmacy series. Instead of the usual medicines you would expect to see, he has filled the bottles with his own ideas on what makes you healthy. Medicines for the soul and imagination. Found objects include: shells, newspaper clippings, sand, photos, tokens of good times. The box is made from brown stained wood and measures 38.7×30.5×7.9 inches. It has a glass viewing panel on the front so the contents inside can be seen. Perched on glass shelves stand 4 rows of 5 glass bottles. Inside the bottles are found items and ephemera. There are six boxes to this series. He was prolific during this time and created many shadow boxes within a series exploring certain themes. Soap Bubble, and Pharmacy to name a few. Each box created a story or a dialogue from the viewer.
I identify with this artist as I connect on many levels. I can be a bit of a recluse myself at times. My house is one big assemblage inside. I hide a lot of what I make. I like to collect interesting things. This artist and his work have validated to me a lot of what I do. Its not just playing around. It is making. It is Assemblage!
Side Note- His art now sells for millions in the secondary market.
Sources used for research
www.artblart.com/tag/joseph-cornell-pharmacy
www.britanica.com/biography/Joseph-Cornell-American-Sculpture
www.en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cornell