Customer Reviews

Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Andy Goldsworthy is a genius. I can't think of another late 20th century artist whose work is so enormously accessible and so hugely rewarding. In "A Collaboration with Nature," Goldsworthy shows us the miracles he has wrought with the simplest materials he finds in front of him: mere stones, water, leaves, branches, mud, and thorns, all "found objects," become the sundry mediums through which Goldsworthy works his visual sorcery.

Just a few of dozens of high points in the book:

- A graceful circle on the ground, created with brown leaves on the outer perimeter, warming to red, then orange, then yellow leaves toward the center;

- A "slate crack line" created when Goldsworthy carefully arranged pieces of slate so that the edges formed a seeming "crack" in the pile;

- Three "statues" made of balanced ovoid rocks in the middle of a snow-covered stream, each appearing to be something like well-rounded Giacomettis;

- A snowball eerily suspended in and supported by the trees which surround it;

- A rectangle of snow, in the middle of which Goldsworthy has carefully carved concentric, successively shallower circles so that the light gleams from the center but gets dimmer and dimmer with each larger circle;

- A sycamore branch placed on a bed of snow, juxtaposed with the same sycamore branch stripped of bark and placed on a bed of leaves--the first is dark against white, and the second is white against dark;

- An arching series of ice triangles, each of which has been painstakingly stuck to the next and balanced on a moss-covered rock--this looks almost like a glass wing of some sort.

I could go on and on by covering every single page in the book, but I'll leave it to you to find out for yourself what a visual feast Goldsworthy provides for the eyes--and what interesting mental exercise he provides for the mind of the observant viewer.

Goldsworthy takes utterly mundane natural materials - leaves, sticks, stones, ice, grass, flowers - and alters them in ways that don't quite change them, but simply make us take notice. Like a reviewer below noticed, the artist takes what is already there - he neither creates the icicle, nor does he cultivate the leaf. However, that is not what Goldsworthy mission is - he collaborates. He reorganizes nature into forms we haven't yet seen, forms which are so delicate, simple, and natural, that they draw us us to examine them, to see why these mundane things are so new, so vivid, so beautiful, and to once more discover the simple miracles of nature. After all, the only reason we don't see how enchanting the Earth around us is that we simply forgot about it. This book is enough to make us remember.

The work of Andy Goldsworthy is an inspirational meditation. He begins by going into nature and observing what is already there -- the subtleties of colors, the slight variance between similar rocks or twigs or leaves, the light and the texture. He then patiently creates each sculpture, laying a sense of order where none had been before.

Most inspirational to my soul is how he couples his artistic vision of the beauty intrinsic in nature, coupled with his patience to modify and follow through. He shows us what is possible if we can imagine it, can think through how it should be done, and have the patience to work with nature to create it.

Some pieces take him days of collecting rocks, or sorting leaves by color, or patiently allowing one icicle to freeze to another. Sometimes his work is lost to wind or animals or the sun and he must start over. But he continues on to build the structure and the order that he sees in his mind's eye, working within nature, and creating something that is almost supernatural.

Each person I've shown this book to has been absorbed and amazed. It's the one I give as gifts so spread the word of the work of Andy Goldsworthy.

If you've come this far, get this book- you are lucky to have discovered Andy Goldsworthy. And sit down before lifting the cover. The book is a testament to Goldsworthy's unique vision of his environment and skill as an artist and challenges you to believe that the seemingly impossible is possible. Not only are the sculptures genius, but the photographs are beautifully composed and the collection is mind blowing.
You can do a google search on Goldsworthy and see the same pictures but it in no way compares to having the collection in an oversized book on your lap and being able to show your friends as you say, "you will not believe this!"

I bought this book for my girlfriend last Christmas on a whim and have since found myself utterly absorbed by Goldsworthy's incredible work. The man is an artist in every sense of the word. His creativity, patience, and eye shine through in every photograph. The man is brilliant.

Goldsworthy has enhanced nature's inherent beauty and complexity through slight, subtle, patient alterations and arrangements of everything from rocks to leaves to rain. Colors blend, twigs converge, water paints, patterns emerge. The result is an incredible study of natural beauty and form.

This book will find a place on anyone's shelf or coffee table. It belongs in every house and deserves to be seen by every eye.

I purchased this book when I was at the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. Goldsworthy has always been one of my "heros" but I had know idea he had books! I had seen his work in my old sculpture text and a documentary. This book was instantly part of my "treasured art text" library. The photography is superb. A wonderful match to Goldsworthys work. The text is an eloquent and sometimes contemplative commentary by the artist. I have no idea why it never occurred to me that the artist would document his work in book form! Little slow on the uptake for this reader. I immediately looked online line and purchased several more Goldsworthy books for my library. Surprisingly enough, I got a few good deals on used books. Who would part with them. A good deal on the price or not, if you love Goldsworthy, enviromental art or just want to see some vivid breathtaking photography, this is one of the best.

This book is truely inspirational. It is one you will go back to time and again. It is soothing when you feel stressed. I would not part with it. It makes a great gift for anyone who appreciates nature or art.

Andy Goldsworthy's work is seamless, flawless. The entities leave one awestruck. They are beautiful. They are truly inspired. By Nature. By an artist's eye. By appreciation and oneness with Nature. When I say oneness, I speak not of the momentary meditative states which one can enduce. I speak, instead, of the true relationship between people and Nature, or what is possible-- if only one is willing to open the eyes and open the heart.

Andy Goldsworthy's work makes me FEEL human. Another leaf, another tree, another piece of Nature. Perhaps, it is our fleeting time on this earth that is echoed in these pieces, and not just SOME of Nature. One of the most amazing aspects of his work is the way that they are so subtle and delicate-- and, yet, explode with strength--through color and form. These pieces move me deeply as a being, but more so-- they speak of the true meaning/GOAL of art, or what it can be....Something which affects everyone uniquely without forcing you see anything. AND, works that in their temorary states speak to the creating, not the permanant "collecting". No dust shall ever collect on these pieces. One may even think of the Native Americans (in the U.S.) with their sand paintings, which blow away in the wind. It is in the work and creation that one finds the meaning. The beauty stays with us forever-- long after the ice has melted, the leaves have blown away and decayed, and the rocks have worn down to pebbles. --S.R.

Beautiful coffee-table art book in which the artist/photographer uses the "found objects" of nature: leaves, stones, ice, snow, feathers, etc. to create amazing temporary works of art. These are then photographed before the elements return the materials to their natural state. It doesn't sound like much, but it's amazing to look at and see what a creative mind can do with nature and patience.

I had seen "Rivers and Tides" and became very interested in Andy Goldsworthy's work. I bought this book for my mother (she also became a big fan!) as a gift and fell in love with it instantly. Mr. Goldworthy creates the most amazing pieces by using resources already found in nature. The pieces are truly breathtaking! I find that I have to look at each photograph very carefully to even understand how this incredibly talented artist sculpts his masterpieces. Mr. Goldsworthy certainly has a vast amount of patience - in looking at some of the captions, he experienced some very unfortunate events (i.e. a dog jumping into one of the holes, ruining a gorgeous multi-colored leaf sculpture.) Despite these pitfalls, the artist seems to have such a close relationship with the environment and his work, that they only make him stronger and more willing to try to tame even the harshest of the elements. He seems to connect with nature so well - I was floored by even the "simplest" of his works (not to diminish any amount of effort that he puts into his pieces), especially the impressions of his body in the snow and rain. Unbelievable!

This book captures the spirit, magic, and pure genius that is Andy Goldsworthy!