27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magical visions, December 10, 2007
This review is from: Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination (Hardcover)
This catalogs and comments on the wonderful display of Cornell's work, on tour at the time of this writing. I had known Cornell's work only by reputation (and a certain amount of urba myth) before seeing that display. It stunned me; I've never had such a strong response to any other collection, ever. Although Cornell worked in several formats, his "shadow boxes" earned his reputation. Each one is a world in itself, filled with mystery and meaning.
This dense book presents photos of the works in that tour, along with extensive commentary and biographical notes. The collection's boxes appear, of course, along with Cornell's work in two other categories: collage, and works that I'll call "albums." I admit that collage, even when exceptionally well done, generally doesn't move me. Collage elements enhance his boxes but do not, to my taste, stand well on their own. I found the albums tantalizing, though. Each one collected "natural" images from the popular media, collage, and Cornell's surrealist writings, all loose, in some kind of storage case. They were meant to create a unique experience for each viewer, changing in sequence, organization, and juxtaposition each time the pages' order changed. Displays under glass preserved the artworks, but blocked the museum-goer from experiencing the albums as they were meant to be experienced. I envy the preparators and curators who got the direct experience of this art in preparing the display.
Unfortunately, this book's photographic representation of the albums also blocks the experience that Cornell intended - but I'd rather have the fixed depiction than none at all. The fixed and 2D representation of the dynamic and 3D boxes gives the same sense: a pale shadow of the boxes' magical presence. This book does as well as can be hoped, but no book can replicate the subtle optics and shifting perspectives of the original objects.
I've only sampled this book's profuse text. If you can't see the originals, the commentary helps bring them to life. Notes on Cornell's career, times, and friendships also cast informative light on the works and how they arose. The gorgeous photos are so distracting, though, that I keep wandering away from the text. If you've seen the show, this will remind you of what you saw (there was so much), and deepen your appreciation of it. If you haven't, it will make you wish you did.
-- wiredweird
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Publisher's compass may have been iffy, but...., January 13, 2008
This review is from: Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination (Hardcover)
Better late than never, & well worth the wait. Beautiful reproductions, some of which I'd never seen before, illustrate all facets of Cornell's brilliant, quirky career. This was supposed to have been the catalog for the retrospective that began it's rounds last year (I believe) but did not appear until long after it had left the Smithsonian. There are other books out there, but this one is the best I've seen thus far. If you are a fan, an assemblage or collage artist, this is the new bible chronicling the life of the artist with whom those techniques have become synonymous.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant, March 2, 2008
This review is from: Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination (Hardcover)
I ordered this book for my husband's birthday and he was estatic. By far it is the best book we own. The many visuals are breathtaking. The text takes you into a wonderful journey. Highly recommended
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