Customer Reviews

Joseph Cornell: Shadowplay...Eterniday

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book, with the accompanying DVD, illuminates Joseph Cornell's work with a light twice as bright as that cast by the already amazing 1980 MOMA catalog; along with the extremely thoughtful and instructive essays, crystal clear printing, and the newly-photographed selection of boxes, it's the accompanying disc which really astounds, allowing one to see all his films, look through family photographs, examine and "zoom in" on all of his major works (including inside previously closed drawers and lids), see more clearly the pieces and stems of his paper dossiers and boxes of his working materials, and even see copies of a few of the books and records from his personal library - all of which leads to a sharper sense than ever of the texture, physicality, and feeling of his work. It would be difficult to imagine a more thoroughly considered book about Cornell than this - or about any artist, for that matter. I suspect this book will set a new standard for the idea of what qualifies as an "artist monograph," and the authors and designers should be congratulated for their amazing, careful, and truly generous achievement.

I don't think the Reader from Virginia Beach looked closely enough for the DVD. It's tucked away in the back cover of the book (lift the back flap of the book jacket to reveal it).

This book and DVD make Cornell, the person, come alive. His objects are beautiful but his motivations for making such wonderful work are brightly illuminated in Lynda Hartigan's well-written book and Robert Lehrman's DVD.

I am a developer of New Media and this has got to be one of THE BEST DVDs I have ever seen. The interface is beautiful and rich. And, most of all, it allows you to get close to Cornell's work (both physically and conceptually).

This is a wonderful way to examine Joseph Cornell's work up close, in a way that most people will never be able to do. We normally can not turn the boxes around, and look at them closely at every angle, unless we know a Cornell collector. With this DVD you can do that, and these works were intended to be seen that way. The book is beautiful and thoughtfully written; it fills in background needed to fully appreciate the works.

Finally there is a good book of Cornell's work (shadow boxes) published, using detailed color photographs and remarkable notes/text. This book presents the reader with in-depth insight into the ingeniuty of Mr. Cornell, God rest his tireless, creative soul!. Features an excellent biographical introduction as well. The photo- illustrations are superb, showing both overall and macro views of his boxes. Highly recommend this book for the Cornell lover, also makes for a great coffe table book too for your average art-loving page flipper.

For those of you who missed the first printing and are choking on the $120+ price tags of the "second" hand copies, please know that the Voyager Foundation is doing a second printing in March of 2004 - keep on top of the listings and snap one up as soon as it appears - for the low-low asking price of $60.

This is a superlative tribute to and presentation of Cornell's beautiful work. I suggest the reviewer who said that there is no DVD included request a replacement and retract the above review. There IS a DVD, and it is wonderful.

This is a remarkable book, but even more alluring is the secret tucked into the back cover. A DVD. I keep this DVD by my computer and use it for an entertainment break. Not only is it full of pictures of the most beautiful Cornell boxes, the DVD production values are extremely visual and entertaining. The viewer can look closely at some of the loveliest boxes Cornell ever made, but it is done with a presentation that takes you into his world. The sun, and planets and layers upon layers of information are more than you can handle at one sitting. You will find yourself revisiting this disk over and over. On it are also talks by curators and collectors discussing stories and thoughts about Cornell, and even a demonstration of the sound a box with small marbles makes when its owner gently shakes it.

The book is a remarkable, loving journey into the world of Joseph Cornell. It is a must for any art lover.

The photography and commentary of this book alone are worth the price if you are wanting to learn about a remarkable artist.

But the DVD included with the book is truly amazing for those wanting to explore Cornell's work without the benefit of a museum viewing. Truly educational and yet simply organized and easy to view.

Excellent reproduction plates of Cornell's art. The advanced artist will appreciate how Cornell was able to achieve the difficult task of creating good composition within a box.

the binding is really bad. My copy is gone in pieces after
a couple of careful consultations.