Customer Reviews

Stone

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Of this book, my mother said, "I can't understand artwork that's not meant to last." I replied, "That's the whole point." The beauty of Goldworthy's artistry is in its impermanence -- the sand sculptures will be washed out with the tide, the leaves will be carried away in a river current, the cairns will fall...and part of the artist's charm is that he never harms the landscape. In time, his art will vanish and so will his footprints... Nature leaves us constant gifts, and it's up to us to see them, digest their beauty -- and accept wholeheartedly that it may not be here in a few minutes, days, or weeks. A wonderful book that provides insight into the nature of art -- time -- and the physical world.

This book is a revelation! Goldsworthy's conceptual art never fails to stir a sense of wonder and delight. As I paged through Stone, which is filled with beautiful photographs of Goldworthy's work, not only installed in museums, but in the natural settings which harbor some of his best (and most ephemeral) works, I was constantly calling friends over to see. The freshness and astonishing beauty of Goldworthy's work is evident on every page. All who love the beauties of art and nature should see this book.

In "Stone," as in his other books, Andy Goldsworthy takes the natural play of a child--fooling around with sticks, leaves, water, stones, mud, and more--and elevates it to something above and beyond its natural status. He uses his adult design skills to create great manmade beauty from existing natural beauty. He never falls over the line into obvious, coy, or precious art--he simply lets nature be what it is with a tiny little bit of rearranging on his part.

The results are never short of astonishing. Witness the sharp-edged rocks against which Goldsworthy has "glued" (with plain water) the leaves of brilliantly red Japanese maples, thereby making the edges look almost bloodied (p. 76). Witness the delicate, calligraphic tracery Goldsworthy stitched up by pinning together rush after rush after rush with thorns and then hanging these on a gallery wall so that it appears that either Calder or Matisse have wandered in and scribbled elegantly on the walls (p. 83). Witness the balanced oval boulders Goldsworthy lays in a curvaceous line from beach to the sea, and see how they roll and disappear from view as the tide comes crashing in (p. 101). These are but three of the many visual astonishments Goldsworthy shares in this book. The book is a never-ending source of delight and admiration for the feverish workings of one of 20th-century art's most creative minds.

Andy Goldsworthy's art is so inspiring. In this book, the art pieces focus on, as the title says, stone. It's unbelievable. He just unveils so much magic in the world with his brilliant thinking. "Otherworldly" is surely the word to describe how much of the art in this book feels. I keep thinking it couldn't possibly be this planet, but I suppose it's not even a planet anymore; it's the mind of the artist. Time also plays a significant role in this art. He builds pieces with the intent to photograph it when the day moves & the light hits it a certain way. Or he builds things that the incoming tide tears apart. In a piece I love in this book, he gathered ice from a lake & put it on the shade side of a rock. The ice gradually melted & was shed. I wish I could have listened & watched. Something that adds so wonderfully to this book's beauty made from such simple natural materials is that he also accompanies photographs with very Haiku-like, very poetic, short descriptions of the art pieces & how they existed in time & in the act of his making them.

Stone, like many of Andy Goldsworthy books, sends the observer to a land that exists only for a brief time. Using the medium of photography, Mr. Goldsworthy captures these moments, in the world he creates, that appear to me as more of a heaven than an earth. If you as a child or if you have watched your child play endlessly with nature, creating masterpieces that may end up being washed away, blown away, or covered in snow, you will appreciate this book for capturing them for all eternity.

This was my first book encounter with Andy Goldsworthy and wow- his art ideas are great. I love how he uses nature in his art- and even more so, how the changes in nature are art themselves.

I can look at Goldworthy's books again again and again and each time be amazed at the beauty of the composition and photography. We can step into his art and get lost in it.

This was a gift for my boss but I just couldn't stop looking through it. What a beautiful book. Very inspiring! I got rave comments... and a raise! Definitely a amazing present.

A truly beautiful book, with rich photographs and nice summaries. Inspiring to the last page - and particularly useful for igniting one's creative juices. A small note to the Amazon reviewer: Andy Goldsworthy was born in England in 1956. He lives in Penpont, Scotland, but is English - not Scottish.