Wood [Hardcover]

Andy Goldsworthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

For British artist Andy Goldsworthy, wood evokes ideas for growth, perpetual change, and transformation. In Wood, he works with leaves, bark, branches, ice, boulders, and sand. The artist's photographs, superbly reproduced here, capture the moment at which each work came alive for him--through a particular quality of light, a precise stage in melting, or the blowing of the wind. 150 color photos.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810939924
• ISBN-13: 978-0810939929
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 11.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh look at nature, October 21, 2000

By 

Alex (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wood (Hardcover)

Goldsworthy's art isn't what he makes. It's what he does to things that are already there to make them fresh and beautiful to the jaded eye of an average human. Simple things work best in his art, evoke more raw emotion and longing: he lines tree branches with dandelions and red maple leaves; he hangs large snowballs in trees; ribbons of leaves trail off into the water and spiral icicles circle tree trunks. It's all so simple and captivating, it's really quite astounding. Goldsworthy's art is fleeting. The only reminders of his non-permanent works are photographs. In Wood, Goldsworthy goes beyond the confines of this material and shows us his mastery with the entire spectrum of natural media - snow, ice, rock, leaf, etc. The book is subdivided into sections dealing with each specific medium, the last being Tree - each work is centered around a low-lying branch of a large oak. Nevertheless, I must say that this collection of Goldsworthy's art is slightly inferior to his Collaborations with Nature, which is a better first choice if you are unfamiliar with his principles.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Simplicity., January 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Wood (Hardcover)

Andy Goldsworthy creates forms that echo the patterns of nature so completely the viewer is almost convinced that mother nature herself made them, rather than human hands. Goldsworthy's sculptures are more than works of art. They become integral yet fleeting parts of the lanscape that surrounds them. His shapes are fluid and delicate, and his ideas are deceptively simple,yet appear to defy both time and gravity. His experiments in Wood are gentle and thought-provoking, and prove that beauty exists all around us. Looking at his book makes me appreciate the trees, rocks, and water all around us. Andy Goldsworthy honors the earth with his quiet, sculptural meditations.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wood Highly Recommend, November 12, 2001

By 

"dbloom20" (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wood (Hardcover)

It's a big and invigorating book. If you like earth art this book (and there are others) offers some of the best of Goldsworthy. The concepts and execution are as inventive as they are cerebral. While I've never seen his work in person the photos and narrative of this book really feel like they capture the detail. In other ways the book itself is as well presented and printed as any book of art I've seen. If you can't afford it (it was expensive for me) try and get your local library to invest. It would be a great contribution to your local enclave.