Andy Goldsworthy is a British artist, photographer, and sculptor. His art pieces are temporary, but his photography extends their life beyond their natural death. Born in 1956, Goldsworthy has been active as an artist since the 1970s, when he attended art school. Goldsworthy prefers to work outside using materials he finds in nature, whether it be leaves and stones or snow and ice. His artworks both blend into the natural environment and showcase the unique beauty that exists within the world around us.
His pieces are visually striking, often using contrasting colors and gradients to create spellbinding designs and geometric patterns. Others are more simple, but nonetheless powerful, such as his series of Rain Shadows, where he lays in the rain and captures the silhouette left by his body. They all emphasize the beauty of the natural world and the materials that are in it, and though many of his works are lost to time and the elements, they remain “part of the history of those places.”
Goldsworthy views his creative process as a “collaboration with nature.” As a landscape artist, he works within the natural environment using sticks, stones, leaves, and other materials that are available to him in the area. He seeks to bring out the essence of natural objects, using his hands and body to create his art–using nature to work within nature. He will go to a location, such as a beach, the woods, a snowy landscape, without a plan, because “art can show you what is there.” He works alone, unless commissioned to create a permanent installation.
While his temporary, landscape art makes up a large portion of his repertoire, he also has several permanent art installations, such as Storm King Wall, located in New York. The 2,278 foot wall snakes through the woods and into a nearby pond, inspired by British agricultural tradition using parts of an old stone farm wall. The construction of the wall itself reflects Goldsworthy’s beliefs on art and nature–because the growth of trees resulted in the destruction of the previous wall, he wove the new wall around the trees to work with nature, rather than in spite of it.
Goldsworthy is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to create his art. As an artist, he is inspired by the world around him to create ephemeral works that are pleasing to himself, but his photography and his installations allow others to enjoy his work. Goldsworthy wants people to connect with nature because “we often forget that we are nature… When we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we have lost our connection to ourselves.”
His art has been honored in multiple solo exhibitions and in film, such as the recent 2017 documentary Leaning into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy.
https://goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Andy-Goldsworthy
https://www.livingyourwildcreativity.com/art-gallery-1-mitchell-1
https://stormking.org/artist/andy-goldsworthy/
I love art that manifests in unusual ways, like what is demonstrated here with Andy Goldsworthy and his interaction with nature. Seeing sculptures not only existing outside in nature but also incorporating materials that connect them to the landscape they exist on is interesting. I find it really cool that this artist creates a lot of temporary structures/art in addition to more permanent ones because it shows a lot of intrinsic motivation, as you touched on. He is very often creating these things for the love of art rather than for any longevity of the actual structure. All of the pictures of his art are very pretty. Thanks for introducing me to this artist.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love art created from collected pieces of the environment. There is a gallery in Andersonville called the Las Manos Gallery which has a back patio where the owner has created various pieces of art made from of cardboard and chains or collected lighters. Its such a clever reinvention of meaning found through everyday objects, and the idea that the artist is "collaborating" with the environment is such a fun and ingenious way to look at such art. I think it very interesting how he has looked to use two mediums to express such ephemeral art in different ways without losing the meaning that comes from the art's temporary nature.
ReplyDeleteI loved this take on Andy Goldsworthy! Not only is his work beautiful, but his creative process is also beautiful specifically in the way that you described he "collaborates with nature". I am from Kansas City and one of our major art museums had an installation from him. It was called a "walking wall" and over the course of nine months, installers would carefully and gradually move the wall across the art campus. I was fortunate enough to get to see the wall many times, even as it blocked traffic and crossed streets! His art is simple yet grounded in the natural world, and his creativity is undeniable. I think it is very interesting, the way he views nature and showcases that viewpoint for others to witness.
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