I had a great time on my fourth and final art field trip to Washington DC! It’s always an inspiring adventure to explore the museums and see the art in person. One exhibition I found particularly compelling was Joseph Cornell’s “Dream Worlds in a Box” featured at the Hirshorn. A desire to experience and help others experience the “marvelous world through the magic of everyday things” inspired Cornell’s sculptures. He created containers that featured marbles, colored sand, and old fashioned costume jewelry. Many of his boxes use materials and objects associated with children’s toys, fairy tales, romantic novels, natural history, ballet and Renaissance art combined with more ephemeral, fragile materials--laces and feathers, and shreds of mysterious maps. He composed all this within his carefully crafted boxes in order to invite the viewer to escape into an alternate reality. I really admired the sculptural depth and interactive nature of many of Cornell’s pieces. I am also considering using more found objects in my own work to make it more intriguing. A desire to experience and help others experience the “marvelous world through the magic of everyday things” inspired Cornell’s sculptures. In addition to Cornell’s work, I came across a very compelling bronze sculpture in the Hirshorn called “The Healer” done after a painting by Rene Magritte. Magritte often painted everyday objects out of context and surrealist imagery played a prominent role in his work. His juxtapositions force viewers to reconsider and recognize things normally take for granted or overlooked. Magritte’s work is primarily figurative and conceptual. I really enjoy surrealism and would like to incorporate more surrealist imagery into my own work. Magritte’s work reminds me of poetry. Perhaps creating literal illustrations of my poetry or song lyrics would be an interesting project to pursue in the future. I also like the idea of translating a paintings and 2D work into sculptures or vice versa. | |