The Joseph Cornell Box: Found Objects, Magical Worlds

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Individual Artists

The Joseph Cornell Box: Found Objects, Magical Worlds Details

Working with found objects, pages from old books, and dime-store trinkets, self-taught artist Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) transformed everyday materials into extraordinary universes. By collecting and carefully juxtaposing his treasures in small, glass-front boxes, this pioneering artist invented visual poems exploring themes as varied as the night sky, the romantic ballet, glamorous movie stars, and bird habitats. A lavishly illustrated and collaged book presents Cornell’s life and art, his sources of inspiration, and artistic process, along with six project ideas. Housed in a sturdy keepsake box with a see-through front window and removable grid, the package also includes materials to jump-start the creative process—printed sheets for collage, a metal ring, antique tags, and a magnifier.

Reviews

The box it comes in is an interesting box. The book inside is also interesting. The little pieces/scraps inside to create your own "Cornell" are marginal. You will need 3 D objects to make this interesting. Also, the configuration of the separators is not what is shown on the cover (it is even squares- 12 of them) and there is no way to rearrange it to be that way without major surgery. And the dividers do not reach all the way across the width (sloppy!). So the enclosed book is nice and the outer box is nice but the rest is a C-. Your finished collage art will not resemble the book cover, which has three small rectangular spaces above and below and one larger one in the middle, unless you are very crafts minded and skilled, in which case you won't need this as you could just as easily create your own box!

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