Title - For Everything
Size - 27.305 x 27.305 cm Medium - Found object Completion - September 2022 Exhibition TextInspired by Joseph Cornell's Homage to Juan Gris, my work For Everything is about being grateful for the memories a family member has given me, despite his passing. I wanted to show the joy of memories, particularly childhood ones, through the idea of a shadowbox that contains some toys that we used to play with and symbols that represent that joy. And while losing someone is traumatic, I also wanted to convey remembering someone for how they lived and what they gave you, and not how they died.
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Inspiration
Joseph Cornell
Cornell was a surreal and assemblage artist that did mostly shadow boxes. He gathered collages to cut out and use in his work, as well as many other objects that he found. His inspiration came from Juan Gris' The Man at the Cafe, and Cornell started a series of works dedicated to Gris. With Homage to Juan Gris, there is a white cockatoo in the center of the box, in front of a sky and propped up on a base to be three dimensional. Black paper in the shape of the cockatoo is placed behind the square, emulating a shadow. The newspaper placed on the back gives some contrast to the white of the wood. The composition of the images, sort of flaring out, helps to balance out the positive and negative space. The positioning of the objects helps to draw the viewer’s eye, from the yellow ring hanging on the top to the center, and then to the bottom with the white ball. The sky square and the hanging of an object on the top interested me the most, and I want to incorporate that in my own way. The positioning of the images to flare outwards and balance the space is also helpful for me to consider when doing my piece, and would help make things more interesting. Cornell’s piece being an homage to someone he considers important also ties in with my theme. I’d most likely make my box more decorated than Cornell’s piece, mainly because I want to add more colors and objects with symbolism. Most of the colors in his box are pale, with only the sky and wood textured images giving some contrast to the rest of the piece, as well as the shadow. I don’t believe I’ll do a base for the image in the middle to stand on, since I’m not sure how much time it’ll take and I want to focus on the other aspects of my work. |
Cassiopeia 1
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Homage to Juan Gris
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Planning
For the first page, I wanted my theme to revolve around gratefulness and memories. I decided to focus the imagery more so on childhood, since that felt like a better time to revolve around, and I could add more objects with that in mind. The piece itself would be a shadowbox to follow Cornell's works, and have some symbolism with what I added. Furthermore, I was thinking of adding things to hang from the top. I liked that aspect in Cornell's piece, and the composition would be more interesting if I did. I could have stars and clouds, possibly made out of colored paper, with the stars in the front and clouds in the back. For the background, I could glue on patterned paper, since it might add some interesting contrast with the sky part I would add. I would place objects on the bottom, such as a music box, flowers, or toys. To better convey my theme, I want to keep in mind utilizing colors and such. There would be images placed on the side of the sky square, to follow my inspiration and build on the composition.
For the second page, adding toys would mean making small boxes, most likely out of cardboard. I would have to search around for small toys and dinosaurs, since they’re significant to me. As for the image in the center – I listed out some ideas of things I could do. Something that could convey childhood, like two kids together or a butterfly. I was deciding that if what I was drawing was more complicated, I could draw it digitally first and then print it out, or I could find images to print and cut. I ended up sketching some ideas, and started to settle on doing a silhouette of two kids sitting, facing each other. I liked it, since I was thinking it was effective at conveying the theme of childhood and would look nice against the sky square.
On the third page, I drew a more solid and developed version of the image, and I think white would contrast against the background enough. It’s not an image cut from a magazine like Cornell does, but I think it would be best for the image I had in mind, and let me modify it to what I want. I assembled the elements I thought of, and drew it as a sort of final draft to reference. There would be the music box as the center, with the toy box next to it, and the stars and clouds hanging above. There could be two roses, one inside and one on the outside corner, and some petals on the bottom of the box. I drew out some of the images that would flare out from the sides, like a butterfly and sun rays at the bottom.
For the second page, adding toys would mean making small boxes, most likely out of cardboard. I would have to search around for small toys and dinosaurs, since they’re significant to me. As for the image in the center – I listed out some ideas of things I could do. Something that could convey childhood, like two kids together or a butterfly. I was deciding that if what I was drawing was more complicated, I could draw it digitally first and then print it out, or I could find images to print and cut. I ended up sketching some ideas, and started to settle on doing a silhouette of two kids sitting, facing each other. I liked it, since I was thinking it was effective at conveying the theme of childhood and would look nice against the sky square.
On the third page, I drew a more solid and developed version of the image, and I think white would contrast against the background enough. It’s not an image cut from a magazine like Cornell does, but I think it would be best for the image I had in mind, and let me modify it to what I want. I assembled the elements I thought of, and drew it as a sort of final draft to reference. There would be the music box as the center, with the toy box next to it, and the stars and clouds hanging above. There could be two roses, one inside and one on the outside corner, and some petals on the bottom of the box. I drew out some of the images that would flare out from the sides, like a butterfly and sun rays at the bottom.
Process & Experimentation
I started with doing the background for the piece. I detached the back, and overlay a piece of patterned paper over it. I did this to see where I would cut, and folded the paper around the edges of the back to act as my guide. It worked well, and I was able to get the background to fit the dimensions of the box. I then glued the paper on by applying it to the paper, and put the back into the box to see how it looked. It was fine, but when I took the piece out again, the paper came undone. It took a minute to try and see if I should apply the glue onto the back itself, and not the paper. When I did this and tried how it held up against the box, the paper stayed on with no problems. This was relieving, since I could go on and do the next steps without worrying about the background staying on. The next thing I did was cut out my shapes.
I printed squares of color to use for the shapes on the sides, and sketched out on the back a guideline on where to cut. I checked the other side to make sure it was visible enough, and it was. So I cut out my shapes, and cutting the pink shape was fine until I accidentally cut the bottom part off. I fixed it with glue, and was able to attach it to the other part. The sun rays were next, and I cut out the shape without any trouble. The butterfly took me more time to do due to the more precise shape it had, and I didn't want to mess up while cutting it out. After finishing with all of the elements for the sides, I drew out the silhouettes on white paper and cut them out. The only challenge was trying to cut out the small triangle that would form the arm, but I managed to do so with folding the paper slightly. For the sky background, I measured it to be about five by three and a half inches, and cut it out. For the box, I initally wanted it to be an inch to fit a box shape, but after seeing that the T-rex wouldn't fit, I instead made it two inches. I went with a base, and then used a hot glue gun for the sides. I placed the toys in there afterwards, and they were able to fit with no problem. The last step for the toy box was to clue it on the bottom of the frame.
I printed squares of color to use for the shapes on the sides, and sketched out on the back a guideline on where to cut. I checked the other side to make sure it was visible enough, and it was. So I cut out my shapes, and cutting the pink shape was fine until I accidentally cut the bottom part off. I fixed it with glue, and was able to attach it to the other part. The sun rays were next, and I cut out the shape without any trouble. The butterfly took me more time to do due to the more precise shape it had, and I didn't want to mess up while cutting it out. After finishing with all of the elements for the sides, I drew out the silhouettes on white paper and cut them out. The only challenge was trying to cut out the small triangle that would form the arm, but I managed to do so with folding the paper slightly. For the sky background, I measured it to be about five by three and a half inches, and cut it out. For the box, I initally wanted it to be an inch to fit a box shape, but after seeing that the T-rex wouldn't fit, I instead made it two inches. I went with a base, and then used a hot glue gun for the sides. I placed the toys in there afterwards, and they were able to fit with no problem. The last step for the toy box was to clue it on the bottom of the frame.
For the shadow, I just drew the outline of the first figure and cut it from black cardstock. I arranged the pieces together, gluing the sun and pink paper onto the sky part. I glued the shadow onto the background first, and then everything that was attached to the sky part. The butterfly I glued on separately from the other pieces, and after that the back part was done. I then went onto the hanging objects, cutting some string and gluing them onto the stars and clouds I cut out. This part was the most difficult, as I tried to get the string to stay on the ceiling without it coming off. After a few tries though, I was able to do it and have them stay. I made sure to keep the string different lengths for the clouds and stars, and keep my composition in mind from my planning sketches. Then I added the music box and rose at the bottom, and glued another rose onto the top right corner of the box.
Experimentation
Something I experimented with was the positioning of the roses and objects on the bottom. I misjudged the width of the bottom to be wider than it was, and thought the music box would fit normally. When I tried to place it in there, it wouldn't fit with the back attached, and so I had to figure out a way to keep it in my piece without it looking off. I decided just to turn it, and this way, it would still look alright and be able to fit in the box. I also had to do something similar for the rose, and rotated it in the box to see where it looked best. I found that facing it more to the front was better. I also debated on whether or not to glue those two parts to the bottom, but I decided not to. When the back part was attached, the rose and music box stayed in position due to their width, The music box was also prevented from sliding around with the toy box I glued, which I thought would be a good idea to keep things in place.
Before I glued the parts together in the second image, I experimented with their positioning, and find where to glue them. I had the butterfly behind the sky background, and then had it separate. I think it bring separate gave an impression of the butterfly in flight, and I liked that idea rather than it being under something.
Something I experimented with was the positioning of the roses and objects on the bottom. I misjudged the width of the bottom to be wider than it was, and thought the music box would fit normally. When I tried to place it in there, it wouldn't fit with the back attached, and so I had to figure out a way to keep it in my piece without it looking off. I decided just to turn it, and this way, it would still look alright and be able to fit in the box. I also had to do something similar for the rose, and rotated it in the box to see where it looked best. I found that facing it more to the front was better. I also debated on whether or not to glue those two parts to the bottom, but I decided not to. When the back part was attached, the rose and music box stayed in position due to their width, The music box was also prevented from sliding around with the toy box I glued, which I thought would be a good idea to keep things in place.
Before I glued the parts together in the second image, I experimented with their positioning, and find where to glue them. I had the butterfly behind the sky background, and then had it separate. I think it bring separate gave an impression of the butterfly in flight, and I liked that idea rather than it being under something.
Critique
Similarities
Joseph Cornell's and my piece are both shadowboxes, with images glued to the center. We both use paper to cover the back side, and make a background for the work. There's at least one object hanging from the top of the box, and a few objects on the bottom. There's black paper used as the shadow of the subject in the center, and a few elements pasted on to the side to even out the positive and negative space. We also both utilize a blue sky background for the subject. Our work is dedicated to someone else, and has objects with symbolism behind it.
Differences
My shadowbox has darker wood than Cornell's, which is a cream colored box. The same can be applied for the background, and mines has a pattern while Cornell's uses a newspaper. The difference between the boxes is due to what was available at the time, and the box I chose had the width I needed to add things on the bottom. The background is because of stars being something my brother had in his room, and so I wanted to incorporate that. There are five objects hanging from my box in my work, and Cornell has just one object. This is also true for the objects on the bottom, with me having five and not two. Cornell's shadowbox has the bird stand on a base to make it three dimensional, but since I wasn't sure how to do it and was under time constraints, I chose not to. With our pieces being dedicated to someone, Cornell's person is an artist who inspired him, and mines is more personal.
Joseph Cornell's and my piece are both shadowboxes, with images glued to the center. We both use paper to cover the back side, and make a background for the work. There's at least one object hanging from the top of the box, and a few objects on the bottom. There's black paper used as the shadow of the subject in the center, and a few elements pasted on to the side to even out the positive and negative space. We also both utilize a blue sky background for the subject. Our work is dedicated to someone else, and has objects with symbolism behind it.
Differences
My shadowbox has darker wood than Cornell's, which is a cream colored box. The same can be applied for the background, and mines has a pattern while Cornell's uses a newspaper. The difference between the boxes is due to what was available at the time, and the box I chose had the width I needed to add things on the bottom. The background is because of stars being something my brother had in his room, and so I wanted to incorporate that. There are five objects hanging from my box in my work, and Cornell has just one object. This is also true for the objects on the bottom, with me having five and not two. Cornell's shadowbox has the bird stand on a base to make it three dimensional, but since I wasn't sure how to do it and was under time constraints, I chose not to. With our pieces being dedicated to someone, Cornell's person is an artist who inspired him, and mines is more personal.
Reflection
This project was enjoyable, and turned out better than I thought. I'd never worked with shadowboxes before, and I had wanted to do a piece incorporating a music box for a while, so this turned out to be a perfect opportunity. My favorite part is the stars and clouds hanging from the ceiling, since it made my piece more dynamic. Although it was troublesome to glue onto the ceiling at first, it was worth it in the end. I gained more experience with found object projects, and working with more than just paint or a digital medium. My least favorite part was finding that the music box covered the sun rays, but I think it's fine and doesn't interfere too much with the look of it. I'm glad that trying to follow Cornell's work let me develop ideas I liked and let me experiment more, and my work was better because of it.
ACT
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
I chose to do a shadowbox like Cornell did, and included elements like things hanging from the top and objects at the bottom. I also had a sky background against the image in the center, and both our pieces are dedicated to someone.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
While loss can be painful, remembering the joy they gave you is also important.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Despite Joseph Cornell's reclusive nature, he was able to influence a new way of doing art.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea is about memories.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Cornell's lack of formal art education and skills didn't make him any less of an artist.
I chose to do a shadowbox like Cornell did, and included elements like things hanging from the top and objects at the bottom. I also had a sky background against the image in the center, and both our pieces are dedicated to someone.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
While loss can be painful, remembering the joy they gave you is also important.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Despite Joseph Cornell's reclusive nature, he was able to influence a new way of doing art.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea is about memories.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Cornell's lack of formal art education and skills didn't make him any less of an artist.
Citations
“Cassiopeia 1, 1960 - Joseph Cornell.” Www.wikiart.org, 19 May 2013, https://www.wikiart.org/en/joseph-cornell/cassiopeia-1-1960.
DiTolla, Tracy. “Joseph Cornell Sculptures, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, 21 Jan. 2012, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/cornell-joseph/.
Solomon, Deborah. “These Shadow Boxes Are Striking. The Story of Their Origin Is, Too.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/arts/design/joseph-cornell-review-metropolitan-museum-of-art.html.
DiTolla, Tracy. “Joseph Cornell Sculptures, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, 21 Jan. 2012, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/cornell-joseph/.
Solomon, Deborah. “These Shadow Boxes Are Striking. The Story of Their Origin Is, Too.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/arts/design/joseph-cornell-review-metropolitan-museum-of-art.html.