Andy Goldsworthy - Paper
Final Paper
May 1, 2012
Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy was born in 1956 in Cheshire England. He was raised in Yorkshire England and attended both Bradford and Lancaster art college from 1974-1978("Andy Goldsworthy - Biography"). I was first introduced to this artist in class the other day when we watched his video “Rivers and Tides”. During the opening scene of the video Goldsworthy discussed a very unique obsession with the shape of winding rivers. The way that he talked about these rivers and their mere existence in nature was unlike anything I have ever encountered before…. I understand that the purpose of this writing assignment is to focus on one artist, and one single work of art the artist created. I regret to inform you that I have decided to stray from the guidelines you have provided for us in an attempt to challenge my own understanding of true art, and the beauty that is flushed through your body when you encounter it. I have struggled through most of the semester to connect with you and the other classmates while discussing art. It is not because I am an arrogant person; it is because I had to find my own meaning and place of belonging in the art world. I am a firm believer that until you make a true personal connection with art you can never gaze upon it the way that I saw you did every day. In order to become truly passionate about art, you have to grasp its concept and what it means to you and you alone. It took me a while to realize that what you are expected to think or know about a particular piece of art makes no difference. It is what you can pull together, understand, and make meaning of for yourself. Understanding and appreciating art goes very far past the physical world. I used to think that if I assimilated myself to merely looking at art and learning about its history and more technical features I would get it. I was terribly wrong; art goes far beyond the physical world. Most artists talk about what drives them to create their
May 1, 2012
Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy was born in 1956 in Cheshire England. He was raised in Yorkshire England and attended both Bradford and Lancaster art college from 1974-1978("Andy Goldsworthy - Biography"). I was first introduced to this artist in class the other day when we watched his video “Rivers and Tides”. During the opening scene of the video Goldsworthy discussed a very unique obsession with the shape of winding rivers. The way that he talked about these rivers and their mere existence in nature was unlike anything I have ever encountered before…. I understand that the purpose of this writing assignment is to focus on one artist, and one single work of art the artist created. I regret to inform you that I have decided to stray from the guidelines you have provided for us in an attempt to challenge my own understanding of true art, and the beauty that is flushed through your body when you encounter it. I have struggled through most of the semester to connect with you and the other classmates while discussing art. It is not because I am an arrogant person; it is because I had to find my own meaning and place of belonging in the art world. I am a firm believer that until you make a true personal connection with art you can never gaze upon it the way that I saw you did every day. In order to become truly passionate about art, you have to grasp its concept and what it means to you and you alone. It took me a while to realize that what you are expected to think or know about a particular piece of art makes no difference. It is what you can pull together, understand, and make meaning of for yourself. Understanding and appreciating art goes very far past the physical world. I used to think that if I assimilated myself to merely looking at art and learning about its history and more technical features I would get it. I was terribly wrong; art goes far beyond the physical world. Most artists talk about what drives them to create their
References: Andy Goldsworthy - Biography. (n.d.). University of Cincinnati, UC Blue Ash. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://www.ucblueash.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/biography.html Andy Goldsworthy - Philosophy. (n.d.). University of Cincinnati, UC Blue Ash. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://www.ucblueash.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/philosophy.html