Storm King Wall, photo by Storm King Art Center

“Trees, stone, people – these are the ingredients of the place and the work.” –Andy Goldsworthy, about his wall at Storm King Art Center (New Windsor NY)

The painter Marc Chagall said that great art picks up where nature ends. But in the hands of sculptor-photographer-environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy, nature is transformed into the artistic magic of possibility. Goldsworthy explores the effects of time, the beauty in loss and regeneration, and the relationship between humans and our natural surroundings. His supplies include rocks, flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, thorns, twigs and more. His earlier works were preserved only in photography; after being created wholly in and of natural elements, over time they would disintegrate or disappear. As he explained, “Each work grows, stays, decays.”

His recent work is more permanent in nature and explicit in its leadership, such as the Garden of Stones, A Living Memorial to the Holocaust at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City and the above-pictured Storm King Wall, over 2,700 feet long, using no concrete and winding through the trees, into the pond and out the other side.

Curated by The Circle’s Creative Director & Editor, Lara Herscovitch (Cohort 10). To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com

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