Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge

Week 2 Day 2: Joseph Cornell and Easweard Muybridge

Comparison between Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge and how their artwork can be considered "book like"

A book is a collection of words or images in relation to each other and are organized in a sequence. There is a beginning, middle and end. We often enjoy a good story book or (if your like me) enjoy getting lost in the elaborate illustrations of a picture book.

Yet, my 4-D class instruction widen my perspective of a book. Take away the object or item of a book we would find in the library and you are left with "collection, relationship, and sequence". Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge both emerge their art in collection, relationship and sequence.

Joseph Cornell (1903-1973) grew up and lived most of his life in Queens,New York. He spent time making discoveries in small object or relics found in flea markets and junk shops. Then creating relationships with these relics by putting them together in various compartments or boxes. In the 1930's Cornell was influenced by Surrealism artist Max Ernst calling it 'the Max Ernst white magic side' of Surrealism compared to the more violent and dark side of Surrealism. Joseph claimed that the closest he ever got to the violent side was when he occasionally cracked the pane of glass in his box. Other than that he strayed away from the erotic or fantasies that most Surrealists exhibited. He viewed the glass pane as a the means of separation between two contrasting worlds. One outside world filled with chaos, and accidents, while the second inside world was peaceful and filled with memories.

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) became one of San Francisco's most important landscape photographers. Brought to the attention of Leland Stanford, he was hired to take a photograph in order to settle a debate: Was there ever a moment in a horses run (gait) where all four hooves are off the ground? Muybridge accepted the challenge in 1872, and six years later with 12 cameras he was successful in capturing the moment when all four hooves are off the ground at the same instant. Once these pictures went public, Muybridge was internationally famous. Later in his career at the University of Pennsylvania he produced thousands of images relating to the frame by frame movement and capturing motion of man and beast. Although science was surrounding Muybridge's project at the University(which to his credit he encouraged), Eadweard thought of himself primarily, an artist.

Cornell's art is based off of 'found imagery' finding the beauty in the trinkets and placing them together creating both a collection and creating relationships between the objects or images he found. There is not a set out line of sequence in Cornell's boxes, but this allows the viewer to take part of the art and explore. Making the art interactive, as the viewer decides for them self a sequence within the box.

Muybridge's photographs are based in and on sequence. The collection of still frames follow one another creating a sequence of motion. There is a clear relationship from photograph to photograph as it is the same subject in a difference pose.

Both of these artist exhibit attributes of a book (the concept, not the object) though completely different in their art. Each having a their own sets of collections that relates to each other in a form of sequence.