A
frugal assortment of stamps, newspaper cuttings and other objects with no
particular relevance to each other is placed in a wooden box. This container
acts as a metaphor for the whole world, inhabited by these strange items. It is
also a treasury of curiosities that is compelling to explore and evoked a mood
of nostalgia. The fragments of once ornamental or beautiful objects come
together in a magical and dream-like way. This is Cornell's genius, and why he
has proved so popular over the years. The randomness of these 'assemblages', as
they are know, reflects Cornell's interest in the irrationality of Surrealism.
Nevertheless, a sense of order and precision pervades pieces such as this. Of
his own work, Cornless once said, 'Shadow boxes become poetic theatres or
settings wherein are metamorphosed the elements of a childhood pastime.'
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A
frugal assortment of stamps, newspaper cuttings and other objects with no
particular relevance to each other is placed in a wooden box. This container
acts as a metaphor for the whole world, inhabited by these strange items. It is
also a treasury of curiosities that is compelling to explore and evoked a mood
of nostalgia. The fragments of once ornamental or beautiful objects come
together in a magical and dream-like way. This is Cornell's genius, and why he
has proved so popular over the years. The randomness of these 'assemblages', as
they are know, reflects Cornell's interest in the irrationality of Surrealism.
Nevertheless, a sense of order and precision pervades pieces such as this. Of
his own work, Cornless once said, 'Shadow boxes become poetic theatres or
settings wherein are metamorphosed the elements of a childhood pastime.'