The first major work to examine Joseph Cornell’s relationship to American modernism
Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) is best known for his exquisite and alluring box constructions, in which he transformed found objects―such as celestial charts, glass ice cubes, and feathers―into enchanted worlds that blur the boundaries between fantasy and the commonplace. Situating Cornell within the broader artistic, cultural, and political debates of midcentury America, this innovative and interdisciplinary account reveals enchantment’s relevance to the history of American modernism.
In this beautifully illustrated book, Marci Kwon explores Cornell’s attempts to convey enchantment―an ephemeral experience that exceeds rational explanation―in material form. Examining his box constructions, graphic design projects, and cinematic experiments, she shows how he turned to formal strategies drawn from movements like Transcendentalism and Romanticism to figure the immaterial. Kwon provides new perspectives on Cornell’s artistic and graphic design career, bringing vividly to life a wide circle of acquaintances that included artists, poets, writers, and filmmakers such as Mina Loy, Lincoln Kirstein, Frank O’Hara, and Stan Brakhage. Cornell’s participation in these varied milieus elucidates enchantment’s centrality to midcentury conversations about art’s potential for power and moral authority, and reveals how enchantment and modernity came to be understood as opposing forces. Leading contemporary artists such as Betye Saar and Carolee Schneemann turned to Cornell’s enchantment as a resource for their own anti-racist, feminist projects.
Spanning four decades of the artist’s career, Enchantments sheds critical light on Cornell’s engagement with many key episodes in American modernism, from Abstract Expressionism, 1930s “folk art,” and the emergence of New York School poetry and experimental cinema to the transatlantic migration of Symbolism, Surrealism, and ballet.
- 272 pages
- Hardcover
Anonymous –
Hanging System-Modern Brass – K006501841 Hunter
Langärmeliges Top & Hose Pyjama-Set Cosabella
20-Pack AquaFX Ballyhoo-C-DI-DI Activated Carbon Block Filter Replacement Denali Pure
SEALING RING REPLACES 838766 Poseidon Marine
Battery for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7EB-S CGA-S-106B, CGA-S-106C, CGA-S009, CGA-S0 Cameron Sino
18" Protective Sleeves/pair Fusion Flavours
A. Saks 21 in. Expandable Suitcase AE21 A. Saks
Trail-Series 3XDry Shorts Specialized
SOUS-VÊTEMENT ICEBREAKER 100% MERINO HOMME, OASIS 260 ICEBREAKER
Battery for HP iPAQ rx3417 35H00041-01, 35H00042-00, 360136-001, 360136-002, 364 Cameron Sino
VSR Gen3 7875 Billet GT42 Vsracing
Foxie – Camisón Cosabella
DD Studio Globe Compass Black/Camel 11-B1-10 Danish Design
Ladies' Spectacle frame Moschino MOS560-807 Ø 52 mm Moschino
Baby Muslin Buffs Keystone Industries
Urlar Gladstone Pinot Gris Wairarapa 2021 0
MTP "Relativity" – Space Onie #1 Stoked CT
PARTS MASTER SHOCKS 89194 GAS SHOCKS PARTS MASTER SHOCKS
Seymour Duncan ST59-1 Little '59 Lead For Tele Seymour Duncan
Masque Visage V Cosabella
Women's Bodycon Sleeveless Square Neckline Camisole Top With Ruched Bodice And Drawstring Detail Sun-Imperial
Martin 00-X2E Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Cocobolo w/Softshell Case Martin Guitars
Satco 80-1947 On-Off Phenolic Rocker Switch w/Dot SATCO
Clark Atlanta Panthers: Foamcore Foam Finger Foam Core Cutout – Officially Licensed NCAA Big Head Fathead LLC
Greenlight Playmat Doxology Studios
Tenute Sella Bramaterra DOC 2015 0
QUICK STEER K8276 BUSHING KIT QUICK STEER
Daisy Cats Thin Desk Mat TigaTiga