Goldsworthy

One of the first artists who inspired me to create was Andy Goldsworthy, whose work proves that a simple journey through nature can be sufficient to provide the materials and inspiration for a lifetime of art. Goldsworthy breaks free from the usual artistic practice of creating work within an indoor studio, instead using his surroundings to make art which blends seamlessly with its setting and looks like it could have grown naturally from its environment. The work pictured above is entirely static, yet the meandering shape suggests dynamic movement as it weaves its way amongst the trees, eventually coming to an end by immersing itself entirely under water. It is imbued with a life of its own, creating the impression that it has made the conscious decision to move from one place to another, and thus the artist physically represents with the wall of rocks the journey which the linear shape undertakes takes through the forest. 

Yet Goldsworthy's art is primarily concerned with a less tangible type of journey - that of  the passing of time which all living things on this earth are subject to and affected by. This is reflected in the work called Rain Shadow (below), where Goldsworthy himself lies on the ground during a rainstorm, protecting the ground below him from the rain. The work is made as a result of the time spent lying on the ground, and it too will eventually disappear when the ground surrounding it dries. All his works are therefore temporal pieces, made to be viewed for a brief moment before they become victim once again to the cycles of nature.

~ M. D.