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Joseph
Cornell's 'Cabinets of wonder'
You are invited to read the introduction on this page and then click any of
the chapters below.
MEDICI SLOT MACHINE DESCRIPTIONS
Introduction
In my opinion
Joseph Cornell's art is among the most enigmatic ever produced. Contained
in his box constructions are items as diverse as drinking glasses, clay
pipes, star charts, Medici prince and princesses, wooden spheres, and
children's toys. Cornell creates in his work, a poetic narrative, with
his own very personal connections, which together affect the viewer as
if these objects hold a sense of joy or sadness. Cornell's boxes, which
he began to make in the 1940's were not originally conceived as art objects.
Rather, they were made as gifts for individuals sometimes living, sometimes
dead. Often people the artist had never met, but whom he admired from
afar. To me one of the strangest questions about Cornell's work is: why
did he decide to put together such diverse ideas as images of the Medici
family of Renaissance Italy with arcade slot machines iconography and
refer to them in his journals as Medici slot machines? And how did he
make them look as if they belong together so perfectly? By referencing
books and articles written about Cornell's work I intend to find answers
to these questions by describing three pieces from Cornell's 'Medici slot
machine' series and some of the source materials; examine the varied history
of the 'box format' and how Cornell adapted it for his own use; attempt
to find out if the many images and objects were connected, or if randomness
played a part in Cornell's work; discuss why Cornell hardly ever gave
titles to any of his work, and why he developed a series of works. To
conclude my essay, I intend to analyse and discuss the origin of Cornell's
'Medici slot machine' series, as discovered through my research, whilst
also evaluating the life and works of Joseph Cornell.
