Andy Goldsworthy and Non-Representational Art
by Beck
Fig 1
Should you stumble upon one of Andy Goldsworthy’s nature sculptures, you might not even realize it at first.
He has no particular style to his brush strokes – no single line, motif, or method that would make his work instantly recognizable. You couldn’t bring one home with you, or hang it in a museum. He does not sign his name.
Fig 2
At first glance, it’s hard to imagine how a sculpture like his could even be made. It seems more like something that must have sprung out of a fairy-hole. Perhaps something left behind by some ancient or future civilization, far beyond our own understanding. Or at the very least, an elaborate photo-manipulation – not something shaped by ordinary human hands.
But that’s exactly how he did. For Goldsworthy, nature is his canvas. Where paints without easel, and carves without clay.
Fig 3
Rather than trying to capture or bend nature to his will, he simply guides it. Whether it’s through woven tree branches and carefully-lain leaves; packed snow or shifting sand; or swirling arrangements of stone; Goldsworthy finds paintings, portals, paths, and walls.
Unlike an exhibit in a museum, kept behind a thick pane of glass, and red-velvet ropes, Goldsworthy’s museums are open-air. Anyone can visit - and his art lives in a precarious state.
Fig 4
Whether it be through nature, or by the hand of one of his visitors, his art – and hours of labor – could all be swept away, and destroyed in a single instant. But that, in my opinion, is what makes them even more beautiful.
After all, it was never Goldsworthy’s intention for his work to last forever. Like nature, his work is inherently temporary, and ever-changing. Time is a recurring theme in his works. Where the leaves change color in the fall, and snow melts in the spring. There is a beauty in impermanence – and Goldsworthy was well-aware of that.
Fig 5
In his own words, "movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work." (The Art Story) Regarding another one of his works, Red Leaf Patch Cumbria (1983), Goldsworthy stated: “Nature is in a state of change and how that change is the key to understanding” (The Art Story).
Fig 6
What I take from Goldsworthy’s work is finding joy in the process of creation. Where one does not set out with the intention to make Art, with the intention that it be judged and interpreted. It is a process of discovery, through finding castles in the sand, or molding sculptures out of snow.
What happens after that doesn’t matter – just take pride in the fact that you made something today. Take a picture to remember it by – but the evidence is in the grit of sand beneath your nails; and lingering snow, melting on your fingertips.
Fig 7
Which is why I find it such a shame that abstract art is often treated with so much disdain. If something is more “realistic”, it must have taken a lot of time and study to learn, and is therefore often seen as “better” than an abstract work – no matter how beautiful the line-work, or how perfectly-matched the colors, or how creative and joyful the method used to create the latter.
A common sentiment I see, particularly from non-artists, is this kind of smug superiority. As though abstract art were some elaborate ruse, and they weren’t about to fall for it.
Fig 8
I imagine it’s a flaw of art viewed through a capitalistic lens. Where the value of art is often calculated by the sum of it’s time, pain, and labor. While certainly we should not disregard the value of anatomical and formal study completely – I also believe there’s value to be found in the ability to return to a childlike state – where one can express themselves freely, and enjoy the process of creation, without worrying so much about how it turns out in the end. Learning to let go of our adult fears of not achieving perfection, and societal standards for what is considered Art is not exactly an easy feat to achieve either.
Fig 9
The most common dismissal of non-representational art tends to be something to the effect of “my 5-year old daughter could do something like that”. But to me, the beauty of abstract art is in that very fact – that anyone, at least in theory - could create it. But if each of us were given a blank canvas and told to wildly throw paint at the canvas, even if given the same colors – the results would likely be wildly different.
Abstract art allows anyone to express themselves freely. It does not require years of study or practice to create, and does not allow for the piece to be picked apart by it’s details, such as flaws in anatomy or perspective. It is art without a barrier to entry.
Fig 10
I picture this theoretical layman, looking at a crowd of teens gathered around one of Goldsworthy’s works, and shaking his head in disbelief.
“I don’t see what's so special about that,” the layman says - likely picturing the youths all piling into a van afterwards and using their selfie sticks to take pictures with caramel macchiatos.
“It’s just a bunch of sticks and leaves. A child, Hell--” he gives an exasperated shrug – “I’m not even an artist, and even I could make something like that!”
To which there is only one appropriate response:
“Well… do it, then.”
Fig 11
Citations:
Adams, A. (2015) What’s So Special About the Visually Stunning Land Art of Andy Goldsworthy? Artnet.
Available at: https://news.artnet.com/market/visually-stunning-land-art-andy-goldsworthy-365327 (Accessed: December 19, 2021)
The Art Story. (Undated) Andy Goldsworthy: British Sculptor and Photographer. The Art Story.
Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/goldsworthy-andy/ (Accessed: December 19, 2021)
Images:
Fig. 1-4, 6, 8-9
Live Enhanced. (2020) 20 Most Beautiful Andy Goldsworthy Art and Images.Live Enhanced.
Available at: https://www.liveenhanced.com/andy-goldsworthy-art-and-images/ (Accessed: December 19, 2021)
Fig. 5, 10-11
Crichton. (2000) Anthony Goldsworthy Digital Catalogue. The Crichton Foundation.
Available at: https://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/timeline/ (Accessed: December 19, 2021)
