"Exuberance is beauty."-- William Blake
Not long ago I discovered the documentary "River & Tides" about Andy Goldsworthy the artist who "makes art that nature consumes" -- icicles, sticks, flowers, driftwood nests, rocks. His art works are made on the edge of the sea, in the heart of a forest, on a wind-swept hillside. He says that by making art in these places he feels like he has touched the heart of the place. He says his work is about "seeing something you've always seen before but you were blind to. There are moments when it's extraordinarily beautiful ... those are moments I live for."
In the documentary as I watched one incredible piece of beauty after another drift away, melt or collapse, I wondered, "Why?" And the answer seemed to be ...
Because ... just because.There are many YouTube videos on Goldsworth. Here's one that gives a brief glimpse of some of his work although the music is a little distracting. The DVD is available from Netflix.
Because it called to me.
Because I could.
Because beauty ... art ... matters.
About the image: Worm trails on a downed eucalyptus.
Andy Goldsworthy is one of my favorite artists, and I have a number of books on his art. He built a stonewall at Storm King in upstate New York. It's incredibly moving to see, especially when it goes down to the lake and seems to disappear into the water. He walked all around the area collecting the stones for the wall. A true labor of love.
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