Andy Goldsworthy and His Philosophy

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Andy Goldsworthy, (1956--) is a British sculptor, photographer and moreover can be described as an environmental artist. He creates his work with no preconceived notion of what each creation will be. Instead, he relies on the environment for inspiration. His work becomes a document of the energy where he records a place in time and his experiment through exploration a transient addition to the surroundings. He is dependent on the weather and seasons as further inspiration.

Goldsworthy is also sensitive to the natural process of the planet and his place upon it. While his documentation of the more than 2000 sculptures he’s created is primarily in photographs, the original document, the sculpture, remain in situ (on site, or in the place) where it will decay as an part of the natural process. (Witcombe, 1997)

Andy Goldsworthy’s philosophy is that we, as a collective human species and as an individual are connected to the ecology of the planet Earth. He sees art as something that is constructed or man-made whereas the natural world or nature finds itself devoid of human intervention. Goldsworthy convenes with nature and the “natural” landscape and then re-arranges it to create his art.

In an interview, Goldsworthy shared his consideration for the relationship with the natural world that evolves around us and him. “There is no doubt that the internal space of a rock or a tree is important to me. But when I get beneath the surface of things, these are not moments of mystery; they are moments of extraordinary clarity” (Adams, 2007)

Goldsworthy exhibits his work in the connection between human and nature; it to us and us to it. Because time is only a perception of reality that temporary, the ever changing environment and that of hu...

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Caddy, J. (2010). Artist/Naturalist Pages- Andy Goldsworthy. Retrieved January 11, 2011, from Morning Earth: http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html

Famous Naturalists. (2011, January 20). Retrieved January 26, 2011, from Exploring New Horizons: http://exploringnewhorizons.org/old-site-archive/famouslm-goldsworthy.html

Friedeman, T. (2006). Timeline 1976-1986 Vol 1. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from Andy Goldsworthy Digital Catalogue - University of Crichton: http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/

Goldsworthy, A. (1990). Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature. New York: Harry N.Abrams Inc.

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