Here in New York City, the weather is shifting from hot humid summer, to the cool crisp days of fall (my favorite time of year) and the seasonal cycle of nature prompted me to look at artists who work with natural elements. Born in 1956, Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist living in Scotland who has created sublime and beautiful works of art made up of only natural materials. Most images below come from the Andy Goldsworthy Digital Catalogue at the University of Glasgow, Crichton Campus, Dumfries, which documents works created from 1976-1986.
Andy gently shapes leaves, snow, ice, twigs, feathers, rocks, and other elements, and blurs the line between natural and man-made beauty. In a 2001 documentary directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer called Rivers and Tides, Goldsworthy discusses how working with nature roots him, and how time away from his work makes him feel rootless. Although the view from my apartment window looks out over a brick and concrete city landscape, Andy's images are so potent I can practically smell the icy snow, the wet leaves, and the damp earth. If, like me, you can't get enough of his work, you can browse through literally thousands of his photographs here at sculpture.org.uk.
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Andy Goldsworthy Green Leaves
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Andy Goldwworthy Carefully Broken Pebbles Scratched White Scotland 1985
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Andy Goldsworthy Partly Stripped Sycamore Twigs Yorkshire April 1972
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Andy Goldwworthy Bracken, Cumbria 1982
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Andy Goldwworthy Snowball in Trees Yorkshire 1980
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Andy Goldwworthy Elder Leaf Patch, Cumbria 1983
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Andy Goldsworthy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
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Andy Goldwworthy Yellow and Dark Elm Leafwork, Dumfrieshire 1986
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Andy Goldwworthy Woven Branch Circular Arch, Dumfrieshire, 1986
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Andy Goldwworthy Dandelion Flowers Pinned with Thorns, Cumbria 1985
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Andy Goldwworthy Feathers from Dead Heron, Cumbria 1982
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Andy Goldwworthy Grass Stalk Line and Mud Covered Rocks, Cumbria 1984
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Andy Goldworthy Snow Sculpture
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Andy Goldwworthy Balanced River Stones, Cumbria 1983
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Andy Goldwworthy Cracked Earth Removed, St. Louis, Missouri, 1986
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Andy Goldwworthy Red Cherry Leaf Patch, Cumbria 1984
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Andy Goldsworthy a scene from Rivers and Tides
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Andy Goldwworthy Frozen Patch of Snow (making), Cumbria 1986
I can’t find Mr. Goldsworthy’s photographs of his work at the http://www.sculpture.org link you mention above. Is there another website that has his photographs? The digital collection mentioned above covers the first 10 years, plus has some diary entries (fascinating!), but I wanted to see some later work as well. Thank you for your assistance. And thank you for posting so much of his beautiful work!
[…] Scotland, After 1985 via Westonsworld ”Snowball in Trees”, Yorkshire, 1980 via Creativity Fuse“Touching North”, North Pole, 1989 via Paragon“Pebbles Around a Hole”, 1987 […]
he is inspiring me to do more with my “finds” in nature. I think we share a similar thought process but he takes action, I dream too much…..glad I found this site, thanks to Annie Wadleigh who commented on a facebook post by “old moss woman’s secret garden”. who ever that is thanks to you both
Like walking in a forest – I like his work, particularly the two red leaf ones. I feel like he’s not destroying the environment, just re-arranging it. Great find.
15 Responses
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tina
i need the artworks name for my grade 10 course >:(
Author
Hi Tina – the names of each artwork is listed underneath the photos (with the year as well).
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[…] http://www.creativityfuse.com/2010/10/andy-goldsworthy-sublime-and-beautiful-environmental-art/ […]
yolomcswagings
it doesn’t say what the title or date it is
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[…] http://www.creativityfuse.com/2010/10/andy-goldsworthy-sublime-and-beautiful-environmental-art/ […]
bigkev69
GAYEE
Louisa Brinsmade
I can’t find Mr. Goldsworthy’s photographs of his work at the http://www.sculpture.org link you mention above. Is there another website that has his photographs? The digital collection mentioned above covers the first 10 years, plus has some diary entries (fascinating!), but I wanted to see some later work as well. Thank you for your assistance. And thank you for posting so much of his beautiful work!
Andy Goldsworthy: Winter Meditations | COOP
[…] Scotland, After 1985 via Westonsworld ”Snowball in Trees”, Yorkshire, 1980 via Creativity Fuse“Touching North”, North Pole, 1989 via Paragon“Pebbles Around a Hole”, 1987 […]
Canu Seeme
he is inspiring me to do more with my “finds” in nature. I think we share a similar thought process but he takes action, I dream too much…..glad I found this site, thanks to Annie Wadleigh who commented on a facebook post by “old moss woman’s secret garden”. who ever that is thanks to you both
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[…] Gallery of Goldsworthy’s Work […]
DitofucsRevo
Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.
Judy Rudikoff
Like walking in a forest – I like his work, particularly the two red leaf ones. I feel like he’s not destroying the environment, just re-arranging it. Great find.