http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/cornell/cornell.hotel-eden.jpg
Joseph Cornell lived a generally secluded life taking care of his invalid brother. He collected little bits and pieces of things almost obsessively, and took joy in making assemblages out of them. He doesn’t refashion these collected items, rather, he reconstructs the context in which they are in, making surreal, whimsical works of art that were originally meant as simple gifts to individuals. These beautifully assembled boxes were made to be examined, to interact with. I found this work by him in a book about Pop Art, in the section which talked of influences on the movement. The preoccupation with Art and Transformation of his collected items would play a part in Pop Art.
Its chief emblem is a caged parrot, the innocent resident of the Hotel Eden. One can argue that it represents freedom, that it represents the whimsical perfection of a child’s mind. However I think that in these works, the parrot is simply to be admired for its beauty, how it is the single inhabitant of Hotel Eden. Also, we can contemplate whether this “hotel” is truly a hotel, or a cage for the bird. Through the bird’s beak runs a piece of black string which is connected to a circular… thing. I can’t be sure if it’s a broadcasting system, or if it is something more symbolic. The string is held down by the bird almost as though it is a balloon. The other elements in the box are equally whimsical, decorative but thought provoking on the whole.
One thing noteworthy is that this was created in 1945, yet it has a certain timeless appeal to it.
