Jansen Book

I love art in many of its forms and styles. I love creativity and the surprises it provides. I love to explore the question, Is this art?

This isn't the first book on Andy Goldsworthy that I have read and I am left with the same question, Is this great art? I really can't decide. Of sure the wall is beautiful as it snakes down the hillside and into the lake but... First of all where was Andy Goldsworthy's work? Was this his art or was it the creation of all those hired stone craftsmen? I give credit to the latter. Secondly, was this "work of art" well designed and conceived? My answer as the wife of a stone craftsman is no. For stone walls to be strong and durable they need foundations which were impossible to do and not kill all those trees by cutting their roots. And taking the wall into the lake looks interesting but is fundamentally structurally unsound because of the freeze and thaw of the lake. Does art need to be durable and soundly designed? Well I don't think the artist should do poor quality work. What I know is that I was not impressed.