One of my favourite Joseph Cornell pieces that was in his recent exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts
Joseph Cornell loved Naples, Italy and he let his imagination run free when creating pieces around this subject matter. The beautiful thing here is he’s never been to Italy, let alone Naples. Those who have seen his pieces are usually at awe to how he was able to capture the precise ambiance of the city with only his imagination, people's stories and photos.
Naples is the definition of forgotten beauty. The run-down streets laced with overhanging laundry. The peeling paint tastefully coloured the city’s alleyways. Wandering around looking for birthday cake with my father was an adventure on its own. We didn't find any of course…it was Easter Monday. Nevertheless, it was the journey more than the destination, as it is in most cases. So why were we wandering about in Naples?
My father was commissioned this year to do a piece on one of Italy’s beautiful regions, The Amalfi Coast; Positano to be exact. Though he’s never been to the area himself, the couple who commissioned him loved his pieces from Cinque Terre and he was more than excited to take on the challenge. For me, it was an opportunity to travel with my parents. So for their Easter trip over to visit me, I decided to take them to this exact destination.
Naples – Sorrento – Capri – Almafi – Positano – Ravello – Pompeii
Each town is significant in their own ways, the towns that trail the south western coast of Italy are simply stunning. Although my father is still more drawn to the Cinque Terre area, his breath was still taken away by Positano. We hiked up around the village and found the location that shared the panoramic view of the painting he was working on. Needless to say he was taunted by the moment and needed to sit down and sketch it right away. My mother and I joined in as well. As you can see, my perspective is highly inaccurate and I need a lot practice to even come close to the reality of the scenery.
The final commission piece completed in 2015
The trip was fantastic, as it was long breakfasts staring off into the horizon, lazy lunches along the coastline and pasta filled wanders through endless villages. I would say Italy has yet again left another lasting impression on my father's mind.
An inspirational piece from this trip