Known for his enigmatic constructed boxes and collages, Joseph Cornell pioneered assemblage art with his Surrealist view of the world. Initially inspired by European Surrealists like Max Ernst, Cornell’s fanciful, dream-like compositions of found objects combine ideas and imagery of astronomy, music and dance. Themes of nostalgia prevail in his work, recalling childhood and an earlier era of 19th century Victorian culture. Penny Arcade with Horse synthesizes these concepts, as the wooden horse, shooting target (of amusement park origin), hearts, doves and cutout of a young boy reference childhood whimsy while the figures and pennies are configured on the rings of the target in an imaginative solar-system.
