Educational Media Reviews Online

In 2006, cardboard artist James Grashow happened upon one of his works abandoned and decaying in his art dealer’s backyard. This jarring experience is what led him to the creation of a new piece, “Corrugated Fountain,” inspired by Rome’s Trevi Fountain and the works of Bernini. The difference was that Grashow’s “Corrugated Fountain” was intended to be temporary; Grashow would watch it deteriorate from the outdoor elements to complete the creative cycle. Grashow said about his process, “All artists talk about is process, but the process that they talk about is always from beginning to finish. Nobody really talks about full-term process, to the end, to the destruction and the dissolution of the piece. Everything dissolves in eternity.”

The Cardboard Bernini illuminates what every art lover wonders when at a gallery—what a work means to its artist, and what inspired him or her to create it. “Corrugated Fountain” is a work of art tied into the artist’s life experience, and to tell the story of the work is to tell the story of the artist. The film addresses Grashow’s driving force to become an artist, his family members’ perspectives on his work, and his thoughts on cardboard as an artistic medium.

The film is focused and well edited, with footage exhibiting many of Grashow’s works. For the centerpiece, “Corrugated Fountain,” we are shown details of the construction process and the finished product, as well accelerated footage of the dissolution of the fountain. Highly recommended.