“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.” – Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, 

Joseph Cornell, "Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny."--Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, Boston, April 18, 1859. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man., ca. 1957-1958, mixed media: painted and stained wood, glass, shells, driftwood, and paper, assembled, glued, and nailed, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.71
Copied Joseph Cornell, "Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny."--Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, , ca. 1957-1958, mixed media: painted and stained wood, glass, shells, driftwood, and paper, assembled, glued, and nailed, 17 3⁄8 x 12 7⁄8 x 3 1⁄2 in. (44.2 x 32.7 x 8.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.71

Artwork Details

Title
“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.” – Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, Boston, April 18, 1859. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man.
Artist
Date
ca. 1957-1958
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 3⁄8 x 12 7⁄8 x 3 1⁄2 in. (44.2 x 32.7 x 8.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Container Corporation of America
Mediums
Mediums Description
mixed media: painted and stained wood, glass, shells, driftwood, and paper, assembled, glued, and nailed
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male
  • Animal — sheep
  • Animal — goat
  • Landscape — celestial — star
  • Mythology — classical — Auriga
Object Number
1984.124.71
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.124.71

Related Posts

Detail from a painting. Orange and blue organic shapes on a dark blue background.
Exhibitions10/15/2021
When Kusama Met Cornell
On the surprising friendship between artists Yayoi Kusama and Joseph Cornell
A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.
Howard Kaplan
Writer