Untitled
Artist
Gordon Newton
(American, 1948-2019)
Date1973
MediumOil crayon on paper
DimensionsPaper Size: 44 3/4 × 35 in. (113.7 × 88.9 cm)
Frame Size: 49 3/4 × 39 3/4 in. (126.4 × 101 cm)
ClassificationsDrawing
Credit LineGift of James Pearson Duffy, 2008
Object numberUAC3522
DescriptionDuring the early 1970s, Gordon Newton produced a series of abstract oil drawings on paper. These have been interpreted as a type of aerial gesture drawing depicting the sometimes frantic energy of the goings on in the streets of Detroit, as seen from the artist’s apartment. This vantage point is representational of the distance Newton was known for as the elusive if central figure of the Cass Corridor movement, “observing, standing on the outside, his preferred position.” These works were also indicative of themes of explorative repetition that would echo throughout his work in the decades to come.In Newton’s “56- D- Untitled”, his desire to “emphasize the surface of the paper by the application of linear and circular elements” is evidenced as his apparent rapid mark making maps out a seemingly chaotic scene, flattening a variety of elements, composing what is perhaps an aerial view of the city from his downtown apartment into a jungle of form and shape on a two-dimensional plane. There is however, both a literal and figurative depth to be found in this image upon further inspection. The overlapping lines and circles call the viewer to unravel them, to visually and mentally work through the image assigning meaning and feeling to the abstracted scene before them. This juxtaposition of calling attention to the two dimensionality of marks on a paper while also layering the work in a way that calls for the creation of depth both in feeling and even meaning all swirling delicately throughout what one may consider a “sketch” is indicative of Newton’s growing individual style of complicating and exploring the many facets of one idea within one work or series.
Calling these works “energy drawings”, Newton, looking back on the creation of the works in this series, is cautious to assign any specific subject matter to his drawings such as “56- D- Untitled.” He asserts that they are rather an attempt to capture the spontaneity and energy of his surroundings in the Cass Corridor in the early 1970s. So their representationality is up for debate, calling into question individual’s attempts to categorize them as aerial views or maps of his surrounding. What is clear, however, is that through dissecting the world around him, breaking people, objects, and even feelings down into kinetic shapes and shades, Newton used these works to explore notions of abstraction and exploration, laying a foundation for his characteristically inquisitive style.
Often heralded as the reclusive genius, seminal to the Cass Corridor artistic style, Gordon Newton, a Detroit native born in 1948, spent his childhood moving about the midwest before returning to the Southeast Michigan, beginning his formal art education in Port Huron Community College. From there, Newton elected to return to downtown Detroit, enrolling in art school at the Society of Arts and Crafts (now College for Creative Studies) in 1969, transferring to Wayne State University a year later. Known for labored, deeply analytical work inspired by his surroundings both in downtown Detroit and the more naturalized landscape of Northern Michigan, Newton carved out a place for himself not only in the Cass Corridor, but found contextualization within a larger American Expressionist movement, combining various elements of established visual languages to create an almost neo-Expressionist style, speaking in his own, unique vernacular. Gordon Newton has continued to live and work in Detroit through to today. Though he remains an elusive figure in the art world, his work continues to be visible, not only due to the Wayne State Art Collection, but through exhibitions throughout the surrounding areas.
Written by Kat Goffnett
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