Copernican Communication - Molecular Systems

Artist Gordon Newton (American, 1948-2019)

DateApril, 1983

MediumWood, paint, rubber

Dimensions51 × 80 × 19 1/2 in. (129.5 × 203.2 × 49.5 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Robert Jacobs, 2016

Object numberUAC6364

DescriptionIn “Copernican Communication - Molecular Systems” Gordon Newton manipulates scrap materials primarily made of wood in such a way that it emulates a thicket of technological odds and ends much like one could find in the back room of one who passes their free time tinkering with electrical gadgets. The energy of the chaotic, tumbling composition paired with the lack of precision and finish in the predominantly black structure makes the piece feel alive, like a wild beast, revealing flashes of bright red, green, and yellow at surprising junctures. The gloss of the varnish gives a finish to some of the constructed structures of the work, acting as stand ins for computer parts, gears, tapes, and other various forms of technology. Some portions of the work are left bare, revealing patches of the original wooden organism below. This allusion to a natural material paired with the wires that crisscross about the composition, purposefully reading like fences in a pastoral setting bring about queries that frequent the narrative of Gordon’s work. “Copernican Communication - Molecular Systems” juxtaposes the theoretically composed, ordered future, emulating the cold, shiny, and technological, with the past, organic, wild, and natural. Another comparison between the constructed of the man made with the the natural organic world and even the sometimes beautiful chaos of the destruction of the man made as it gives way in cyclical dance back into the earth again can also be made when perusing this work which makes the organic into tech, leaving allusions to their beginnings with the inclusion of sharply jagged wooden shards, untamed and unfinished and a light dusting of wooden shaving that falls like a sparse April snow shower across the piece. This work and others crafted around the same time were also meant to illustrate Newton’s cautious interest in the world of technology as he was interested enough to masticate over it in his work, but was also weary of the implications of certain elements, namely spy tech. Newton was “bothered by the proliferation of surveillance devices, including tape recorders and cameras on streets and in stores monitoring daily activities (1).” “Copernican Communication - Molecular Systems” another example of Newton doing as he does best, utilizing his art as means to explore the pros and cons of life’s most complicated issues.

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

(1) "Gordon Newton: Thirty Years Later.” Gordon Newton: Selections from the James F. Duffy Jr. Gift, by Marsha Miro, The Detroit Institute of the Arts, (2001):18.

Collections