Sculpture Diving Board (#1)
Artist
Gordon Newton
(American, 1948-2019)
Date1977
MediumGlass, marble, polyester resin
Dimensions4 1/2 × 16 × 5 in. (11.4 × 40.6 × 12.7 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of John Hilberry, 2015
Object numberUAC6413
DescriptionConstructed after a summer spent near Lake Superior, in an environment surfacially juxtaposed to the chaos and grit of the big city, Gordon Newton’s diving boards explore issues paralleling those in his roller coaster series. This pairing of series to explore issues from all angles, oscillating from chaotic works to those which showcase more of a logical order is commonplace in the works of Newton. Whereas the Roller Coaster series, “Coaster III”(1977)(1) for example, feels more fluid and organic in its tumultuous expressions, the Diving Boards, such as “Sculpture Diving Board (#1)” posses a solid geometry in their construction, appearing as architectural models for a larger scale project that was never meant to be. This comparison of the two series creates an interesting dialogue on the organic and inorganic, creation and destruction, and the chaos and order found or stereotypically attributed to natural versus man-made environments. Both climates possess elements of regeneration and entropy inherent in their construction and, through complex, literally multilayered compositions, Newton unravels collocated notions about humanity both in its inherent, biological state and it’s more constructed, psychological sense of self.
“Sculpture Diving Board (#1)” echoes its inspiration with the reflecteve resin working as a stand in for the mirrored surface of Lake Superior. Though the piece is endowed with a structurally solid base, the translucence of the used materials and haphazardness of the assemblage of forms creating the whole of the “diving board” itself provide the viewer with a sense of uneasiness and instability. Marsha Miro, in an essay on Newton’s works comments that “there is a sense of fear conveyed by these small objects consisting of boards paralyzed in random positions by resin (2).” This fear of potentially leaping forth into the unknown conjures up both the seemingly benign fears of a child utilizing a diving board, propelling themselves into a swimming pool and the deeper anxieties felt by humanity as a whole when questioning the dauntingness of the unknown in a broader, metaphysical sense. This playful fluctuance of meaning characteristic of Newton’s work can easily be read into “Sculpture Diving Board (#1)”, as the elements that make up the utilized media itself hold their own inherent precariousness of both meaning and physical stability.
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) “Coaster III” is in possession of the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is not currently on view (03/08/2018).
(2) “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):16.
Collections
