Gold II
February 3, 2017
Gordon Newton, one of the groundbreaking artists from the Cass Corridor art movement, was as prolific in his art making as he was influential. Within our collection at Wayne State, we have over 1,000 of Newton's pieces. Newton made experimental, heartfelt, unconventional artwork that paved the way for artists of the Corridor that came after him.
Gold II is a distressed piece of wood that is realized as a wall sculpture. The surface of the piece has varying textures and contours, as the pieces shift from a rough texture to smooth, and a crisp straight outline to jagged edges. The color gold has grand significance in art history and world history, taking on both religious and capitalistic symbolism, Newton's decision to highlight the gold in a distressed piece of wood is a form of him elevating something that the average person would look at as "useless" or as junk.
Text by Emily Lane Borden