Gordon Newton, Marine Light Study. 1988-89. Oil and resin on wood construction.
April 18, 2019
Gordon Newton, Marine Light Study. 1988-89. Oil and resin on wood construction.
Gordon Newton’s work was a key factor in defining the style of the Cass Corridor movement. He worked with a wide range of mediums, constantly experimenting with different artistic approaches. Marine Light Study displays Newton’s interest in wooden construction, sculpture, and assemblage. It functions geometrically, as wooden fragments are pieced together to create a seemingly fluid, marine scene.
Newton started out by taking art classes at Port Huron Community College. He then moved to Detroit in 1969 to study at the Society of Arts and Crafts (now the College of Creative Studies) and Wayne State University. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, his abundance of abstract drawings became highly regarded by art collectors and his peers. These drawings were later shown at the Willis Gallery’s inaugural show in 1971. His work has also been shown at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Marine Light Study was gifted to the Wayne State University Art Collection by Dennis Nawrocki in 2018.
Written by Marissa N. Gannascoli