Riot

^{1990
Deborah Butterfield (b. 1949)
Steel
81½ x 120 in.
F. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund
Credit: Delaware Art Museum}

Debra Butterfield created Riot in 1990 using discarded metal from a movie theater marquee. Currently the sculpture is owned and displayed by the Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware. If the viewer looks closely, the letters R, I, O and T can be found tucked into the central area of the piece. Butterfield, who studied under Robert Arneson at University of California, Davis, has meshed her lifelong involvement with horses with her sculptural subject matter.

Riot looms ever larger as one walks across the museum space to view it closer. Its warm orange color is the element that is immediately attractive, and as the viewer draws near, the large mass becomes evident. The mass of the piece in proportion to the size of a human viewer is significant in creating a sense of monumentality. Once the details hook the eye the towering size becomes less intimidating. As with many sculptures, there is an implied invitation to walk around the piece to experience the view from all directions.

The sculpture is constructed from pieces of bright orange metal, not new and shiny but rusted brown in places with tiny chips revealing the grey metal underneath. A few pieces are a slightly darker red-orange, adding variation to the overall warmth of the orange. The rust and the chips create surface variation with textural changes.

The central area is outlined in curves at the top and bottom and filled with a complex jumble of rectilinear forms. This is supported by four slightly curved thin vertical cylinders which have long angular pieces of metal attached to the area closest to the central mass, creating a transition from the very thin verticals to the large horizontal mass. At one end of this structure a large form thrusts out unsupported, curving up and then bending down into a small ovoid shape. At the other end a thin curved piece of metal bends down, not quite half of the distance to the floor.

The interior of the central mass is constructed of metal pieces of various sizes. On the side facing into the room (referred to as the right side) there is on the left a large T shaped piece welded at a horizontal diagonal. It is attached to the supporting curve at the bottom of the mass at a single point, creating a slight feeling of precarious balance. Underneath of it is an ovoid, almost circular piece. There is a slightly darker red horizontal rectilinear form in the center, and another repeated diagonally on the right, with a slightly smaller geometric form underneath, angled in the opposite direction. The horizontal piece in the center holds these three large volumes together.

At the top and bottom two horizontal downwardly curved linear tubes seem to sandwich the three large forms in place. On the right, the linear edge of a flat piece of metal curves around to contain the right end. The curve of this piece is repeated in the protruding thin metal piece at the right edge of the central mass, and again in the two sets of vertical supporting cylinders, establishing a rhythm of curves with variation. On the left the large tapered projection extends horizontally with a slight curve downward, completing an undulating line that defines the top edge of the sculpture. The viewer’s eye travels along this line, and then moves back to the major mass by following the lower edge of the large protruding shape.

The artist has also established two major vertical lines to visually and physically stabilize and balance the sculpture. On the left the two upwardly tapered cylinders lead the eye to the top of the T shape. From there the eye follows the curved line at the top, is led down the large diagonal rectangle on the right, and back down the right tapered cylinder. The large negative space trapped between these boundaries brings the viewer’s eye up to find a horizontal edge that is the bottom curved metal strip at the base of the central area. From there the viewer can move back into the major mass.

The artist has arranged the diagonals to keep the viewer’s eyes moving around the piece, and the curves to move horizontally from one end to the other. In between the parts are many trapped, or negative shapes that repeat the angles of the larger positive shapes in a triangular way. These break up the potential heaviness of the mass as well as drawing the viewer inside. They lighten the visual weight and create contrasting areas of light in the darker mass.

The interior of the form is full of angular pieces of metal in light and shadow. Some of the solid forms, such as the R and T and I, have square or rectangular holes that are partially hidden in the interior, creating mysterious caves that draw the viewer deeper inside, as one would peer into of a piece of machinery to see the details. The geometric planes create lines of perspective that also draw the viewer to the interior. The light falls on angled pieces, making small glowing geometric shapes that add bits of color to the shadowy areas. These change as the viewer moves around the piece.

On the opposite (left) side, which faces a corner of the room, a large R shape is tilted diagonally so that the curve of the R rounds out the left edge of the major ovoid mass. This curve is repeated in a line formed by a flat piece of metal that wraps that end, repeating the curve of its counterpart on the right side. The downward diagonal thrust of the R is echoed with a similar piece behind it (showing in this side as a dark rectangle). It is supported with a rectangle thrusting in the opposite diagonal from the other side (the vertical of the T ). A large negative triangle is created with this chevron formation. Smaller negative triangles and trapeziums are also visible in this central area.

The single ovoid in the lower right area is carried through from one side to the other. This slightly squeezed cylindrical form, which creates a clear negative oval seen from both sides, at first seems to be out of place amongst the rectangles and triangles. As the viewer’s eyes travel around the piece, tiny oval and circular holes become noticeable. They are scattered throughout the entire form, giving the viewer small surprises at each discovery. Thus, the theme of curves and arches is continued in these diminutive negative spaces.

Still working on the left side of the piece, the viewer notices a vertical piece of metal to the right of center that is solidly connected to the right vertical supporting cylinder. It, in turn is solidly connected to the large somewhat flat protrusion that arches slightly up, then down to the right. This transition makes the protrusion feel solidly connected to the central mass.

The protrusion at first appears to create an imbalance, as it is almost as long as the main mass and not vertically supported. The cantilevered effect creates a sense of drama. The thinness of the metal spares this area of too much heaviness (less volume than the main mass). The tapering of the form and the jagged negative space at the far right also lighten the otherwise solid shape and weight of this section.

The overall visual balance is further enhanced with the stability of the four slightly curved verticals that lift the central mass up from the floor. On the right side of the protrusion a rectangular shape repeats in a smaller version the rectangle found in the center of the central mass, creating an echo of that shape and its direction. The four thin vertical tubes that lift the piece up are not stiffly vertical, but are slightly curved; the front ones (closest to the protrusion) less curved than the back ones. In addition, the artist has cut the bottom of two of them on a bevel, which visually lifts them slightly off of the floor and lightens the weight of the piece. This attention to small detail makes the viewer aware of the deliberateness of the artist that at first may not be evident because of the “discarded” nature of the materials.

The back of the piece (opposite the large protrusion) is made with two thin curved pieces of metal with a ridged thin strip of metal attached between. Here the artist has angled the tops of both shapes, tucking the bottom of the right one into the central mass a little further than the left piece. These angles create a little tension and add a slight asymmetry to the area. The narrow central piece is swayed to the left, allowing the viewer to gaze into the shadowed interior. There is a clear small triangle of negative space visible which adds a sparkle of light contrast to the dark interior. One of the front vertical supports is centered below this triangle, giving stability to the diagonals above.

In such a large piece of sculpture the viewer could overlook small details, such as the small ovoid and circular negative spaces mentioned earlier. Another interesting detail is the crimped or jagged edges found in several places, such as the thin protruding piece in the back and the top of the front protrusion. Small triangles have been bent into the form, as the one curving into the negative space at the end of the protrusion. These small repetitions of shape draw the viewer close to the piece and echo the larger shapes.

It is not until the viewer stands at either end of the sculpture that the slight curve of the entire piece is seen. If a photo could be taken from a bird’s eye view, the viewer would see that the whole piece is slightly concave on the right side and convex on the left. This curve is repeated throughout the form: in the top and bottom linear pieces of metal; in several pieces at the end opposite the protrusion; in the lifting and falling of the protrusion; in the arcs of the four vertical supports. This gesture of the form is so subtle that it may not be noticed until the viewer has studied the piece slowly from every angle. This curve keeps the work of art dynamic in its pose.

Riot is decorative in that the color is bright and noticeable from a distance. The repetition of geometric shapes creates a rhythm throughout the piece. The decorative aspects, however, are subordinate to the illustrative and expressive aspects. The work is illustrative in that it presents the mass and volume of a horse in a gesture reaching out to the viewer. It is easy to see the swish of the tail, the confident pose of the legs and the forward reach of the head as it encounters the viewer. One can even see a place to sit on the back of this horse.

Barnes discusses emotional associations with objects. He suggests that we carry the echoes of past experiences with us and emotions for which we have forgotten the origins. He says that this past is used by the artist to transfer values from one field to another, attaching them to objects of common life and making them meaningful in a new way. (Barnes p. 30). Butterfield has successfully organized discarded materials in a way that transforms them, giving a new purpose that is intriguing to the viewer.

The use of discarded materials in the sculpture can lead the analyzer down the path of discovering the original use of that material, and becoming confused in trying to find meaning in the use of rectilinear forms in an organic image, or pieces of movie theater in a horse. The materials become the focus of the review, a distraction from a deeper encounter with the object. This would be the end of review unless the viewer moves on to consider the expressive qualities of the sculpture.

Butterfield’s interest in expression has created an overall sense of drama and power in its mass, volume and height. There is a ruggedness in the chunks of metal that connects with the roughly treated surface. The large geometric shapes are dominant, and create tension by contrasting curves with straight edges. Enclosing the dramatic diagonals with soft horizontal curves is unifying. The containment draws the viewer inside, finding more drama in the contrast of light and dark on the various planes. The negative space becomes interesting as it echoes in a varied rhythm the geometric shapes of triangles and ovoids.

There is also a dramatic contrast between the large mass of the body and the thin vertical supports. These supports lift the mass up off of the floor and create a feeling of delicacy and stability. It is not an imbalance, but strength in the verticality. The large protrusion thrusting out at the front of the sculpture is anchored visually on both sides of the piece with large diagonals. The cantilevered effect activates the space underneath, and is echoed at the other end with the thrust of the thin curved piece of metal. In this way the negative spaces are tucked into the form.

It is clear that the artist has achieved unity in the organization of her unique form, expressing in her individual way relationships of mass and volume, value contrasts, proportions, directions of line, interactions of negative and positive, and repetitions with variety in shape and texture.

In Riot we climb through an earthquake of fractured jumbled rocks, peering into holes and crevices, balancing precariously on curves and diagonals. In our journey we discover weathered platforms for sunning and deep caves for hiding. The dappled landscape changes continuously as we move through light and shadows, finding new vistas at every turn.

Sculpture gives us the unique opportunity to experience art in a very kinesthetic way. We can move all around it, looking up, down and around, discovering unique aspects from different angles and distances. New relationships of the plastic means are discovered with each change of view. The suspense is heightened and prolonged, activating a sense of continuous discovery in the viewer.
 

Essay: Nancy S. Quinn