By: Grace Westermann (Research), Alex DeChenne (Video), Paige Bartholmey (Research)

Group statement

For Scott Burton’s sculpture, Two-Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (a Pair) (1987), our group wanted to capture the chairs through video to show Burton’s original intent to create art that he believed should “place itself not in front of, but around, behind and underneath the audience in an operational capacity.” Using video to showcase this sculpture shows its stationary position in a stationary environment while capturing the movement around it every day, intersecting Burton’s concept of blending sculpture and furniture together to be woven into the surrounding environment.

Sculpture connection to Western Washington University’s vision

Western Washington University, “prepares and inspires individuals to explore widely, think critically, communicate clearly, and connect ideas creatively to address our most challenging needs, problems, and questions.”

Scott Burton’s sculpture captures Western’s vision because it signifies Burton’s own artistic exploration, challenging the difference between furniture and sculpture to connect the two ideas creatively to address the cyclical question of “what makes something art?” The two chairs are located in front of the Biology building, staged guardian-like on each side of its entrance.

Postmodernism

Best known for his furniture sculptures in granite and bronze, Burton’s use of natural materials, including wood and metal, furthered his ability to weave the environment and sculpture together. Burton’s sculptures also capture Postmodernism. Postmodern art broke away from traditional modern art by emphasizing styles like performance art styles, installation art and digital art that bridged a sense of play and deconstruction. Burton’s sculptures deconstruct identity by them challenging the viewer to see a sculpture of a chair as also being a chair they can utilize, creating an object of dual identity and a new concept for sculpture. While modern art focused on clarity of meaning, “postmodernism embraced complex and often contradictory layers of meaning” (Tate Art Museum, UK).

Time period impact

Artwork and politics of the 80s were energetically charged with the events going on around them. Politically, aids were the center of attention. Advocacy groups like ACT UP worked on the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research, and treatment to help save lives of those that were infected and to educate those who weren’t. Artistically, postmodern art, appropriation art, and neo-conceptual art all took shape in the art world. In general, the 80s was a time period that formulated new ideas artistically and politically.

Closing statement

Scott Burton invested his life into art after obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree. He served as an art critic for Art News in 1965, writing reviews about local art and artists and worked as a performance artist in the 70s. His sculpting career began in 1975 and included Two-Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (a Pair) created in1983 to 1987. Scott Burton died from AIDS at the age of 50 in 1989.

Bibliography

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Burton, S., & Getsy, D. (2012). Scott Burton: Collected writings on art and

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Marin R. Sullivan. (2013, September 17). Sculpture and Designed Things Part III:

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React. Research. Execute! (n.d.). Retrieved from https://wp.wwu.edu/wwuart109/2017/05/15/two-part-chairs-right-angle-version-a-pair-scott-burton-1987/.

Scott Burton. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.artsy.net/artist/scott-burton.

1980s. (2018, August 21). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/1980s.