Tempe
Fletcher Benton - Double Column Ring Triangle
50 E Gammage Pkwy, Tempe (ASU)
This 1994 iron sculpture is by the late San Francisco based artist Fletcher Benton. Benton was raised in Ohio, but fell in love with the San Francisco area where he lived during a navy assignment. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH, Benton moved to San Francisco to become a painter amidst the Beatnik movement. With fierce competition just to have his work noticed, he moved from painting to making kinetic sculptures, mostly of geometric shapes that change appearance with the use of a mechanical motor. This eventually brought him great success. In the 1970’s he began to produce more traditional sculptures, made of bronze and steel, but he continued to use geometric abstraction as his subject.
Benton had some interesting things to say about his art’s purpose and process. He described himself as having a “disease” that required order, and he had to make order out of his collection of geometric shapes. So he spent his time in the studio making smaller, study versions of his large and monumental pieces, trying to bring the different geometric elements to a place where they felt “right.” He could not define what “right” was, but he felt it when it happened. He also compared his art to music in that he wanted to bring the geometric elements into harmony like a musical chord.
Two other things Benton said can really help viewers of his work. Since abstract art does not represent something we would normally see in life, how do we make sense of works like Double Column Ring Triangle? First, Benton did not believe art was an intellectual process, but more like a love affair. It was something that moved him to a state that he compared to being intoxicated. The second statement that I believe is helpful is that Benton was clear that there was not great meaning in his art - he only hoped that his work would give the viewer a sense of pleasure. This should take any pressure off us, as the viewer, to try to make sense of this humongous, precarious collection of circles, half-circles and triangles. We can be free to just be moved by the size, shapes and arrangement that Benton has designed.
Double Column Ring Triangle can be found on the east side of the Arizona State University Music building. It is an easy walk from the Arizona State University Art Museum, so do stop by this wonderful museum if you have a chance. As parking can be tricky at ASU, light rail is always a good alternative if possible.
Last verified 10/2020.
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