바넷 뉴먼(Barnett Newman)의 <부러진 오벨리스크> - 기념비적 성격을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk (1963-69) is a sculpture which consists of two forms, a pyramid and a broken obelisk, converging at their summits. From the formalist point of view, this sculpture, composed of basic geometric forms in monotone color and single material, belongs to the geometric abstract art of the American modernism. However, given that the two structures constructing the sculpture are not mere geometric forms but very compelling symbols representing traditional Egyptian heritage and the most frequently adopted abstract forms in the historical monuments, the iconic meanings and monumental roles in Newman's sculpture cannot be ignored. In America, the traditional Egyptian images have been public icons since the establishment of the country as the political, social and cultural symbols. These images represent national ideals such as glory, continuity and stability, resurrection, freedom and democracy etc. The combination of Pyramid and Obelisk in Newman's work can be interpreted as another transformation of these familiar visual symbols. Recalling forgotten national and social ideals, and questioning their validity at the same time, it implies public monumentality. Newman's Obelisk is not whole but broken. Broken forms are the symbols of vanitas and suggest sudden or untimely deaths. Since 19th century, broken columns or obelisks have been built in the public and national cemeteries, functioning as tombstones mourning incomplete lives. Broken Obelisk combines these two factors characterizing a funeral monument. Broken Obelisk, initially a private work, was considered a pure work of art when first exhibited, has gradually commemorated certain people or groups depending on installation sites, received as a public sculpture. Newman constructed three identical Broken Obelisks. The first version was placed in the Rothko Chapel in Huston and has become a monument to Martin Luther King Jr. The broken shape of Newman's Obelisk is closely associated with Rev. King Jr.'s unexpected death and reminds us of his unfinished achievements as a human rights activist. This sculpture has become a monument to a particular person and eventually a symbol of the non-violence human rights movement he had struggled for. The second version of Broken Obelisk has been placed in the plaza of the Washington University in Seattle. This sculpture recalls the active student movements in the 1960s-70s related to Martin Luther King Jr. Also it commemorates the accomplishments of intellect and scholarship being considered to raise questions about the roles of the universities and intellectuals. Broken Obelisk not only commemorates particular individuals and groups but also functions as a memorial to the historic events and conflicts of the 20th century. Related to the human experiences shared in modern era such as the Holocaust and World Wars, conflicts in the Middle East and Vietnam War, this sculpture can be viewed as an anti-war monument being interpreted as a memorial to the victims of each and every war in the modern world. This sculpture has monumental characteristics as a public sculpture reflecting the national demands of that time such as reconciliation, recuperation and reconstruction in the aftermath of the war. The third version centers and dominates the atrium as of large and outstanding among the indoor works of art in MoMA. Broken Obelisk is an American avant-garde embodiment of the sublime in modernist geometric forms. Reviving romantic sublime, however, it takes the form of traditional monuments at the same time. In short, on the one hand this sculpture shows the achievements of American modernism represented by abstract art, and on the other hand, it implies limitations of modernism in terms of return of figurative, succession of tradition, experience of sublime and receptiveness by its viewers. Considering this duality, Broken Obelisk can be viewed as not only a symbolic monument to the American modern art but also an artistic milestone suggesting the crossroads of experience/association, abstract/figurative, modernism/postmodernism. Therefore, Broken Obelisk is a geometric abstract, meaningful symbolic form, site of experience and events. Through this work, Newman created a universal monument to the human and modern civilization and artistic monument challenging the limitations of modernism as well.