In 1945, Pablo Picasso offered a lesson in abstraction with his image progression in The Bull, which showed 11 different renderings of his bovine subject, from somewhat realistic to a final drawing that showed his subject drawn with what amounts to seven lines.
Red Grazing, steel with powder coat, 56 x 53 x 12”
Western sculptor Al Glann appreciates that “less is more” approach to art, although rather than working in paint or pencil, he creates his art in metal. “I’m basically a three-dimensional gesture artist. The idea is put down the least amount of material as possible but still let people see the subject,” Glann says. “It’s definitely an additive process, and not so much taking away like normal [clay] sculpture. I start with the leg and just go from there. I used to teach anatomy, so I know the muscle and bone and pressure points. It’s that understanding of anatomy that helps me capture the subjects.”
To the Wire, bronze, 25 x 16 x 4”
Glann’s horses, bisons and other animal subjects are part of a new exhibition, Al Glann: Poetry in Motion, now open at the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona. The artist lives in Southern Arizona, in Tucson, so the show in his home state is important to him. “When they showed me the gallery I would be in for the show, it was really two rooms. It was a lot of space, but that meant I had a lot of room to play with,” Glann says, adding that he expects the show to have 35 pieces of art. “I wanted to bring in some larger works, and the museum was happy to let me. I will also be showing some of my paintings.”
Spirit of Peace, bronze, 14 x 9 x 4”
The artist works in steel, which is then cast in bronze. So rather than a paintbrush, Glann uses a MIG welder, plasma cutter and other equipment meant for metal fabrication. The welder isn’t just for joining two pieces of metal, it can also create texture, which Glann uses to show fur, hair or a horse’s mane. “I’ve been working in steel forever so I know how to manipulate it,” he says. “For me, it works effectively as a material.”
I See You, bronze, 17 x 20 x 20”
His artwork are certainly examples of abstract form, but they are also shining examples of negative space, since so much of his subjects are merely outlines. In To the Wire, for instance, the horse’s head is represented by two lines of steel. “It’s a challenge to simplify things down that much, but for that one the jawline was really important to me. I knew I could play with the shapes if that jawline was prominent,” he says. “Often I’m just looking for the right pose. I go through thousands of images to find the ones I like.”
Al Glann: Poetry in Motion continues through October 29 in Prescott. —
Al Glann: Poetry in Motion
Through October 29, 2023
Phippen Museum, 4701 Highway 89 North, Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-1385, www.phippenartmuseum.org
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