". . . In a career that has spanned more than thirty years, Glenna Goodacre has formulated her belief in art into sculptures of heroic monuments, vivacious children, sensual nudes, and sensitive portraits.
Although most of her current work is three-dimensional, the relationship between painting and sculpture is present. Both are concerned with formal structure, directional force, and the movement of light across the surface of a figure. Certain pieces exemplify the dynamic nature of the subjects. However, it is the structural movement that becomes more apparent as the pieces are given closer consideration. Force and counter-force give energy and a sense of vitality to the figures. In all her sculpture, there is a strong pictorial quality. The dynamic energy held in classic repose is best exemplified in the Vietnam Women's Memorial. The nurse figures are captured in a split second of silence listening for the sound of incoming aircraft.
The intensity of anticipation documented by the listening figures is countered by the dramatic tableau of a fallen soldier and the comforting nurse against a backdrop of sand bags - a pieta' in battle dress. The extended hand of the soldier draws the viewer to the supporting figure and into the world of suspended animation. The force of the figures reflects the tragedy and heroism of the time and the expressive modeling gives the figures character and validity.
In the best traditions of figurative sculpture, Glenna Goodacre provides a means for the viewers to find their own way into and around the sculpture. Each person may discover a sense of identification with the figures, and intuitively anticipate a look, gesture, sign, or response. The messages each person receives are vintage Glenna Goodacre. The figures reflect her style…a style that is a means of giving a personal reality to the images . . ."
Gary Edson, Executive Director, Museum of Texas Tech University, May 1995
(Excerpt from: "Glenna Goodacre, The First 25 Years, A Retrospective Exhibition of Sculpture" published by the Museum of Texas Tech University.) |
