Figur / Figure

The essential question Hans Steinbrenner focused on throughout his entire career as an artist was the relationship between the whole and its parts. Starting with human figures modelled on Wilhelm Lehmbruck via organic-abstract sculptures in wood, stone and bronze through to works composed of cubist elements, he has pursued this theme consistently and continuously. The artist first designs his compositions in drawings, breaking them down into individual segments and then re-assembling them. The next step is a model in cast stone and the final step the execution of the sculpture. Steinbrenner calls his works “figures,” a distant memory of their starting point, the human body. The tall stele in Marl, however, is a completely abstract composition of interlaced cubes. The blackened oak absorbs the light, requires close examination and draws our attention only to the forms and structures. As one walks around the sculpture, one’s perspective changes constantly, revealing ever new facets of the composition. Every angle discloses a different side of the artwork, turning the sculpture into a vibrant dialogue between the individual and the whole.
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