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"Lincoln Observer" Blog: July 27th, 2009
Defending the indefensible:
Lincoln Library’s metal Abe
“Lincoln in Sculpture,” written and
photographed by Carl Volkmann
Photo by
Carl Volkmann
Carl Volkmann has a unique perspective
on what is probably Springfield’s most reviled statue of Abe — the all-angles
metal “Abstract Lincoln” that stands outside the Capitol Avenue entrance to
Lincoln Library, Springfield’s public library.
Not only is Volkmann an expert on
public statuary, he worked at the library for 23 years, retiring in 1993 as
library director. “Abstract Lincoln,” which was installed in 1976, guarded the
library’s main entrance for most of Volkmann’s career.
Volkmann has had two recent chances to
reflect on “Abstract Lincoln,” in essays written for two new examinations of
Lincoln statuary in Illinois — “Lincoln in Illinois,” published by the Abraham
Lincoln Association, and “Lincoln in Sculpture,” a collection of Volkmann’s own
writings and photographs for Illinois Heritage, the magazine of the Illinois
State Historical Society.
A Lincoln buff can find something to
like in both books, and Volkmann’s two reflections on “Abstract Lincoln”
demonstrate pretty well why. “Lincoln in Illinois,” as I probably didn’t
emphasize enough in my previous review, is a photo book; the impressionistic
commentary is a sidebar to Ron Schramm’s detailed photographs. Volkmann’s
commentary there on “Abstract Lincoln” is a mere three paragraphs.
“I see the work of an artist who
created a statue exactly the way he conceptualized it,” Volkmann concludes,
carefully.
Photo by Carl Volkmann
Volkmann’s look at “Abstract Lincoln”
in his own “Lincoln in Sculpture,” as is true in general of both books, is less
impressionistic and more journalistic. He explains how the statue came to be — a
donation from the Old Capitol Art Fair board of directors — and how sculptor
Abbott Pattison struggled to reach a compromise “between the completely abstract
and a man whom we all admired from childhood.” And, of course, there is an
extensive quote from a newspaper letter to the editor: “Modern art may have its
place, but certainly not to ridicule our great 16th President in his home town.”
“Lincoln in Sculpture” is Volkmann’s
second collection of statuary coverage. With his wife, Roberta, he co-wrote last
year’s “Springfield’s Sculptures, Monuments and Plaques.”
“It started out as a hobby,” he says of
his Lincoln sculpture effort. “Then Bill (Furry, executive director of the
Illinois State Historical Society) thought it would be good for Illinois
Heritage.”
“Lincoln in Sculpture” has photos of 63
sculptures, busts and other figures, including a half-dozen capsules on what
Volkmann calls “Lincoln Lite” figures (among them “The Railsplitter” at the
Illinois State Fairgrounds, another Springfield statue that gets little
respect). Forty statues get full essays, while the rest are briefed. As an
unusual bonus, Volkmann provides GPS coordinates for every site.
“Lincoln in Illinois” covers more
ground, with 91 sculptures, but generally with less detail on each. Comparing
the two books is probably unfair to both, though. Aside from the coincidence of
subject matter and publication dates, they’re very different products with very
different goals. “Lincoln in Illinois” belongs on your coffee table. “Lincoln in
Sculpture” belongs in the map compartment of your car.
Buying “Lincoln in Sculpture”
“Lincoln in Sculpture,” $10 per copy, is available at Prairie Archives on the
Old Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield or can be ordered from the Illinois
State Historical Society. Volkmann said an ad with order form also is expected
to be in the next edition of Illinois Heritage magazine.
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