Al's Metal Cutouts
One review for Al's Metal Cutouts
1 review in English
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Review from r l.
Lodi, CA
7/6/2008 16 photos
Metal Cutouts: Is it Art? Or is it just a Craft?
Here is Wikipedia's stance on Art: ( http://en.wikipedia.or... )
And Wikipedia's Art vs Craft debate: ( http://en.wikipedia.or... )
Critics of Metal Cutouts have used the argument that the use of Plasma Cutters have enabled the average joe to be a Metal Cutout artist... which resulted in the abundance of Metal Cutouts... even on http://www.ebay.com. My response to critics such as these is the question of how some assembly-line automobiles gain entrance into the Museum of Modern Art in New York? And what about pieces of Furniture? My argument would be if Metal Cutouts required an act of creativity, it should be at least considered what the artist deems it to be.
I never encountered a Meal Cutout until I biked through Lockeford recently and noticed the number of these flat pieces of metal usually painted black to simulate a backlit scene. Some of Gerbi's pieces have small amounts of contrasting colors, but most if not all of his Cutouts are predominantly Black in color. Metal Cutouts must be a recent development because I have never noticed them when I was employed in California, Arizona, and eventually Nevada. Of course, i was never employed in a company that was located outside of the city limits either.
Al Gerbi's smaller pieces that hangs on the wall can be seen at the Country Cafe ( http://www.yelp.com/bi... ). The whole interior of the restaurant is filled with Al's creations, either through purchase or through donation of space. I was very reluctant to photograph the interior of the Country Cafe as there seems to be patrons dining there all the time.
Another location where you can view larger items is just a short drive down the road, still within the city limits, at 13572 E State Highway 88. (Google Maps: http://maps.google.com... ). The residence looks like a rental with the whole front yard inundated with Al's creations! It'd be interesting to see how the tenants feel about living in a Metal Cutout world! Note that there is a small sign hanging from the exterior fence to not disturb the tenants.
And if you drive outside the city limits of Lockeford or Clements... it seems every third farm or ranch has Al's works displayed on their front gates or in their yards. This guy, Al, sure gets around!
With the proliferation of Al's objets d'art around the communities of Lockeford-Clements, it seems the residents don't care whether his creations is Art or Craft. The people just plain like it!
As you see, I'm not even going to take a stance on the Art vs Craft question with this review. I still want to be able to bike through these communities in the future... But, if you're even remotely interested in Metal Cutouts... Al Gerbi injects a little humor in his works (as seen in the photographs) which makes them even more interesting. Don't you like the guy fishing in the Yellow Cowboy Hat?
