Gladman learned how to carve from observation and an instinctive "will to form". According to a British art promoter Felicity Wright, his early years of intuitive training meant that Gladman "had discovered a means of expressing his remarkable creative energy." Gallery owner, Stuart Danks, says; "Gladman was very quick to establish his own signatory style - it is based on the human figure and looks more international than most Zimbabwean art." The universal quality of his work stems from a continued study of human gesture and drama. His sculpture takes the viewer through the whole kaleidoscope of life. He addresses the trials and tribulations of everyday living. From personal loss and melancholia to joy and intimacy: to themes of birth, growth and fertility to escapism, death and the deep mysticism of the Shona spiritual world. Despite his creativity, he does not lose sight of reality. Gladman works extensively with the human form. Dominant in his work is a fluid decorative line, that binds & forms into a compact continuity. His open-form style is different from the closed-form sculpture of many of the first generation artists.
Gladman sadly, and prematurely passed away in 2001.
Height: 23 1/2” x Width: 18” x Depth: 10”
