Mastodon VI

The stark symmetrical shapes of this aluminum and bronze sculpture exemplify the reductive aspects of Minimalism and yet still call to mind external references. The sculpture is part of a series influenced by mastodon skeletons that artist Michael Hall encountered in the Badlands of Nebraska. Its tusklike tubular shapes, which flow into lacquered hemispheres, evoke fossilized mammal bones plunging into the earth. The artist stated, “Many of the conflicts and contradictions in my work are there by intention . . . I seek images which carry their own time and suggest their own mysteries.”   With two half-spheres held together by a pair of horizontal bronze bars, the sculpture was cast as separate pieces and later assembled into the highly finished construction seen here. The sculptor was sensitive to the physical space of the viewer: you’ll see your reflection if you gaze at the hazy mirrored surfaces.