Robert Mangold at Artyard

A A A Comments By Michael Paglia Thursday, Dec 3 2009

It's interesting to notice that some artists basically ignore the fads and trends that sweep over the art scene periodically and instead follow their own vision of what art should be about. A good example is Robert Mangold, the dean of Colorado contemporary sculpture, who, over the past five decades, has explored time, space and especially movement with simple linear forms carried out in bold colors.

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As it's been many years since he has been the subject of a solo exhibit in town, there's a decidedly "special-event" status to Robert Mangold at Artyard Contemporary Sculpture (1251 South Pearl Street, 303-777-3219, www.artyardsculpture.com). Partly indoors and partly out, the exhibit includes work done after Mangold's near brush with death last winter.

The indoor component is filled with small works from Mangold's "PTTSAAES" series. The title of the series is an acronym for "Point Traveling Through Space at an Erratic Speed" and is meant to convey the idea that the sculptures record the trajectories of imaginary points moving through the space they occupy. The results are brightly toned zigzag line constructions that could be called three-dimensional drawings. Most have been placed on plinths or hang on the walls, but two are different: One pierces the back wall and emerges on the other side; another (pictured) has two parts, with one placed on a stand and the other, hovering above it, suspended from the ceiling.

In the workshop, Mangold includes an older "PTTSAAES" piece that was never realized. It was proposed for Burns Park at Colorado Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, where there are a group of modernist sculptures and where Mangold once had another piece. Though the proposed Mangold was picked for the site by the Friends of Burns Park, the organization didn't have enough money to buy it.

Outside at Artyard are several sculptures, the most notable of which are two monumental "PTTSAAES" pieces and one of Mangold's signature "Anemotic Kinetics," a spherical wind turbine that's been powder-coated a shade of magenta that looks like it came right off a hot rod.

The show runs through December 24, but as we get closer to the holidays, it might make sense to call ahead for an appointment.

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