A mammoth eight foot tall statue of polychromed bronze and steel juts through the sidewalk of Fischer Plaza. The vermilion and turquoise bronze sculpture is William Bradley's latest work, the Chaldean Monad.

The monadic structure of the sculpture is undimensional and limiting, said Bradley, a professor in art education and general art. "I'm never happy with my work, in the end. My question is never answered. I must always reformulate it and try again."

The statue's vermilion and turquoise shone in last week's snowfall "like a cardinal and a bluebird coming together on a snowy day," he said. Such weathering effects on the statue led Yar Chomicky, a retired University arts professor, to say "it will be interesting to see the subtleties which will result on the piece because of the environment.

"Bradley chooses more realistic topics and images in his works. He is pretty deeply romantic. His work has some nice mystical qualities," said Chomicky, a professor for 38 years and a former colleague of Bradley.

Bradley named the sculpture Chaldean Monad after a mysteriously titled piece sung by the University choir. Bradley said he believes an image precedes the word. The name comes after a piece is done, he said.

Bradley said he is interested in studying the ancient texts: the images which introduced the commandments. "I am highly spiritual, but not religious. I am not illustrating the Bible, but the Bible is not off limits as a resource. There is a search for the spiritual being in the arts. One could call it soul searching," he said.

Chaldea was an ancient land in southern Babylonia, now Iraq. Chaldea also refers to priests schooled in astrology and is mentioned often in the Old Testament.

Coincidentally, Bradley said, the blue and purple colors of the sculpture coincide with the colors of the Assyrian horsemen uniforms in Ezekiel's vision.

Intrigued with color and form, Bradley, a University professor for 20 years, said he hoped to bring about a brilliant, sufficient contrast in his sculpture. As a student rushed by his office window in a neon blue and pink ski jacket against a dull February sky, Bradley exclaimed, "I wanted my sculpture to be something like that!"

The sculpture was protected against weathering with the latest automobile finishing techniques. Bradley's use of bright automotive colors help to express his idea: Bradley paints over such media as bronze and steel, and also works with marble. He said he prefers marble because it resists. He has to fight to get the image, and this struggle is important, he said.

A more important struggle is the installment of many more permanent sculpture pieces around campus, Bradley said. "I'd like to see classes stop buying benches to gateways and set up a fund for permanent art, which the University would own and add to its environment."

Public outdoor pieces can have a livening effect on the University, according to Chomicky. "One of my students in the '60's sculpted an eight foot stainless steel sculpture. It was placed in the West Dorm triangle area. Students rallied against it, hanging on it in crucifix poses. Yet the Life magazine, Spanish soldier inspiration on the HUB lawn sparked concern at first, with such broad surfaces that we worried if it would be subject to graffiti. But after one year with no such incidences, it was concluded that the unoriginal work just wasn't interesting enough to be graffitied."

Bradley said he hopes the new University president will concentrate on the arts and see campus sculpture as something that would promote environmental change.

"Sculpture is not very strong in the public eye. People are conditioned to it as they are to painting. Sure, it's art, but you don't encounter it often or directly. It's just not accessible," Chomicky said.