Seeking God by Michael Hall

Michael Aaron Hall (Utah, b. 1975)
Seeking God
Bronze, 1/3 life-size
Height: 41 in

With dramatic gesture and reverent intensity, Seeking God depicts the young Joseph Smith at the moment of his First Vision, as described in his words: “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head.” Caught in the act of divine supplication, Smith’s form twists heavenward from a forest floor, arms extended and face alight with spiritual yearning.

This expressive bronze is the work of Michael Hall, one of the most accomplished American realist sculptors of his generation. A descendant of noted LDS artist John B. Fairbanks and great-nephew of sculptor Avard T. Fairbanks, Hall received classical training in Russia and Italy. He was known for his large-scale narrative bronzes, including the Angel of the Resurrections in Juab County, Utah, and The Russian Family, a public monument in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Hall’s work reflects a lifelong devotion to spiritual themes and the human form, culminating in a series of monumental Book of Mormon reliefs near the end of his life. He received major awards from the National Sculpture Society and the Art Renewal Center International Salon.