Timothy Schmalz

Last updated
Timothy Schmalz
Tim Schmalz with Sheltering Sculpture at DePaul Society in Macon, Georgia.jpg
Tim Schmalz with Sheltering Sculpture at Depaul USA in Macon, Georgia
Born1969 (age 5455)
Nationality (legal) Canadian
Notable work Homeless Jesus Angels Unawares Let the Oppressed Go Free
Website timothypaulschmalz.com

Timothy Paul Schmalz (born 1969) is a Canadian sculptor from St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada. [1] Cast editions of his life-sized sculptures have been installed in major cities in front of some of the most historically significant Christian sites in the world, including Capernaum, the Vatican and Fatima. In recent years, he has worked directly with the Vatican to create several sculptures that highlight spiritual concerns in our modern day. [2]

Contents

Schmalz is best known for his Homeless Jesus that he created in reaction to the many homeless living on the streets. [3] [4] Schmalz conceives his sculptures with keen devotion to Catholicism and gives his time to each piece, sometimes taking as much as 10 years [5] forming the idea and sculpting it. Some of his works are created in series and others are single pieces. Installments of his work have brought his visual message across the globe with Homeless Jesus having been displayed in many places including St. Peter's Basilica. [6]

When I was a Stranger, designed by Schmalz Hungry and Thirsty, Rome.jpg
When I was a Stranger, designed by Schmalz

Work

Religious works

A Quiet Moment (1995)

In 1995, Schmalz created A Quiet Moment, giving society a new way to look at the Holy Family. The statue is a depiction the Virgin Mary holding an infant Jesus surrounded by the arms of St Joseph, showing the love and intimacy of a happy family. Since that time, Schmalz has recreated the sculpture on many different scales. A ten foot model of the sculpture is among the largest in Bethlehem, which was installed in the Holy Land in 2000 for the anniversary of Christianity. [7] In 2004, Schmalz had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II at the Vatican and gift him with a bronze model of this popular piece. [7]

Homeless Jesus (2013)

The Homeless Jesus statue depicts Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. His face and hands are obscured, hidden under a blanket, but Crucifixion wounds on his feet reveal his identity. [8] The statue has been described as a "visual translation" of the Gospel of Matthew passage in which Jesus tells his disciples, "as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, so you did it to me." [9] The bronze sculpture was intended to be provocative, with its sculptor, Schmalz commenting, "That's essentially what the sculpture is there to do. It's meant to challenge people." [10] As of today, over 50 bronze casts of Homeless Jesus are installed in religiously significant and historical locations around the world from Vatican City to Capernaum, Israel to Johannesburg, South Africa to Singapore. [11]

Divine Comedy

In 2021 Schmalz completed sculpting all 100 Cantos of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy to celebrate what would have been Dante's 700th birthday, including a life-sized sculpture of Dante. [12] Each of the bronze relief sculptures highlights one of the most interesting scenes from the canto, creating a visual read of the epic poem. The Dante Garden, installed on the campus of the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada is an outdoor sculpture park, with all 100 bronze cantos of the Divine Comedy encircling the life-sized statue of Dante. [13]

Matthew 25 series

The "Matthew 25 Series" is a collection of five sculptures that bring to life the scripture passage Matthew 25:31-46 in which Jesus uses the parable of "The Judgement of the Nations" to ask his followers to see him in every person they meet, especially in those who are suffering. These sculptures include: "When I was Naked", "When I was a Stranger", "When I was Hungry, Thirsty", " When I was Sick ", and "When I was in Prison". The complete Matthew 25 series has been installed throughout the cities of both Rome, Italy and Cleveland, OH. [14]

Angels Unawares

The Angels Unawares bronze sculpture - the first sculpture to be installed in St. Peter's Square in centuries [15] - highlights the modern day migrant. As his inspiration for the piece, Schmalz used the Bible verse Hebrew 13:2 "Be welcoming to strangers, for many have entertained angels unawares." The epic 20 ft sculpture shows a crowd of migrants upon a boat headed towards new horizons, and in the center there is an angel, only identifiable by the wings that rise above the sculpture.

Be Welcoming

The Be Welcoming sculpture was created in 2019, inspired by the same scripture text that is the inspiration for the Angels Unawares monument, Hebrews 13:2 "Be welcoming to strangers, many have entertained angels unawares." The sculpture shows a weary traveler/pilgrim who visually transform into an angel when the one walks over to the seat that the figure is welcoming the viewer to take. According to Schmalz, "Be Welcoming" intends to show that all humanity possesses a spiritual nature resembling angels. It reminds us that we can become like angels on our journey through life, and also that spirituality is found only when one is generous to oneself, others and God. [16] The sculpture is installed on locations associated with Christian pilgrimages, including El Camino de Santiago in Spain and the St. Padre Pio Shrine in Southern Italy.

Let the Oppressed Go Free

After the completion of Angels Unawares, Schmalz was requested by the Vatican to create a sculpture on the theme of human trafficking. The work Let the Oppressed Go Free shows almost one hundred victims of human trafficking being freed by the former slave St Josephine Bakhita. This massive bronze sculpture is installed in the Shrine of St. Bahkita in Schio, Italy.

While covering yet another sculpture Schmalz had created at the request of Pope Francis, Mary, Untier of Knots, Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, Christopher White, noted: "Pope Julius II had Michelangelo and Raphael. Pope Francis has Timothy Schmalz. [17]

Secular works

Schmalz has also created many secular pieces. On October 23, 2015, a 4-metre (13 ft) tall statue commemorating Gordon Lightfoot was unveiled in Orillia. [18] The statue, Golden Leaves, features young Lightfoot playing guitar surrounded by a ring of maple leaves. The leaves each contain an image inspired by one song. Schmalz plans to sculpt each leaf and place them along the Lightfoot Trail in Orillia and make duplicates that will be placed at locations fitting for each song. [19] A leaf inspired by the song Black Day in July was revealed in Tudhope Park on July 10, 2016, as the second installment in the Gordon Lightfoot Sculpture Park. [20] [21]

Schmalz also created the Canadian Veterans Memorial. Schmalz worked every Canadian Armed Forces uniform into this piece that stretches towards the sky using perspective. He also networked through the local paper asking for families to send in images of family or friends who had served in the war. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Pietà</i> (Michelangelo) Sculpture by Michelangelo

The Madonna della Pietà, informally known as La Pietà, is a marble sculpture of Jesus and Mary at Mount Golgotha representing the "Sixth Sorrow" of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Michelangelo Buonarroti, now in Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It is a key work of Italian Renaissance sculpture and often taken as the start of the High Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. James Cathedral (Seattle)</span> Church in Washington, United States

St. James Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located at 804 Ninth Avenue in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the seat of its archbishop, currently Paul D. Etienne. The cathedral is named for St. James the Greater, patron saint of the archdiocese, and is the third church in the territory presently known as the Archdiocese of Seattle to bear the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrus Edwin Dallin</span> American sculptor (1861–1944)

Cyrus Edwin Dallin was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere in Boston; the Angel Moroni atop Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City; and Appeal to the Great Spirit (1908), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was also an accomplished painter and an Olympic archer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre Dame Seminary</span>

Notre Dame Seminary is a Catholic seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana. It operates under the auspices of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giacomo Manzù</span> Italian sculptor (1908–1991)

Giacomo Manzoni, known professionally as Giacomo Manzù, was an Italian sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Tsuchiya</span> American sculptor

Tom Tsuchiya also known as Norikazu is an American artist who creates public sculpture. He is best known for bronze sculptures for Major League Baseball and the National Football League. In 2016, Tom was commissioned by Josh Rooney, the Director of Sports & Entertainment at Matthews International to produce the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum plaque bas-reliefs for Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary of Fátima</span> Church in Beira Litoral, Portugal

The Sanctuary of Fátima, officially titled Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, is a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima located in Fátima, in the municipality of Ourém, in Portugal. It consists of a group of Catholic religious buildings and structures with the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary as the main building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Triebel</span> American sculptor

Frederick Ernest "Fritz" Triebel was an American sculptor, best remembered for his two works, marble statues of George Laird Shoup and Henry Mower Rice, located in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington D.C.

<i>Homeless Jesus</i> Sculpture depicting Jesus as a homeless person

Homeless Jesus, also known as Jesus the Homeless, is a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz depicting Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. The original sculpture was installed in 2013 at Regis College, a theological college federated with the University of Toronto. Other copies of the statue were installed in several other locations beginning in 2014. As of 2017, over 50 copies were created and placed around the world.

<i>The Resurrection</i> (Fazzini) 1977 sculpture by Pericle Fazzini

The Resurrection is a bronze and brass sculpture by Pericle Fazzini in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Rome. Intended to capture the anguish of 20th century mankind living under the threat of nuclear war, La Resurrezione depicts Jesus rising from a nuclear crater in the Garden of Gethsemane. Fazzini summarized the action of the statue as "Christ rises from this crater torn open by a nuclear bomb; an atrocious explosion, a vortex of violence and energy."

Homelessness in Ireland is an evolving social issue. During the 19th century, homelessness was a pervasive impact of the Great Famine (1845–1852). During the 20th century, homelessness in Ireland was associated with older males who may have had addiction or alcoholism issues. However, since the 1990s and into the 21st century, it has been recognised that the homeless population includes increasing numbers of women and children. Commentators have attributed the ongoing events to the post-2008 Irish economic downturn and 'subsequent fiscal adjustments', and the parallel impacts of reduced familial incomes, mortgage arrears and rental increases which followed impacts to housing supply.

<i>Christ and the Samaritan Woman</i> (Meštrović) Sculpture by Ivan Meštrović

Christ and the Samaritan Woman is an outdoor sculpture by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović. Created in 1957, the sculpture resides in front of O’Shaughnessy Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame as part of the Shaheen-Mestrovic Memorial, which was completed in 1985 by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Planning in the South Bend office of Cole Associates. The marble and bronze sculpture depicts the events in John 4, in which Jesus converses and evangelizes to a woman from Samaria, with whom the Jews would not normally associate. Eli J. Shaheen, a Notre Dame alum, was the donor for the project, which is owned by the university. The “Woman at the Well,” as it is often referred, is flanked by sculptures of the gospel writers Luke the Evangelist and John the Evangelist. It has been regarded as the most notable and celebrated of Meštrović's works from his period at Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Moses (University of Notre Dame)</span> Statue in the U.S. state of Indiana

A bronze statue of Moses by Croatian artist Josip Turkalj installed at the main campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, just outside of the Hesburgh Library. Commissioned in 1962, the sculpture is owned by the University of Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Czerny</span> Czech-Canadian Catholic cardinal

Michael F. Czerny is a Czechoslovakian-born Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development since 23 April 2022, after serving as interim prefect for several months. He was under secretary of that dicastery's Migrants and Refugees Section from 2017 to 2022. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019.

Angels Unawares is a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz installed in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican since September 29, 2019, the 105th World Migrant and Refugee Day.

<i>When I Was Sick</i> Sculpture by Timothy Schmalz

When I Was Sick, also known as When I Was Sick You Visited Me, is a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz that depicts an infirmed Jesus suffering from sickness. The sculpture is 53 by 180 by 81 centimetres.

<i>When I Was Naked</i> Sculpture by Timothy Schmalz

When I Was Naked, also known as When I Was Naked You Clothed Me, is a sculpture of Jesus by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. The original sculpture was installed in 2016 at San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. Additional replicas of the statue by Schmalz have been placed in various locations across North America, starting in 2017.

<i>Let the Oppressed Go Free</i> Sculpture by Timothy Schmalz

Let the Oppressed Go Free is a sculpture of the Afro-Italian nun and saint Josephine Bakhita created by Timothy Schmalz.

The Dante Garden or the Dante Sculpture Park is a sculpture garden located on the campus of the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, Ontario. The garden consists of 100 bronze page-like relief sculptures created by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, making him the first artist to represent the full poem through sculpture. Each of the sculptures depict a single scene from each canto of Dante Alghieri's Divine Comedy, creating and "open-air book". In the center of the garden is a life-sized sculpture of Dante hunched over, appearing to write the first canto which he holds in his hand.

Be Welcoming is a bronze sculpture by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. It was created in 2019, inspired by the same scripture text that is at the center of Schmalz’s “Angels Unawares” monument in St. Peter’s Square, Hebrews 13:2 “Be welcoming to strangers, many have entertained angels unawares.”

References

  1. Rickard, Michelle (5 April 2012). "Artist sculpts the Gospels". Christian Week. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  2. "Timothy Schmalz: 'Sheltering' statue, reminder of our spiritual duty to the poor - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  3. Taylor, Emily. "Sculptor Timothy Schmalz on the story behind his "Homeless Jesus" | Visual Arts | NUVO News | Indianapolis, IN". Nuvo.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  4. Sufrin, Jon (23 October 2015). "'Homeless Jesus' sculptor Timothy Schmalz on controversy and compassion". CBC. CBC Arts. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  5. "Toronto Anglican parish welcomes Schmalz's latest Christ sculpture". Catholicregister.org. Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  6. Donovan Vincent (2016-04-01). "Ontario artist's Homeless Jesus installed at Vatican | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  7. 1 2 Barnhart, Melissa (28 April 2014). "Canadian Sculptor Tim Schmalz, Who Met Pope John Paul II, Remembers His Impact Prior to Sainthood Ceremony". Christian Post. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. Cameron, Peter (2015-04-06). "Ontario sculptor's statue of homeless Jesus in Buffalo prompts donations". CTVNews. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. Gandee, Linda (2022-10-17). "Matthew 25 sculptures spark conversations across Greater Cleveland". cleveland. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  10. Burnett, John (April 13, 2014). "Statue Of A Homeless Jesus Startles A Wealthy Community". NPR. Retrieved Feb 2, 2024.
  11. "Sculptures by TPS | Homeless Jesus" . Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  12. "The Divine Comedy in sculpture: Timothy Schmalz". TheFlorentine.com. Sep 8, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  13. "HOME". dante sculptures. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  14. "Matthew 25 Collection". www.communitywestfoundation.org. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  15. "Pope Francis Unveils Dramatic New Sculpture in St. Peter's Square". NCR. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  16. mike. "Be Welcoming". Timothy Paul Schmalz. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  17. White, Christopher. "Sculptor helped Pope Francis 'untie the knots' in Canada". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  18. "Gordon Lightfoot statue unveiled in singer's hometown of Orillia | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 2015-10-23. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  19. Brian Cross (2015-07-02). "Artist says Windsor riverfront would be 'amazing' location for his Black Day in July sculpture". Windsor Star . Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  20. "Gordon Lightfoot Sculpture Park – Sculptures by TPS". Sculpturebytps.com. 2014-06-20. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  21. "Lightfoot at Mariposa for sculpture unveiling | Orillia Packet and Times". Orilliapacket.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  22. "Opinion: Canadian Veterans' Memorial in Waterloo touches the heart". Therecord.com. 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-29.