National Post (National Edition)
‘Angels’ sculptor asset to Canada, public art
It’s not every day that a sculptor gets his work installed, even temporarily, in St. Peter’s Square, the masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the master sculptor of his age. Indeed, it’s not even every century. Yet last Sunday, a Canadian sculptor from St. Jacobs, Ont., was given that high honour.
Timothy Schmalz has been sculpting for more than 25 years, but came to widespread public knowledge with his sculpture “Homeless Jesus,” which depicts a homeless person sleeping on a bench. It’s so lifelike that many people have mistaken it for someone in need of aid and have approached to help. Only when drawing closer it is evident that the feet are exposed, scarred by the nail marks of the crucifixion. It is Jesus — to use the haunting phrase of Mother Teresa of Calcutta — in the “distressing disguise of the poor.”
“Homeless Jesus” was first installed at Regis College in Toronto and now is found at dozens of churches all around the world. I was pleased in 2015 to play a minor role in facilitating its installation at the papal office that dispenses practical charity to the poor and homeless inside the Vatican City.
Schmalz has been commissioned to do monumental sculptures across Canada, including a firefighters’ memorial, a veterans’ memorial and public installations honouring Gordie Howe and Gordon Lightfoot.
A favourite of mine is a sculpture for the fourth centenary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in Penetanguishene Bay, on the southeastern tip of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. It is a traditional bronze sculpture of recognizable people and evocative symbols, not an amalgam of abstract angles and shapes that leave the viewer confused. At the same time, it breaks with the traditional depiction of Aboriginal people in Champlain sculptures as conquered peoples or inferior beings. In Schmalz’s “Meeting,” Bear Tribe Chief Aenon of the HuronWendat Nation meets Champlain as an equal, the two men beholding each other in a serious and respectful manner. Indeed, Aenon is presenting Champlain with a wampum belt, a sign of hospitality and concord.
The sculpture goes further though, in taking seriously that the encounter in Penetanguishene was between cultures animated by profound spiritual values. The sculpture includes on Champlain’s side the Christian symbols of the Holy Trinity; and is complemented on Aenon’s side by the “three sisters” carrying corn, squash and beans, indications of a people sustained by the spiritual forces of the natural world. Likewise, the Champlain side includes depictions of the French explorers accompanied by Jesuit missionaries. The Aenon side shows the Aboriginal creation story of the world existing on the back of a snapping turtle, with a mother and a newborn at the centre, a sign of the matriarchal dimension of Huron culture. Aenon is clad in a noble bearskin; Champlain’s breastplate includes a crucifix.
The Vatican commissioned Schmalz to do a sculpture stressing the emphasis of Pope Francis on welcoming migrants and refugees. He responded with a massive work, including 140 figures representing migrants and refugees throughout history — Poles escaping communism, Syrians on the run from Assad. Weighing in at 3.5 tons, the bronze figures are exquisitely sculpted, right down to the details of period attire and facial features. In the midst of the teeming mass arise a pair of angelic wings, suggesting that angels are in their midst.
The inspiration was Hebrews 13:2, that in offering hospitality to strangers we may entertain “Angels Unawares,” as is the title of the work. I have come to know Timothy through his work, and count him as a friend. I know that his art originates not only in his imagination, but in his prayer.
For Timothy’s work to be installed in St. Peter’s Square is a high honour for him and for Canada. But it is also a favourable sign for those who care about public art. There is a reason that Bernini’s sculptures still draw admirers more than 400 years after his birth. It is not just because of their beauty, but because they are explicitly public. Bernini was a genius, but also had the humility to sculpt in a manner that effectively told a story to the public who would encounter his work. To the contrary, generations of lesser artists have been infected with an arrogance that considers it a compliment if ordinary people find their work completely incomprehensible, or even nonsensical.
Schmalz — whether sculpting the national mining monument or the origins of the Métis nation — respects his audience enough to present a story that informs and inspires. That he treats religious themes puts him farther afield from the artistic establishment, but closer to the public that considers religious matters a normal part of ordinary life.
Pilgrims in Rome are blessed to view “Angels Unawares” as Pope Francis did last Sunday. Canadians are more blessed, as we can see Timothy’s work permanently installed across the land.
SCHMALZ ... (PRESENTS)
A STORY THAT INFORMS AND INSPIRES.