St. Philip's Stations of the Cross
Artist's statement
What an honor it is to sculpt Stations of the Cross for our church!
When we started talking about building a new church I was excited to see what kind of sculpture might be included in the finished building. I was hoping that, somehow, I would be able to do a small piece for the new church. What a privilege it was to interpret the story of Our Lord's Passion and Death in "clay pictures".
When the Stations of the Cross relief sculptures were started I set some goals or parameters for myself. The first and foremost was that the figure of Jesus should always be the largest or highest figure in each composition. I decided to use perspective (the idea that closer objects appear larger while objects that are farther away seem smaller) to realize this goal. Using perspective also gives the sculptures the illusion of having more depth than they actually do. By exaggerating the depth in a scene, it looks as if Jesus projects out beyond the 1 inch thickness of the clay.
Another parameter I set for myself was that each Station needed to have a strong silhouette. Because the stations are relatively small, 11X16 inches, and wood toned it would be difficult, from a distance, to recognize the scene in each station if they had a consistently rectangular shape.
The Cross is a unifying theme and dominant feature of each station except number fourteen, where it still appears, but is diminished in size as we anticipate Christ's triumph over death in the Resurrection.
Many people have asked why I chose to sculpt the figures the way I did. When one looks at liturgical artwork, often we see a style reminiscent of the "Gothic" time period (1250-1400 AD). Elongated figures with large hands and almond shaped eyes epitomize the Gothic style. My work on St. Philip's Stations borrowed heavily from the Gothic aesthetic.
As I meditated on each station and worked out how best to illustrate the story certain things came to mind. For instance, Station number four where Jesus meets his Mother Mary brought to mind how a Mother would relate to her son. Not at a distance, like so many other depictions of Station four, but rather in an intimate embrace. How could a mother not hold her child through his difficulties? And remember that this may be the last hug they get from each other in this life.
Station five where Simon helps Jesus carry the cross illustrates a person who, only moments before might have been afraid or repulsed by the thought of carrying such a burden, but after looking into Jesus' eyes finds pleasure in helping Our Lord.
In Station nine, Jesus Falls the Third Time, we see Our Lord reaching out to us, hoping we will notice him and come to his aid.
Station thirteen traditionally sees Jesus in his Mother's arms as in Michelangelo's Pieta. I tried many compositions and nearly abandoned my first parameter of making Jesus the largest or tallest figure of the group. I just couldn't figure out a way to stay within that parameter by using the traditional iconography. Instead I sculpted a man carrying Jesus down from the cross. My Father said that, to him, it represented how we need to take Jesus to others now. He was right on target.
And finally, Station 14. I had to use a radical perspective on this one in order to keep Jesus the tallest figure. As He lays in the tomb, his arm falls off the slab and becomes the most three-dimensional part of any of the stations. Here Jesus beckons us to come to him. He has seen our sinfulness and yet he still loves us and wants us to be one with him.
I sincerely hope these Stations serve to deepen the viewers' realization of what Our Lord did for us in his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Gerard Kulzer
www.kulzerdesign.com
Click here for an excerpt from the local paper
