CAMBRIDGE (SNR) — With the mouth of Jesus
gaping in agonizing suffering and his hands opened from pain, a sculpture
of Jesus Christ on the cross created last year by a Nebraska artist
inspires reverence both because of the act of love it portrays and
the skill with which it was made.
Sculptor Sondra Jonson of St. John parish in
Cambridge created the Crucifixion of Jesus for Immaculate Conception
parish in Perry, Florida where it was installed last July.
Immaculate Conception pastor, Fr. Francis Bagen
O.M.I., asked for the crucifix for his parish. The parish is located
by a major highway and Fr. Bagen wanted the sculpture because he is
passionate for conversions, Jonson said. Father Bagen is a former
pastor at St. Patrick parish in McCook, Ne.
An anonymous donor put up $1,500 in seed money
for Jonson to start the project last year. Before beginning work on
the piece, Jonson extensively studied the anatomical suffering of
Christ. In her sculpture Jesus is actively suffering rather than already
dead.
“I wanted something that would show His
suffering,” Jonson said.
Jonson also studied the Scriptural accounts
of the crucifixion. The sculpture is entitled, “I
Thirst”. These are Jesus' words in John
19:28, the Scripture passage that most moved Jonson when she read
the accounts.
The sculpture includes the words in Hebrew,
Greek and Latin, “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” John
19:19 records that Pontius Pilate had these words put on the cross.
Jonson also studied other depictions of the
crucifixion. One of the most inspiring was a piece by Matthias Grünwald,
a German painter from the early 1500's. Grünwald's paintings
of Christ's suffering are considered some of the most passionate depictions
of His passion. In Grünwald's works Jesus' hands are very twisted
because of pain and Jonson made the hands of her sculpture similar.
“I wanted to do his hands as if he had
no power over his hands,” Jonson said.
Her figure of Christ is physically strong as
medieval sculptor's work often portray Jesus. Jonson said Jesus was
probably strong from hard work and a lot of walking.
Over six months of work, Jonson began the sculpture
with an aluminum frame on a welded cross. She then covered it with
wire mesh, foam and finally [cast in] resin.
Jonson started the work in January 2003 and
finished it in March. The piece was installed last July. A bench was
installed in front of the sculpture.
Fr. Bagen said someone stops every day and
meditates in front of the statue. Jonson's hope is that someone who
doesn't believe in Jesus as the Christ will see the statue and be
converted.
Jonson is also working on many other projects.
The Sisters of St. Joseph in Wichita, Kan. are renovating the chapel
of their motherhouse. Jonson is making a resurrection sculpture, which
will hang above doors on which Jonson will include a sunburst. She
is also making a crucifix for the chapel.
She is also working on four plaques for a parish
in Independence, Missouri. The piece is taken from the gospel of St.
Mark.
In addition to her sculptures, Jonson will
speak on the role of sacred art in the Church.
Jonson is scheduled to speak on sacred art
at the Eucharistic
Congress sponsored by the Council
of Major Superiors of Women Religious at the basilica of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, D.C. Sept. 24-25 [2004]. She will present
a slide show of various forms of art and will speak on the importance
of having art in worship.
Images provided by Walt Beers.
View more images of
“I Thirst.”
