Object Record
Images
Additional Images [6]
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2005.005 |
Object Name |
Sculpture |
Description |
"St. Francis" is a ceramic, wood-fired sculpture made by ETSU alumnus Jeremiah Jenkins. The sculpture is meant to depict a representation of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, seen here with what are likely meant to be birds emerging from his hood. He is seen holding a cross in his right hand while his other hand rests at his stomach. Reece Museum staff contacted the artist in 2025 to gain his retrospective insights of the creation and construction of St. Francis. Jenkins writes: "This piece was from a series of torsos based on religious figures and stories…I have always admired religious devotees that manage to exude a sense of divine peace with their devotion. St. Francis is a figure that has held this type of place with many people and so I wanted to represent him. The torso is relatively non-descript except for the monk's hood. The mass of bird faces filling the hood connect to the stories of Francis admiring and even preaching to birds. I think of the birds as projections of the ideas that he sent out into the world to fly and be beautiful. In his hand is a large crucifix which dominates the torso. This, of course, represents his faith and the traditional ideas of Christianity. The other hand is open in an offering gesture. I originally displayed this with birdseed and had always hoped that it would exist where birds could actually feed from it. This is often how St. Francis is depicted: offering his hand to birds, and I wanted this gesture of generosity to be presented. This was fired in the wood kiln we built at the ETSU art annex. The construction and surface treatment are meager and humble, just like the monastic tenets that Francis practiced. I have had a broad range of mediums and artistic styles, but ceramics has always stayed close to my heart. I'm strongly influenced by Japanese aesthetics like Wabi Sabi and I find those ideas reflected in the traditional ceramics from Appalachia and middle North Carolina. My current work is an exploration of the relationship between concept and craft, function and spectacle, and the overwhelming beauty and crushing weight of existing." |
Date |
2004 |
Artist |
Jeremiah Jenkins |
Dimensions |
H-29.528 W-8.268 L-15.748 D-12 inches |
Collection |
Sacred and/or Religious Artifacts Collection |
Title |
St. Francis |
Material |
clay |
Subjects |
American Art |