God's Pathos in Gib Singleton

As I was roaming the streets of Santa Fe, I chanced upon the gallery Galerie Zuger. Walking in I was rather struck by some spectacular sculptures, taken by surprise. I did not realize that I could be so moved by sculptures. The sculptures in question were done by the late Gib Singleton who, I later learned, had developed a style called emotional realism. No wonder his works were deeply evocative. 

I found one of his sculptures to be theologically astute. It is called Tribute to Dogwood (see below…. special thanks to Ann Rogers who let me take this picture).

It depicts the crucifixion of Christ. I found 3 elements of the sculpture particularly noteworthy. 

One, the cross is not the typical cross beams, rather it is like a slingshot. The slingshot is a weapon of resistance. The post world war II German Theologian, Jurgen Moltmann, said that the death of Jesus on the cross as an act of protest against the suffering of the world. In the crucifixion Christ does not sidestep suffering, rather embraces suffering bringing forth a deeper victory over death.

Two, because Jesus's death is not a defeat, but a victory over death, Jesus's body in Singleton's work is not drooping as though dead but rather dynamic. Jesus body arches forth as if moving, which to me bring to mind, the launching a new kingdom of love and peace. Christ crucifixion is not a submission to suffering, but rather a triumph over suffering. This way of dynamic representation alludes to Christ the victor, not victim. But his victory comes through loving peace instead of coercive power. 

The third element that stood out to me was the title of the sculpture - Tribute to Dogwood. Traditionally, Dogwood was considered to be rather ignoble, used during medieval times to line sewers. The kingdom of loving peace that Jesus establishes is not a kingdom for the rich and powerful, but rather, it is a kingdom that privileges the poor and the marginalized.  In the book The Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch says that to be successful in our mobile modern culture one has to keep selling oneself as the “happy hooker.” The temptation of this world is one of chronic self-promotion. The kingdom of Jesus is the antithesis of this self-promoting 'happy hooker' value structure of the world. In Christ’s kingdom of loving peace the first become last and the last first (Matt 20:16). The stone rejected by the builder becomes the capstone (Matt 21:42). Jesus' kingdom of loving peace affirms, as children of God, those who are rejected by the world addicted to self-promotion. This is why the titling of this sculpture the Tribute to Dogwood is a brilliant metaphorical pointer to the kingdom of Jesus being one where the those who are rejected by the world become the beloved of God.

Gib Singleton did many other sculptures which represented the crucifix and the story of redemption. There is one sculpture called Redemption which was incredibly evocative, I was almost moved to tear gazing at it. If I had been there for 5 more minutes gazing at it, I am sure I would have had wet cheeks. Reading about Singleton, I later came to find out that he had lost his daughter towards the latter part of his life. It was an event that broke him. In a way it appears that Singleton found comfort in the idea that God was showing solidarity with human suffering in taking up suffering upon Himself at the Cross. 

A.W.Auden said, "only a suffering God is an interesting God." Suffering is a universal fact. Singleton is a genius in teasing out this aspect of God's pathos in his sculptures, showing solidarity with human suffering. Even as the world may try to overwhelm us with suffering, in Christ our suffering is taken upon God, and we are affirmed as the beloved of God.

Ps: Someday in my life, when I am rich enough I will own the Tribute to Dogwood. So nobody buy it until then lol