Catholic Art: Pope John XXIII 
(see photos)

I was commissioned to sculpt the portrait of Pope John XXIII by a Catholic Priest who personally holds this remarkable Pontiff in high esteem. What Pope ever used his office more brilliantly, more effectively, more creatively than this unlikely Prelate? Elected to be a mere caretaker, he instead became a profound reformer. The great new flowering of Catholic art in the past forty years stems directly from the seed that he planted in Vatican II. I tried to depict his awkward peasant features rendered transcendent by his luminous smile. To date I have cast this portrait several times in plaster and in bronze.