Veronica's Veil

Born in Glidden, Wisconsin, Thomas Penning first studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with sculptor Edouard Chassaing. In 1933, he moved to Woodstock, New York to study with the innovative sculptor Alexander Archipenko. His preferred medium became bluestone. Veronica’s veil is a holy relic in Christian tradition. The veil records a miraculous image brought about when Saint Veronica wiped Christ’s brow of sweat and blood as he carried the cross to Calvary. Penning was not a particularly religious person, but he was inspired by the beauty and spirituality of early Christian stone sculpture and architecture (as well as Mayan stonecarving that he saw firsthand during a 1937 trip to Yucatán). Penning produced many religious artworks including a number of commissioned works for Catholic churches. “Veronica’s Veil” is one of a group of small religious figures that Penning created around 1950; they all emphasize the contours of simplified forms in thin, slab-like sculptures.