Are resin statues seen as inferior to alternatives?

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smndtupidisaftr

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I was looking on a few websites for home decorations, and found the section with the big statues intended for churches. I was looking at the prices and some were exorbitant (like $25,000 for one in particular). I noticed a few that were only $500 and about 4 feet tall. They seemed like a good deal, and noticed that they were resin. I know they’re cheaper for a reason, but are they inferior and/or unsuitable for a church? Looking at these it seems like a church could be decorated for relatively little money just by picking up some of these resin statues.
 
Are they visually inferior?

I would say marble/stone statues are always better than plaster and resin statues, but if you can only afford the latter and they aren’t hideous or cheap looking, then go for it.
 
YoungTradCath said:
Are they visually inferior?

I would say marble/stone statues are always better than plaster and resin statues, but if you can only afford the latter and they aren’t hideous or cheap looking, then go for it.
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Well take a look. In particular I was looking at the St. Joseph with Child Statue.

catholicsupply.com/churchs/cgsale.html

I’d like my parish to have more sacred art, since it’s pretty plain looking, and I thought ten thousand dollar statues might be a bit expensive.
 
smndtupidisaftr said:
I was looking on a few websites for home decorations, and found the section with the big statues intended for churches. I was looking at the prices and some were exorbitant (like $25,000 for one in particular). I noticed a few that were only $500 and about 4 feet tall. They seemed like a good deal, and noticed that they were resin. I know they’re cheaper for a reason, but are they inferior and/or unsuitable for a church? Looking at these it seems like a church could be decorated for relatively little money just by picking up some of these resin statues.
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Resin comes in a variety of qualities, just like anything else. But they are very long-lasting and make exceptionally accurate casts of original sculptures. They are also much lighter weight. I used to do molding and casting of fossils as part of my job and you really cannot tell the difference between real bone and the cast when it’s painted. Some resins have products included so they give the appearance of stone even if scratched or broken. You want this rather than painted for a church, IMO. The white marble or the gray stone I think are particularly nice.

Look for no lines or irregularities where the sections of mold came together, so they are properly finished, and call and ask if they are single-piece casts, not two or more p pieces joined, unless possibly the form is joined to a pedestal. I think resins are a great choice for casting material when well-done.
 
Most of us cannot afford carved wood or stone or cast metal stutues for home use.
Resin (fancy word for plastic) are much better than painted plaster, and weigh less as well.

Resin is more durable also.
 
As an aside in the old segregated cemetary where my grandparents are buried there is a Latino section.

Many of the graves are adorned with painted plaster statues and never removed or replaced. A painted plaster statue will litterally melt away from the weather as the years pass.
 
In my opinion plaster statues scream, “We wanted statues but we don’t have a lot of money.” Especially if they are painted. Or if they aren’t.

I think filling a church with cheap statues looks a lot worse than not having statues. There is a difference between having ornate furnishings and having gaudy furnishings.
 
Julia_Mae said:
Resin comes in a variety of qualities, just like anything else. But they are very long-lasting and make exceptionally accurate casts of original sculptures. They are also much lighter weight. I used to do molding and casting of fossils as part of my job and you really cannot tell the difference between real bone and the cast when it’s painted. Some resins have products included so they give the appearance of stone even if scratched or broken. You want this rather than painted for a church, IMO. The white marble or the gray stone I think are particularly nice.

Look for no lines or irregularities where the sections of mold came together, so they are properly finished, and call and ask if they are single-piece casts, not two or more p pieces joined, unless possibly the form is joined to a pedestal. I think resins are a great choice for casting material when well-done.
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SMHW said:
In my opinion plaster statues scream, “We wanted statues but we don’t have a lot of money.” Especially if they are painted. Or if they aren’t.

I think filling a church with cheap statues looks a lot worse than not having statues. There is a difference between having ornate furnishings and having gaudy furnishings.
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This is my opinion, too. I’m a traditionally-trained stone and wood sculptor, so I admit I’m biased and picky about art, though. The resin statues for sale in the link would bother me aesthetically. Resin can be okay if it’s finished very carefully—those aren’t. The skin tones in the faces bother me in particular. They could be refinished, however, and perhaps turn out less gaudy.
 
My Parish church had plaster statues and they were never cheap or gaudy. They were much loved statues, and never screamed about their origins.

We were a very poor parish and had the best we could afford.
 
Peggy_in_Burien said:
My Parish church had plaster statues and they were never cheap or gaudy. They were much loved statues, and never screamed about their origins.

We were a very poor parish and had the best we could afford.
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Plaster and resin are fine as casting materials—it’s how they’re finished that makes the difference. Are they lovingly and carefully finished, as befits art being done by a person conscious of God, or are they sloppy and saccharine pieces being mass-produced as quickly as possible for profit? The ones in the link are not terrible—I’ve seen much worse. But they’re not really good, either. They could be made okay with more care taken in regards to how they are finished.
 
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Peggy_in_Burien said:
My Parish church had plaster statues and they were never cheap or gaudy. They were much loved statues, and never screamed about their origins.
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The parish where I grew up had painted plaster statues too. But the inside of that church was painted brick and wallboard so it kind of all matched. It was neither ornate or gaudy; it was1960’s style industrial plain. The statues were simply but carefully painted in rather muted colors.

I suppose any kind of statue can “work” if it fits the rest of the environment but I have seen some major church fashion disasters where something that might have worked in one church was hopelessly out of place in another.

But getting back to the OP’s question… One statue is not going to be *morally *inferior to another but it can certainly be of inferior quality. I am of the opinion that it is better to take time and buy fewer high quality pieces of art over a period of years than to hurry and fill a church with lower quality pieces of art just for the sake of having them.
 
SMHW said:
I am of the opinion that it is better to take time and buy fewer high quality pieces of art over a period of years than to hurry and fill a church with lower quality pieces of art just for the sake of having them.
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I agree. If the OP is interested, there’s a Canadian Catholic wood sculptor named Fred Zavadil who does liturgical sculpture in the tradition of the good old European wood sculptors. If I remember correctly, he can be contacted directly, which likely would make costs more reasonable. A simple but well-done bas-relief from him may not be that expensive, and your church would have a real work of art then that will stand the test of time. Anyway, it’s a thought. (I’m not affiliated with him in any way—I’ve just seen that he’s a good liturgical sculptor.)
 
While it may not be a binding document, the USCCB document Built of Living Stones has some good ideas on choosing art for churches.

Chapter three is of particular interest.
 
The most beautifull church statues I have seen were in the Springfield Il cathedral.

They were carved of colored marble.
 
AbideWithMe said:
This is my opinion, too. I’m a traditionally-trained stone and wood sculptor, so I admit I’m biased and picky about art, though. The resin statues for sale in the link would bother me aesthetically. Resin can be okay if it’s finished very carefully—those aren’t. The skin tones in the faces bother me in particular. They could be refinished, however, and perhaps turn out less gaudy.
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I agree about how these look. And painted resin doesn’t wear well over the years.

OP might want to take a look at this: amazon.com/Michelangelos-Pieta-Statue-Sculpture-Madonna/dp/B000ENU95O Perhaps more like this in larger sizes can be found.
 
I think that plastic statues (if someone can tell the difference if they are at a distance) scream, “I am not a wealthy parishioner.”

Resin is thrifty, and most Americans like me can’t tell the difference unless we tap on the scupture, or if there is a big obvious seam, or a UPC code and “Made in China” stamp. Resin is durable, too, although I’ve broken plenty of small resin pieces when dropping them. But hopefully no one will tip over a large work of resin art.

Also, no one has brought up the point yet that resin is easy to clean.

I think in the United States, “art” is looked upon with a little suspicion, especially if it is in a church. People wonder why money was spent on art instead of on helping the poor. Yes, I know what the Bible says about this. But the Bible doesn’t say to run out and buy an expensive piece of art instead of helping the poor. It just says to honor the Lord Jesus and worship Him. We don’t need a marble statue to do that.

I know that the Vatican is full of beautiful pieces of art. But our parishes are not the Vatican, and people don’t come to our parishes from all over the world.

Don’t go with plaster. I’ve seen some extremely ugly plaster statues. If they are not maintained, the paint flakes off–eugh. And if they get wet, even just a little, they “drip.” I would say to stay away from plaster.

Marble is indeed beautiful, but it’s so expensive and SO heavy! I would worry about the floor collapsing, unless it’s outside.

Wood is pretty, but again, expensive. Same for metal.

I say “simple is fine.”
 
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