她的雕塑形神太逼真，很多活人不敢找她塑像

Her Sculptures Are So Lifelike That ManyLiving People Hesitate to Commission Them

By Frank Justis

In the contemporary world of sculpture, thename Ellen Qiongzhao Schicktanz is often accompanied by descriptions that vergeon the legendary. Her works are not merely “resembling” their subjects—theyseem alive; not only realistic, but imbued with an ineffable vitality. Somecall it the ultimate achievement of “capturing both form and spirit,” whileothers, half-jokingly, remark in private: “They’re so real that even the livingfeel a little uneasy about asking her to make their portrait.”

Though such remarks may sound exaggerated,they are not entirely without basis.

In her sculptural language, “form” is neverthe destination—it is only the gateway to “spirit.” Her command of humananatomy is exacting: the support of bone, the rise and fall of musculature, thetension of skin, even the subtle pathways of veins are all rendered withrigorous precision. Yet what truly astonishes is her ability to transcend thesephysical structures and capture the inner resonance of the human soul.

She is particularly renowned for hertreatment of the eyes. In her works, eyes are not merely organs—they arevessels of time, as if holding stories left unspoken. One viewer, lingeringbefore a portrait sculpture, once murmured: “It feels as though he might blinkat any moment.” This sense of something “about to happen” is the mostdistinctive power of her art.

Such ability is not born of techniquealone, but of deep humanistic cultivation and a rich cross-cultural foundation.She inherits the Eastern aesthetic tradition of “expressing spirit throughform,” while integrating the Western pursuit of structural accuracy and masteryof light and shadow. In her work, science and poetry coexist; reason andemotion support one another.

A Mission in the Time of Pandemic:Memorializing the Departed, Preserving Memory for the Living

What has brought her name into broaderpublic awareness in recent years, however, is a phenomenon tinged with acertain aura of mystery.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world hasundergone an unprecedented confrontation with mortality. Countless families,having lost loved ones, have sought to preserve memory and sustain emotionalbonds through sculpture. With her highly realistic and deeply expressive style,Ellen Qiongzhao Schicktanz became a preferred choice for many Americanfamilies.

She approaches each commission withnear-rigorous devotion. She listens attentively to family members’recollections, noting tone of voice, habits, even subtle facial expressions.She studies old photographs and video materials repeatedly, often revising herclay models multiple times—solely to capture the most authentic moment of “him”or “her.”

The unveiling of these works often evokesprofound emotional responses. Some viewers break into tears; others softly callthe name of the departed. One elderly widow, upon seeing her husband’ssculpture, reached out trembling, touched its face, and whispered: “You’ve comeback.” In that moment, the sculpture ceases to be an object—it becomes a mediumof reunion, a bridge across the boundary between life and death.

“People Hesitate to Commission Her”: TheCultural Psychology Behind the Rumor

It is within this context that certainintriguing rumors have quietly circulated.

It is said that several prominentindividuals who commissioned her works passed away within a few years.Others—figures in finance or the arts—after admiring her sculptures, reportedlychose to abandon their plans to commission portraits. The reason was notdistrust, but an indefinable psychological unease—as if the completion of asculpture might somehow signal the premature arrival of an “ending.”

Thus, a phrase tinged with both humor andreverence began to spread:“Her sculptures are so real that even theliving hesitate to ask her to make one.”

Yet upon closer reflection, such statementsreveal more about cultural psychology than rational judgment. They touch upon adeep and ancient human anxiety at the boundary between art and life.

Throughout history, sculpture has beenclosely tied to notions of remembrance, eternity, and the suspension of time.From the funerary statues of ancient Egypt to the sacred figures in Europeancathedrals, and onward to modern public monuments, sculpture has never beenmerely visual—it is a philosophical response to life and death, to loss andpreservation.

When a work becomes so lifelike that itnearly substitutes for presence, people inevitably associate it—at least subconsciously—withmortality. In the context of a global pandemic, where death has become part ofshared experience, such associations intensify. Hyper-realistic sculptures thatseem almost capable of breathing are easily imbued with symbolic meaning, becomingvessels for both reverence and anxiety.

From a rational perspective, however, theseassociations are nothing more than coincidence layered with psychologicalprojection. Many of those portrayed were already in later stages of life, andthe pandemic simply heightened overall risk. Art does not alter the trajectoryof fate. What it can do is leave behind visible memory, tangible emotion, andstories that endure beyond time.

The Artist’s Clarity: To Let Life Be Seen,Remembered, and Honored

Ellen Qiongzhao Schicktanz has alwaysremained clear-minded on this matter. In private conversations, she hasaddressed such topics with characteristic calm and conviction:

“Sculpture is not a tool for predicting thefuture. It is simply a way to ensure that lives which have existed—or arefading—can be seen, remembered, and respected. If a work allows a person toleave a trace in this world, and gives those who loved them a place to holdtheir memory, then that is the greatest meaning of sculpture.”

She neither avoids such rumors nor feelstroubled by them. On the contrary, she sees them as evidence of sculpture’ sunique power as an artistic medium.

“If people feel a sense of awe because thework is so real, then I have achieved what I set out to do. Art is not meant tomake people comfortable—it is meant to help them face themselves, face time,and face life.”

This sense of purpose imbues her work witha profound gravity. Whether creating monumental historical reliefs—such asWashington Crossing the Delaware and The Signers of the Declaration ofIndependence for the Museum of the American Revolution—or private commemorativeportrait sculptures, she approaches each with the same conviction: these arenot merely artworks, but witnesses of time and dialogues between humanity andthe world.

Eternity in Bronze: When Art Approaches theTruth of Life

Within her bronze, historical figures nolonger feel distant, the departed are no longer abstract, and even present-dayviewers experience a subtle resonance—as if, within that frozen moment, theyglimpse the very nature of time and existence they themselves must one dayconfront.

Perhaps this is the true source of hersculptures’ power.

They do not merely resemble a person—theyresemble life itself.

And when art approaches the truth of life,it is only natural that people feel a trace of awe—even hesitation. For in thatmoment, sculpture touches not just outward form, but the deepest human emotionsand the enduring longing for eternity.

Those who say they “dare not commissionher” may, in truth, not be afraid of the sculpture—but of what it evokes: thepassage of time, the finitude of life, the inevitability of loss, and theultimate questions we all must face.

And this is precisely the power of greatart:

it compels us, in awe, to reconsider themeaning of life;

and in beauty, to reaffirm the value oflove.

Ultimately, the sculptures of EllenQiongzhao Schicktanz do not point toward death, but toward life—toward thereasons life deserves to be remembered, the dignity with which it should becommemorated, and the enduring imprint each individual may leave within thelong river of time.