Demons of Martin Luther

Detroit, Michigan

The intent of the artist who made this statue of German theologian Martin Luther -- father of the Protestant Reformation -- was to pose him as if nailing his famous 95 Theses to the church door, and to show "the Word of God gloriously being released back into the world" -- words of the statue's press release -- as 95 doves winging skyward.

Instead, Luther appears to be unleashing a cloud of wraith-like demons from his wrist.

The design would have worked better had the statue been carved from white marble, but its dark bronze instead gives Luther and his doves an ominous appearance (Similar to unintentionally forboding Black Angels in cemeteries).

Fun fact: all 95 Theses, in Latin, are engraved in tiny letters on the bronze parchment that Luther is hammering.

The 11-foot-tall statue was unveiled on April 29, 2018, and was meant to commemorate the 500th anniversary (plus six unplanned extra months) of Luther's rendezvous with the door.

Sculptor Timothy Schmalz has also crafted Roadside-notable religious artworks Dine with Jesus and Homeless Jesus.