World-renowned artist honoured

Artwork comes in all different forms and styles, catering to many different tastes and personalities. Being successful in the art world doesn’t come easy. One Canadian artist however, has managed to make his mark and has done so for nearly a century.

His name is Joe Rosenthal and you may have seen his artwork around Toronto. It’s featured in numerous parks and also on the University of Toronto campus. There is also a piece of his artwork here in Hamilton with quite the local connection to the world-renowned artist.

Joe Rosenthal, 93, has been a talented force to reckon with in the art world for over eighty years, and he’s not about to retire.

“You see, I’m always in a position of creativity. I don’t know how to describe creativity, but it’s a constant attitude I constantly have towards my artwork,” said Rosenthal.

He takes care of his wife, Margaret Joyce, in their Etobicoke home. It’s more like an art gallery, filled with his beautiful sculptures and artwork that spans decades.

Rosenthal’s work is featured all over the world, as well as his own backyard — and the backyard of a home in Hamilton. Mike Emiglio was commissioned by a couple to recreate “The Neighbours.”

“I reproduced them in fibre glass using fibre glass resin and material and from that just did layer upon layer. After it was cured, I de-molded them and i sanded it and gave it a finished bronze look,” said Emiglio.

The couple knew Rosenthal’s family and have collected numerous pieces of his work throughout the years. Rosenthal gave Emiglio the mold for the sculpture, and after weeks of work, he presented the couple with the finished piece.

“It was an honour replicating his work, I’ve never met a gentleman and artist at that age. I was very inspired just to meet him and do his work,” said Emiglio.

As for Rosenthal, he’s humble about recognizing others love of his work.

“I can appreciate that. How do you describe appreciation? That’s difficult. It covers so much ground, it covers a lot of ground,” he said.

Rosenthal has been recognized by the Art Gallery of Ontario and has won numerous awards on an international scale. He says he still gets requests for replicas of his sculptures from people that he can accommodate.