Howard Finster (American, 1916-2001)
Earth, Heaven, Hell, 1986
Oil on board
54 x 16.75 inches
Gift of the S. Powell Bridges Family
Howard Finster (American, 1916-2001) refers to himself by many names: a Preacher, a Second Noah, and a sacred artist. Originally a travelling preacher, Finster was painting a bicycle one day when a smudge of paint got on his finger. He looked at the smudge and a face appeared to him, calling him to make Sacred Art for God. Although the story has become almost myth-like in the Finster cannon, Howard Finster would go on to create over 5,000 sacred art objects after heeding the face’s call.
His work has been displayed worldwide, with his greatest repository of works in Atlanta, Georgia at the High Museum of Art. He was also invited to represent the United States in the 1984 Venice Biennale. The truest form of his sacred art is at his art environment in Summerville, GA, known as Paradise Garden. Finster began making art in his backyard with found objects, concrete, and glass, and created large self-portraits and portraits of George Washington and Elvis Presley. Paradise Garden later became a massive “museum park” visited by “Finster Heads” across the world. The environment would later gain the attention of R.E.M who would use the site for their music video and Talking Heads who would ask Howard Finster to paint their album cover.
R.E.M.’s Radio Free Europe music video was filmed at Paradise Garden, linked above.
Talking Head’s album “Little Creatures” designed by Howard Finster.
One can imagine Earth, Heaven, and Hell as one of the 5,000 sacred objects created by Finster, perhaps made for the walls of the rolling chair ramp of Paradise Gardens. The work, its height over three times greater than its width, depicts a common scene for Finster: judgement day, with Heaven, Earth, and Hell (although noticeably Hell takes up more than one half of the composition). Finster’s iconic handwriting is interspersed throughout the work with mentions of bible verses, warnings, and labels. Earth sits in the middle of the composition, with some figures growing wings and flying up to Heaven while others plunge into the gulf of Hell underneath.
Finster’s works, including Earth, Heaven, and Hell, draw upon apocalyptic themes, but the humor and bright colors employed by the artist makes a very somber scene appear more jovial.
– Sarah Willoughby ’25