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Howard Finster: Man of Visions
The art and the story of one of America's most lively, celebrated, and widely collected "outsider" artists, the Georgia evangelist who has spread the Gospel by creating more than 9,000 paintings and sculptures. 200 photos, 100 in color.
- GenresArt
242 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
6 people want to read
About the author
John Turner
291 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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July 23, 2008
It's a bit disconcerting to encounter a sincere believer, a real visionary. We're so used to cynical politicized religious belief.
Howard Finster, who died in 2001, created thousands of works, including the "Paradise Garden" environment next to his house in Georgia. "I built the park because I was commissioned by God...God wanted me to take this junk and make something out of it and show people who got things that they could do something where they stand."
Finster, originally a preacher and always inventive in the making and reparing of things, used anything and everything to "get his message out all over the world". Words, mixtures of images and words, and images themselves, were written, constructed, drawn and painted on everything from boards to mirrors to shoes and bicycle seats. He was also a musician, putting together "collages of song fragments in the same way that he puts elements together in his visual pieces". Nothing and no one was wasted or turned away.
My favorites of the items illustrated in the book use both words and images to create Finster's vision. I was particulaly taken with "What is the Soul of Man?" and "Hand of Art".
There's a lot to digest and inspire, even if you only look at the reproductions in the book and disregard the accompanying text. As Jose Tavel says, "He doesn't know what things are supposed to be, so there are no limits".
He was trying to spread his messages, but it was always your choice how to incorporate his images and words into your own life. No need to kill, to sacrifice, to subjugate, to overcome or be overcome. That, if nothing else, will always keep Howard Finster truly fresh and visionary.
Howard Finster, who died in 2001, created thousands of works, including the "Paradise Garden" environment next to his house in Georgia. "I built the park because I was commissioned by God...God wanted me to take this junk and make something out of it and show people who got things that they could do something where they stand."
Finster, originally a preacher and always inventive in the making and reparing of things, used anything and everything to "get his message out all over the world". Words, mixtures of images and words, and images themselves, were written, constructed, drawn and painted on everything from boards to mirrors to shoes and bicycle seats. He was also a musician, putting together "collages of song fragments in the same way that he puts elements together in his visual pieces". Nothing and no one was wasted or turned away.
My favorites of the items illustrated in the book use both words and images to create Finster's vision. I was particulaly taken with "What is the Soul of Man?" and "Hand of Art".
There's a lot to digest and inspire, even if you only look at the reproductions in the book and disregard the accompanying text. As Jose Tavel says, "He doesn't know what things are supposed to be, so there are no limits".
He was trying to spread his messages, but it was always your choice how to incorporate his images and words into your own life. No need to kill, to sacrifice, to subjugate, to overcome or be overcome. That, if nothing else, will always keep Howard Finster truly fresh and visionary.
Displaying 1 of 1 review