THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN

Howard Finster, THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.6
Howard Finster, THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, 30 1829 58 in. (76.475.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.6

Artwork Details

Title
THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN
Date
1976
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
30 1829 58 in. (76.475.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
enamel on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture — religious
  • Religion — New Testament — Christ
  • Landscape — river — Jordan River
  • Religion — angel
Object Number
1988.74.6

Artwork Description

In 1976, after some four decades of preaching, Howard Finster responded to a vision in which God directed him to "paint sacred art." Finster believed that pictures would help people grasp the enormity of the Word of God. His painted sermons on life, death, salvation, and damnation eventually covered almost every inch of Paradise Garden, his four-acre art environment in Summerville, Georgia.

His concerns about a world of suffering and destruction drove Finster to create the artworks he called "signposts to salvation." In this triptych, he depicts trials encountered in the Bible's Book of Revelations, conveying his belief that no matter what problems loomed, God would protect and deliver the faithful.

Works by this artist (16 items)

Howard Finster, Bible Flying (#1805), 1980, enamel on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.16
Bible Flying (#1805)
Date1980
enamel on wood
On view
Howard Finster, Biblical Narrative Painting, 1978, oil on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.16
Biblical Narrative Painting
Date1978
oil on masonite
On view
Howard Finster, THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS), 1979, assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.245
THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V…
Date1979
assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Howard Finster, THER SHALL BE EARTH qUAKES, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.8
THER SHALL BE EARTH qUAKES
Date1976
enamel on fiberboard
Not on view
Willem de Kooning, Untitled, 1950, enamel on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.2
Untitled
Date1950
enamel on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
Best Mountain
Date1989
enamel and metal on wood
Not on view
Howard Finster, Bible Flying (#1805), 1980, enamel on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.16
Bible Flying (#1805)
Date1980
enamel on wood
On view