THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS)

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, 206 587 58 in. (50.816.919.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.245

Artwork Details

Title
THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS)
Date
1979
Dimensions
206 587 58 in. (50.816.919.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums Description
assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — religion — salvation
  • Architecture — industry — power plant
Object Number
1986.65.245

Artwork Description

Howard Finster wanted to celebrate "all the inventions of mankind" in his art (Liza Kirwin, "The Reverend Howard Finster," American Art, Summer 2002). He created Paradise Garden next to his home in Pennville, Georgia, an environmental sculpture that shows portraits of such greats as Henry Ford, Leonardo da Vinci, and George Washington amid towering constructions of television parts and bicycle frames. Finster often combined modern technology with messages from God, and in this piece he inscribed lines from his sermons, including "Jesus is coming back" and "Get ready to meet God."

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Ferry Boat Trip, ca. 1943-1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1011
Ferry Boat Trip
Dateca. 1943-1944
oil on paperboard
On view
William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view
William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, ca. 1923-1926, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.679
Self-Portrait
Dateca. 1923-1926
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Mountain Blossoms, Volda, ca. 1936-1937, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.899
Mountain Blossoms, Volda
Dateca. 1936-1937
oil on burlap
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Joseph Hardin, Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs), ca. 1978, colored pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.111
Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs)
Dateca. 1978
colored pencil on paper
Not on view
William Zorach, (Untitled--Child's Head), 1925, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1976.145.8
(Untitled – Child’s Head)
Date1925
pencil on paper
Not on view
Michael Clark, Classic Series, 1970, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fendrick, 1980.131.3
Classic Series
Date1970
pencil on paper
Not on view
Study for the Pushover
Date1981
pencil on paper
Not on view