AND THE MOON BECAME AS BLOOD

Howard Finster, AND THE MOON BECAME AS BLOOD, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.7
Howard Finster, AND THE MOON BECAME AS BLOOD, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, 29 1230 18 in. (75.076.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.7

Artwork Details

Title
AND THE MOON BECAME AS BLOOD
Date
1976
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 1230 18 in. (75.076.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
enamel on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture — boat
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
  • Allegory — religion
  • Religion — angel
  • Religion — New Testament — Last Judgment
  • Landscape — celestial — sun
Object Number
1988.74.7

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, VISION OF A GREAT GULF ON PLANET HELL, 1980, enamel on plywood with painted frame, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.5
VISION OF A GREAT GULF ON PLANET HELL
Date1980
enamel on plywood with painted frame
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, 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
Rex Clawson, Mr. and Mrs. America, 1969, 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, 1997.124.11
Mr. and Mrs. America
Date1969
enamel on wood
On view
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