A few days ago while channel surfing we came upon the movie “Junebug” on one of the Starz channels.
Junebug is about a mountaineer artist who is also a preacher. He is elderly and his art is finally getting a reputation and a couple of agents are fighting to represent him. There are several back country characters in the movie that makes it a very interesting movie.
The movie reminded me of Georgia folk artist Howard Finster (1916-2001) who is also a preacher. I’m told that Junebug was inspired by the life and works of Howard Finster. You may have seen his work on one of the R.E.M. CD covers. Howard Finster lived in Chattooga County, Georgia. The movie was fictional and had it take place in western North Carolina instead of Georgia.
There are a lot of Howard Finster’s works of art at the High Art Museum in Atlanta. He not only painted but also sculptured. A lot of his works have words all over them, which I think are Biblical quotes or the book and verse numbers.
Above are some of Finster’s art and a picture of him.
I remember reading a magazine article about Finster years ago. I'd like to see some of his art up close.
ReplyDeleteJudy,
ReplyDeleteHis art is full of details, you could study it all day and see something new tomorrow.
Wow, I was thinking just the other day about Mr. Finster. Thanks for showcasing him for others who may not know about him. His art is so unique!
ReplyDeleteelementaryhistoryteacher,
ReplyDeleteHoward Finster is an interesting person - From what I saw I think he must have been very eccentric.