Howard Finster’s Vision

Hastily crammed on the walls of the tiny David Leonardis Gallery (1346 N. Paulina) in Wicker Park are works of the legendary folk and outsider artist, the Reverend Howard Finster. They are featured regularly in the gallery’s monthly group show (now through November 12) showcasing contemporary, folk, outsider and pop art. No matter how intriguing and cutting-edge the other artists in this hip gallery may be, their works are left crouching in the shadows of the late Finster’s mesmerizing work.

Finster was known as a man of vision; dubbing himself a “Stranger From Another World”, his work is outrageous and otherworldly. He began creating his “sacred art” in 1976 when a voice commanded him to use art to spread the word of God, because "preaching don't do much good; no one listens- but a picture gets on a brain cell." Without any training, he began painting on anything he could get his hands on-- nail heads, gourds, bottles, mirrors, plastic, snow shovels—so he can meet God’s demand of 5,000 pieces. But the prolific artist met the minimum in no time, and continued painting until his death in 2001. The result was over 46,000 pieces of art, about 100 of which is being shown at the Leonardis Gallery making it one of the largest collection of Finster’s work.

Displayed are pieces in a variety of sizes and media – concrete, wood cutouts, canvas paintings, shelf pieces and prints. Finster’s images range from apocalyptic visions, angels, devils, and other religious subject matter, to pop icons (“Elvis at age 3”, shown right), presidents (“George Washington at 23”), and unconventional subject matter like giant ants, Coke bottles and dinosaurs. The images are vividly, if not crudely, drawn and brightly colored to catch the eye from a distance.

Illustrated with a combination of marker and paint, each piece also incorporates handwritten religious texts and admonitions spreading the word of God. The texts often have a flavor of hell fire and brimstone as heard in sermons in tent revivals. Despite the evangelical messages, however, the words that stream from his images are written with a genuine voice making them endearing instead of condescending. The typical inscription would either be words quoted from the Bible, or from one of his sermons such as, “''He That Believeth Not Shall Be Damned'' or “Be numbered and Walk In The light of the Lord,” inscribed within a picture of a triceratops (piece numbered #7000.954).

Internationally renowned, Finster’s work is widely recognizable. His works graced the covers of REM and Talking Heads albums, and Finster is perhaps the best known self-taught artist in the modern era. His work, which blends the sacred and the playful and the ordinary with the sublime, belongs in a museum. And they are. His works are in the Smithsonian collection as well as Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. But after having done over 46,000 pieces of art in his lifetime, he has enough art to distribute among the masses and spread the word of God. Or at least offer an argument that a man with such divine talent is proof of God’s existence.