Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
George Washington Looked into Another World
Born in Alabama, Howard Finster settled in Georgia where he became a Baptist preacher, bicycle repairman, inventor, and devoted family man. In 1976, Finster had a vision in which God commanded him to begin preaching through paint. George Washington was the subject of Finster’s first painting, and he portrayed his hero in a vast array of poses, scenes, and painted sermons. Here Finster’s painted text extolls that “George Washington looked into another World and so will you” and “there’s an eye watching you.”
ArtistHoward Finster, 1916–2001
Date1987
MediumPaint on panel
Dimensions48 7/8 x 48 7/8 in.
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, Gift of Carl and Marian Mullis and Museum purchase, 2023.43
ClassificationPainting
Provenance(Mark Karelson, Atlanta, GA); purchased by Henry R. Bauer, Jr., Atlanta, GA; purchased by Carl W. Mullis, III, Atlanta, GA, 2012; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2023
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 328× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.