"Prophet" William J. Blackmon, born Albion, MI 1921-died Detroit, MI 2010 Search this
Medium:
oil on wood
Dimensions:
43 1/2 x 26 3/4 x 3/4 in. (110.5 x 67.9 x 1.9 cm.)
Type:
Painting
Folk Art
Date:
ca. 1986
Luce Center Label:
"Prophet" William J. Blackmon was a preacher most of his life and called himself a "hitchhiking man of God." His paintings present his spiritual ideas and have a particular focus on one's struggle to reach heaven and avoid hell. The Cross to Stop the Divil from Goine to Heaven shows the Devil and his followers being thwarted in their attempt to climb the cross and ascend into heaven. In the image, the Devil's path is blocked by the horizontal section of the cross and by two brightly colored guardian angels, which form a barrier that the figures cannot break through. Blackmon often used words in his paintings to help reinforce the narrative. In this painting the Devil can be seen to exclaim "I will exsalt my throne above the throne of God."
Luce Object Quote:
"All my painting is directed toward God and the spiritual...." The artist, quoted in Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth-century American Folk Art and Artists, 1990
