Revival Meeting
Benny Andrews
American, 1930–2006
Details
Title
Revival Meeting
Artist/Maker
Benny Andrews (American, 1930–2006)
Date
1994
Medium
Oil and collage on canvas
Dimensions
50 x 72 inches
Credit
Purchase with funds from Alfred Austell Thornton in memory of Leila Austell Thornton and Albert Edward Thornton, Sr., and Sarah Miller Venable and William Hoyt Venable
Accession #
1995.1
Location
Currently not on view
Here Benny Andrews revisits his childhood memories of revival services held at the Plainview Baptist Church near Madison, Georgia. Encouraged by the congregation’s singing and coaxed by a persuasive minister, people on the “mourners’ benches” pray for forgiveness and salvation. With bold colors, dramatic lighting, and theatrical gestures, Andrews conveys the anguish of the mourners and the ecstasy of the saved. He hoped his work “transcends [his] particular experiences . . . to speak to larger audiences about the human condition.”
Image Copyright
© Estate of Benny Andrews / VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.