Face-to-Face: Elvis in the Army portrait
About the Project
As part of the National Portrait Gallery's education program "Face-to-Face," Warren Perry, curator of "Echoes of Elvis," discusses Elvis's time in the army and his portrait by Howard Finster. Elvis Presley's humble nature and patriotism appealed greatly to visionary artist Howard Finster. Born in 1915 in DeKalb County, Alabama, Finster claimed to have his first vision in early childhood; his later visions would dictate decisions affecting both his life and his art. Finster was an evangelical Baptist minister before coming to view painting as the vehicle chosen for him to spread the gospel. Included in the current NPG "Echoes of Elvis" exhibition are two of Finster's painted, wood-cutout Elvis images: Elvis at Three and Elvis in Army Uniform, both done in 1990 and from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Elvis at Three, which features a baby Elvis Presley adorned with angel wings and inscribed with Bible verses, conjures Finster's idea of Elvis as a special Christian emissary on earth. Elvis in Army Uniform presents a more secular image of Presley with a reference to his military service. Recorded at NPG, May 6, 2010. Image: Elvis in Army Uniform / Howard Finster / Paint on Wood, 1991 / High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; purchase with funds from the Cousins Foundation, Inc., and donors to the Paradise Project Campaign. Face-to-Face talk currently located on the National Portrait Gallery's iTunesU page. ["Elvis in Army Uniform" by Howard Finster. 1994.239]
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