Cardboard Chronicles
August 29, 2023
Opening on Sunday, Sept. 3, is the exhibit, Cardboard Chronicles: The Biblical Art of Rudolph Bostic. This collection of twenty-three paintings begins in the Parlor and continues in the lower-level hallway leading to the Fellowship Room. Rudolph “Rudy” Bostic, a self-taught artist, is one of America’s most outstanding contemporary folk artists. His use of corrugated packing cardboard as his canvases, along with house paint and enamel paint in vibrant, shiny colors, contribute to making his work extraordinary!
Bostic states that his inspirations came from many sources, “especially the Bible and reproductions of the works of the masters such as Rembrandt, da Vinci, and Michelangelo.” In this collection of twenty-three paintings, Bostic presents the stories of humanity’s fall and God’s plan of redemption. It begins in the Garden of Eden, includes selected Old and New Testament stories, and ends with angels receiving orders from a risen Jesus.
Rudolph Bostic’s personal history is one of overcoming poverty, committed hard work, and a passion for painting. He was brought up in Savanah, GA, during the 1940/50’s in a single-parent family with three siblings. His mother worked as a hairdresser. The family attended the Second African Baptist Church in Savanah, where his uncle was the pastor. At a young age, he began working at the Derst Baking Company. While working, he became fascinated with the cardboard packing materials that were discarded. He liked the smooth surface and discovered that they could be cut, torn, shredded, and manipulated in many other ways but, most of all, painted on. He began painting on them using discarded, regular house paint and then moved on to other paint media! And he often painted late into the night after he completed his shift at the bakery.
Bostic’s artwork is included in museum collections, prestigious southern galleries of folk art, and in private collections. We are delighted and privileged to have this exhibition from the private collection of the Sandra Bowden family.
Opening on Sunday, Sept. 3, is the exhibit, Cardboard Chronicles: The Biblical Art of Rudolph Bostic. This collection of twenty-three paintings begins in the Parlor and continues in the lower-level hallway leading to the Fellowship Room. Rudolph “Rudy” Bostic, a self-taught artist, is one of America’s most outstanding contemporary folk artists. His use of corrugated packing cardboard as his canvases, along with house paint and enamel paint in vibrant, shiny colors, contribute to making his work extraordinary!
Bostic states that his inspirations came from many sources, “especially the Bible and reproductions of the works of the masters such as Rembrandt, da Vinci, and Michelangelo.” In this collection of twenty-three paintings, Bostic presents the stories of humanity’s fall and God’s plan of redemption. It begins in the Garden of Eden, includes selected Old and New Testament stories, and ends with angels receiving orders from a risen Jesus.
Rudolph Bostic’s personal history is one of overcoming poverty, committed hard work, and a passion for painting. He was brought up in Savanah, GA, during the 1940/50’s in a single-parent family with three siblings. His mother worked as a hairdresser. The family attended the Second African Baptist Church in Savanah, where his uncle was the pastor. At a young age, he began working at the Derst Baking Company. While working, he became fascinated with the cardboard packing materials that were discarded. He liked the smooth surface and discovered that they could be cut, torn, shredded, and manipulated in many other ways but, most of all, painted on. He began painting on them using discarded, regular house paint and then moved on to other paint media! And he often painted late into the night after he completed his shift at the bakery.
Bostic’s artwork is included in museum collections, prestigious southern galleries of folk art, and in private collections. We are delighted and privileged to have this exhibition from the private collection of the Sandra Bowden family.