Thursday, September 19, 2013
Monday, January 30, 2012

From the New York Times:
"At Lindsay Gallery, charts drawn on rolls of oilcloth by a Pentecostal minister, the Rev. Samuel David Phillips (1890-1973), illustrate sermons in a naïve hand but with plenty of preacherly imperative. You imagine the members of his flock sitting bolt upright in their pews after gazing at “Rome,” which depicts a bloody crucifixion, the flaying of St. Bartholomew and a pack of lions feasting on martyrs in the Colosseum."
This chart is show in older posts on this blog. Click this link for the full article. Outsider Art
Saturday, December 24, 2011


REV. SAMUEL DAVID PHILLIPS
For Rev. Phillips the charts had a more earthly function, to illustrate his sermons to his flock at the Progressive Pentecostal Mission of Chicago. His intent was to help his congregation better understand the bible and how it impacted many things that were happening in the world. But it’s how he depicted those messages that make the charts rise to the level of great folk art, rather than simple biblical illustration.
These charts crackle with an over-the-top energy fueled by aggressive pattering and bursts of motion. Angels share the sky with bombs, Jonah’s whale swims next to modern ships, demons share the roadway with automobiles … creating a visionary explosion meant to inspire parishioners.
That inspiration still works today, no matter the viewers beliefs. This is pure folk art, the “real thing”, made from the materials at hand and meant to be used. While pictorially simple, these charts have an impact that is much greater than the sum of their parts… foreshadowing the work of religious visionaries such as Sister Gertrude Morgan and Rev. Howard Finster. "
Monday, December 19, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011


It is of special note to know that the LUMA: Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago will be showing a framed chart by Rev. Phillips in an exhibition featuring images dealing with the path to Heaven.
"Heaven+ Hell" exhibition February 10 – June 30, 2012



