Consider the Ant and be Wise
Date1991
MediumScreenprint on paper
DimensionsImage: 14 5/16 × 23 15/16 inches (36.4 × 60.8 cm)
Sheet: 22 3/8 × 29 5/8 inches (56.8 × 75.2 cm)
Matted: 32 × 40 inches (81.3 × 101.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Thomas E. Scanlin Collection.
Object number2012.13
Copyright© 2023 Howard Finster / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextA Baptist preacher who was born in Valley Head, Alabama, the Rev. Howard Finster supported his family through odd jobs as a carpenter, brick layer, and radio host. Living near Summerville, Georgia, Finster had a vision that a human face appeared on the tip of his finger and encouraged him to become an artist.
This print references the following Bible verses: “Go to the ant, you sluggard;/ consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander,/ no overseer or ruler,/ yet it stores its provisions in summer/ and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:6–11). Finster plays with perspective and scale to convey the enlightenment and mastery of the ant; he depicts the creature as a towering giant, an unexpected model for the human world.
