A glistening armada advances--airborne atomic assailants, the Christian soldiers of the nuclear age. Barrels fixed, scopes centered, abstracted pilots attentive and alert, James Hampton's colossal assemblage The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly (c. 1950-1964), an anticipatory altar of Christ's Second Coming, threatens viewer annihilation. Radiating foils besiege spectators in total illumination. Hampton's friend Otelia Whitehead, who viewed the work in its creator's company, recalled, "it was like the wings of Gabriel were beating in...extremely bright light." The Throne's lustrous reflection evokes its historical moment, an era entrenched in glaring fears of nuclear holocaust. Despite pervasive mid-century malaise and Hampton's direct participation in World War II, previous studies largely neglect his Cold War consciousness, focusing instead on the altar's Christian character. Radiating foil, evocations of WWII aircraft, and apocalyptic allusions to President Harry Truman, I contend, conspire to lend this evangelical altar secular urgency at the advent of the "atomic age. / Art History
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/1692 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Larnerd, Joseph Harold |
| Contributors | Braddock, Alan C., 1961-, Bruggeman, Seth C., 1975-, Bruggeman, Seth C., 1975- |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 67 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/1674, Theses and Dissertations |
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