Artist Statement:

Signs of the Times explores the Southern Gothic fascination with the apocalypse, where the supernatural and the end of the world are not simply feared, but offer a strange solace from life’s harsh realities. Angels, though terrifying, represent a threat directed toward evil, signaling the end of life’s tragedies. The paintings and drawings in this exhibition depict these celestial messengers as harbingers of this end, embodying both destruction and the potential for renewal. Using a visual vocabulary that spans ancient narratives and ecclesiastical symbolism to contemporary aesthetics such as cartoons and animation, the works delve into the modern Southern psyche’s complex relationship with apocalyptic themes, exploring both the terror and the paradoxical comfort they evoke.

Artist Biography:

Emma Hartman is a Southern visual artist and painting professor residing in Greenville, SC. She earned a BFA in Studio Art in 2015 and an MFA in Painting, graduating with honors, from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, GA, in 2018. In addition to her studio practice, Hartman teaches courses in painting and drawing at Bob Jones University.

Hartman’s work is informed by the intersection of three distinct worlds: faith, Southern culture, and contemporary painting. Drawing inspiration from figures like Hieronymus Bosch and her time working at a religious art museum, her work evolves beyond mere replication of historical imagery to explore these themes in a contemporary context.