The Union University art department hosted a lecture by associate professor of art Steve Halla on Tuesday, Nov. 16 in Harvey Hall, in conjunction with his ongoing exhibition in the Union University art gallery.
After an introduction by art department chair Aaron Lee Benson, Halla spoke to more than 60 art students, faculty, special guest alumni and other attendees about historic views of death, the 19th century rural cemetery movement and his experience photographing his exhibited series “In Loving Memory: Cemetery Art Photography.”
“Part of the images is to get you to think about not only the realities of death, but also the great mysteries of death,” Halla said. “I hope people—if they see the work—that they take a sense of hope from it. We all know someone who has passed away, or we’ve had some sort of engagement with grief. In a way, I think most of the images are positive or hopeful in how they are portrayed. It’s that reminder to make the most of every day you have.”
The series of 52 black-and-white digital photographs artistically documents sculptures in rural cemeteries. Many of the photographs show crucifixion scenes, saints, angels and Christ figures, often in dramatic lighting with a significant blur effect. The subject matter—19th century cemeteries—often served an outdoor social role as open air museums that encouraged walks through their art.
“While I cannot take all of you physically with me on such walks, I can, however, share a little of those experiences with you in the form of photographs,” Halla said. “They’re not much, but maybe just enough to remind you that we are all traveling this road of life together.”
Halla recounted several personal experiences with rural cemetery sculpture. By 2006, he regularly documented statues that emotionally struck him, such as an angel at Cave Hill Cemetery, in Louisville, Ky. The often decayed sculptures provided him with much thought on the nature of death, time and love.
“The initial thought was that if I could photograph them, and make woodcut prints of them and do something creative, it was a way to preserve this record of these objects that hopefully could be passed down generation-to-generation. Perhaps—maybe—once some of those statues are gone, some of the prints or photographic records would remain,” Halla said.
Rural cemetery sculpture often included representations of the seven Christian virtues, especially Hope. In his lecture, Halla described the iconography, such as anchors and five-point stars, of statues of Hope and the impact they have on a viewing audience.
“I really appreciated the symbolism. I had no idea that there were statues of Hope in cemeteries,” Sarah Greenwood, a sophomore zoology major who attended the lecture said. “I just thought that was a really neat way to encompass the Lord through art in a cemetery. I would have never known that if I didn’t go to that lecture.”
Halla’s historical examination of cemetery types centered on ideas of mortality as his artistic inspiration. He prefaced his lecture by noting that the topic was not “a crowd-pleaser.”
“In comparison to Americans just a century ago, we have grown more easily unnerved, more quickly offended and more personally distant in our engagements with death. In a word, we’ve become soft. Is it any wonder we are so in love with youthfulness and all it represents? Death truly is public enemy number one,” Halla said.
“In Loving Memory: Cemetery Art Photography” will remain on display in the Union University art gallery through February 3, 2022. The photographs are available for purchase at $25 each.
