On the side of the road in Pawtucket, in the front yard of artist Gage Prentiss’s studio, stands a larger-than-life statue of H.P. Lovecraft. It is an arresting work of art. Its meticulous attention to detail invites you in for careful study. If you know a lot about Lovecraft, you can keep a tally of the references. If not, the statue poses some mysterious questions. Why does he carry a spyglass? Why is there a pseudopod protruding from a gelatinous mass resting on the pages of the open book in his hand? Why are three cats playing around his feet, rubbing against his pant leg? The surface of the sculpture is richly textured. Closer inspection reveals that it conveys important information, such as the title of the book he holds and a graphic portrait of the author. One detail I looked at for a long time was the cat pushing its face against his left leg. It is a perfect rendering. Check out the way its ear is folded over. Also, the cat’s erect tail is a wonderful, benign echo of the ominous pseudopod coming out of the book.
Prentiss reports that people come all the time, from all over the world to see the statue. Sometimes whole tour buses disembark to take selfies. This engaging statue was supposed to be placed in a public location in Providence; however, its installation was abruptly canceled. For the most part, it has been in front of Prentiss’ studio since then — the story of the statue has a lot to teach us about public art and doing the right thing in the face of racism. Prentiss’s statue was commissioned in 2015 by The Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council, a nonprofit educational organization that is dedicated to an exciting conception of Providence as home to “a vibrant and diverse global weird fiction and art community.”
Their vision goes beyond Lovecraft, but there is no doubt that he is a key figure due to his reputation and influence as “the father of weird fiction, a literary genre that blends elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.” According to the organization’s director, Niels Hobbs, Providence is the birthplace of weird fiction, and Lovecraft is its father. The statue was to be a centerpiece in efforts to promote Providence as a tourist destination and study center for all those fascinated by things mysterious, macabre, and unexplainable. Lovecraft was little known in his lifetime. He did publish his short stories in pulp magazines such as Weird Tales and for readers of his genre; he was a fascinating figure. He corresponded widely with other writers and readers, forming a loose collaborative group known as the Lovecraft Circle. He died in Providence in 1937 at the age of 46. He was buried in Swan Point Cemetery; a marker on his grave declares. “I AM PROVIDENCE.”
After his death, Lovecraft’s reputation and influence grew steadily. Especially, from the 1970’s and onward, there was a great deal of critical and biographical interest in his career. By now there is a long list of prominent writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians who have acknowledged that Lovecraft had a profound influence on their own artistic development. These include, and are not limited to, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oats, Niel Gaiman, John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. Lurking in Lovecraft’s background, not unlike the evil and dread that stalks the characters in his stories, is the fact that he held deeply racist beliefs, frequently written about in his correspondence with friends. Prentiss and Hobbs began working together on the statue in 2015 in the same period Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, among others, were murdered. Black Lives Matter galvanized the country to confront racism with a greater sense of urgency, and Donald Trump was elected president. In 2020, George Floyd was murdered. Many citizens took to the streets to rally against racial violence, especially in the police force. Public art, most notably in the form of statues of Confederate generals, was protested, vandalized, and toppled.
Prentiss and Hobbs realized that they had to come to terms with the fact that it was not the right time to install a statue of H.P. Lovecraft. It is still a terrific work of art. No matter how exciting the idea of promoting Weird Providence was. What mattered more was not causing pain, not promoting further dissension in the community. They did the right thing and Lovecraft seems at home beside the road in Pawtucket. As someone who cares deeply about art, I think there needs to be an ongoing conversation about how we can appreciate artistic genius even when it comes from people we disapprove of. I don’t think the work needs to be on public display to have that conversation. •