Poe is for ‘everyone, evermore’: Artist, author exhibits new work

Braxton Hare, Contributing Writer

Local artist and nonfiction author Chris Semtner’s most recent collection of paintings and prints, “Mystery of Mysteries,” is available for viewing at anne’s Visual Art Gallery in Richmond. 

The gallery is located at 208 W. Broad St. and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12-5 p.m., and on First Fridays from 4-9 p.m., according to its website. This marks Semtner’s first show at anne’s Visual Art Studio gallery since 2019, according to Anne Hart Chay, the owner of the gallery.

The collection creates a sense of mystery by blending dream and reality into images that hint at open-ended stories or unresolved mysteries, Chay said. 

“The paintings present ambiguous, elusive and indecipherable mysteries not to be solved or understood, but to be contemplated, inviting the solitary viewer to explore and to imagine. They are simply just meant to be,” Semtner said. 

“Mystery of Mysteries” was influenced by 19th-century art and literature, specifically the works of Edgar Allan Poe, silent horror films and historic Virginia architecture, according to the gallery’s press release.

Semtner’s main goal in his work is to “think of innovative ways to share the strange but true story of Edgar Allan Poe to new audiences.” He feels that Poe is for “everyone, evermore,” according to The Poe Museum’s website.

By sharing his art and literature, Semtner aims to preserve and celebrate the rich literary and historical legacy of Poe in Richmond, he said.

Using Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” story to further his creative imagination, Semtner’s work in “Mystery of Mysteries” blends dreamlike and realistic elements into images that suggest unresolved narratives or enigmatic stories, he said. 

“These paintings explore a dreamscape populated by half-forgotten dreams, false memories, oversized insects and silent film stars. They are tales that tell nothing and symbols that symbolize nothing,” according to Semtner’s website. 

During the opening reception of the “Mystery of Mysteries” exhibition, Semtner also signed copies of his latest book, “Haunting Poe: His Afterlife in Richmond & Beyond.” 

The book tells the “stranger-than-fiction story of Poe’s ghost, drawn from legends, lore and firsthand accounts of those who claimed to have seen the disembodied spirit of the 19th-century horror author in houses, forts, libraries, museums and even bars, spanning from Providence to Charleston,” according to a press release on Semtner’s work. 

“I thought that it would be a really interesting thing to have just one book all about Poe’s ghost since whenever I go to a different city to give a talk or something, I hear a different ghost story about Poe,” Semtner said.

Semtner said his book covers how ghost stories about Poe are popping up everywhere. He is seemingly haunting seven different cities, three different bars, multiple library museums and even the Fairmount Water Works.

“The sources of my imagery are hazy memories, half-forgotten dreams, dusty old books and seldom-seen black-and-white movies,” Semtner said.

Director of retail and guest services at the Poe Museum, Jake Taylor, said whenever he goes to Semtner with a question about Poe, he knows the answer, which impresses him.

Taylor said he goes through Semtner’s books pretty regularly when he needs to fact-check something or wants specific information on Poe. 

“I have also been to his most recent gallery at anne’s where I got to see some of his pieces. It’s really cool to see his artwork,” Taylor said.

Self-taught street artist and Richmond native Lewis Jones said they were able to go to anne’s Visual Art Gallery during Sempter’s First Friday event. 

“I loved how eclectic and extensive the galleries were at anne’s. It was cool to see local artists from the community have the opportunity to showcase their art somewhere,” Jones said.

Jones said he usually doesn’t enjoy things related to horror or the supernatural, but something about Semtner’s paintings and his technique changed that for him.