Edward Hicks
"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them." This passage and subsequent verses from Isaiah 11 in the Old Testament, are the inspiration for Edward Hicks' iconic "The Peaceable Kingdom"—a favorite motif that he painted over 60 times during his life.
Hicks, a Quaker minister and self taught painter, lived in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. He began his career painting wagons, signs, furniture, and everyday objects. In 1816, when Hicks was in his mid thirties, he painted his first Peaceable Kingdom in response to the social immorality of the day and conflicts regarding slavery, poverty, and immigration.
As a Quaker minister, he felt the struggle between an inward spiritual life and an outward worldly life. He was also troubled by a theological rift within the Society of Friends (Quakers).The animals in the painting convey a moral message in which the predatory lion, leopard, bear, and wolf suppress their base instincts and live in harmony with the meek lamb, kid, cow, ox, and children. Likewise, in order to achieve grace from God, Hicks believed that a person must deny self and relinquish his willful and worldly creaturely behavior.
As the threat of the Civil War was approaching, Hicks looked back to what he considered a "golden age" in which William Penn, while establishing the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681, fostered a peaceful treaty with the Native Americans. He included this historical scene in many of his paintings (left background). Hicks' training in sign painting, rather than in fine art, is evident in his style - the animals are flat (non-dimensional), stylized (non-natural), and frozen in position.Hicks' vision of harmony is particularly apropos during this time of dissention and deep divisiveness concerning the United States’ Presidential election.
- Martina
If you would like to see this painting with your own eyes: from June 10 until September 3, 2017 in Cincinnati Art Museum you can see The Peaceable Kingdom on the exhibition "A Shared Legacy: Folk Art in America" :)