the peaceable kingdom essays

the peaceable kingdom essays Edward Hicks is one of the best-known and most beloved American folk painters. Hicks gave his whole life to the arts and the religious beliefs behind them. Hicks commenced his spiritual life at an early age as a Quaker later becoming a minister. The Artist went on with his work year after year as he began to create a miracle in itself. The desperate foolishness of critics and others like them justify the existence of the artist, his way, his struggle, his achievements and finally his death, because in them come to the complete expression of his consciousness. Hicks began to make oil paintings of The Peaceable Kingdom based upon the description of Isaiah found in the Holy Bible. He produced over sixty versions of The Peaceable Kingdom between 1820 and 1849. . One of the themes which was evident in the painting The Peaceable Kingdom is the unity portrayed by the animals and the humans. There is an immense presence of harmony expressed by the animals in this artwork. The artist wants the observer to see what he believes is the Garden of Eden resurrected. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid...and a little child shall lead them(Hughes). This part of the work was influenced by Isaiahs biblical prophecy (11:6-9) of grave conformity of the most tender and vicious creatures of the world. As you look further into the painting you become attracted to the wild cats as they stare at you with their stimulating gazes. The lion and the tiger give the impression that they are very intense, which seems ironic to what the painting was about, which was peace (Albertson). Edward Hicks put forth vast artistic form and colorization to the animals to help bring about the ideal of unity. The conformity asserted by the humans as seen in the portrait acknowledges the society of friendship amongst William Penn and the ...