“What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes.” - Marcus Tillius Cicero
The Amish Way of Life
The Amish Way of Life
This painting depicts some of the everyday tasks completed in many self-sufficient Amish communities and the positive effects that come as a result of the separation from modern society. On the right side of the painting, there is a horse and buggy, to represent the many Amish groups that refuse to use motorized vehicles as it does not fall in line with their traditional culture. Horse and buggy is a more independent mode of travel, only needing food, water, and care to live, compared to cars that rely on expensive fuel and major maintenance to run. The center of the painting reveals the way that members wash clothes in the river in most communities. Deepening their independence from modern society, the Amish are non-reliant on electrical washing machines and instead prefer to wash all of their clothes by hand. Unlike contemporary farmers, the Amish carefully tend to their crops by hand or with the use of horses and plows. They are able to thrive by farming this way, using only what they are given and not seeking aid from outside of the community. On the far left, there is a barn being built for the farm animals to live in. The ability they have to build what they need for themselves is remarkable and lends a particular satisfaction and happiness in their simple lives. The Amish way of life is truly a form of life that is independent and satisfying as they do not use electricity, technology or anything that they cannot create yet they are still content.
The painting aimed to include a few specific styles and techniques to add an optimistic sentiment to the display of typical Amish life. An impressionistic style is used to show exactly what the lighting in the scene was at that time of day. The light of the evening sun casts a warm glow over the community, demonstrating the radiating positivity that undisturbed Amish life can bring. Brightness is incorporated when possible in the painting as a symbol of peace and warmth for the lives of the Amish folk in the village. Furthermore, a painting technique called dry brushing is used, as well as dilution of the acrylic paint to make the colors appear less intense in particular places, like the grass and the sky to create some contrast in the artwork. The Amish live in a contrasting way in comparison to modern society, so using distinctive color intensity differences helped to represent that. Overall, multiple techniques are employed in the painting to help display the happy, independent Amish community.
The painting aimed to include a few specific styles and techniques to add an optimistic sentiment to the display of typical Amish life. An impressionistic style is used to show exactly what the lighting in the scene was at that time of day. The light of the evening sun casts a warm glow over the community, demonstrating the radiating positivity that undisturbed Amish life can bring. Brightness is incorporated when possible in the painting as a symbol of peace and warmth for the lives of the Amish folk in the village. Furthermore, a painting technique called dry brushing is used, as well as dilution of the acrylic paint to make the colors appear less intense in particular places, like the grass and the sky to create some contrast in the artwork. The Amish live in a contrasting way in comparison to modern society, so using distinctive color intensity differences helped to represent that. Overall, multiple techniques are employed in the painting to help display the happy, independent Amish community.