From Library Journal
Although he is now seen as a progenitor of the "na?ve" style, during his lifetime Edward Hicks (1780-1849) was known only as a devout, impoverished Quaker minister who liked to paint. With a few exceptions, his extant body of work is made up of 62 "Peaceable Kingdom" pictures, based on Isaiah's biblical prophecy. Although these paintings, known for their charmingly wide-eyed and sensuous beasts, use potent color and effective design, they are technically unsophisticated and repetitive in the extreme. But they contain a powerfully serene devoutnessAa mood probably expressed in compensation for Hicks's guilt about an avocation viewed as frivolous by other Quakers. As the popularity of folk art boomed in the early 20th century, Hicks's homely visions were popularized and became the focus of scholarly attention, and this work is probably the best to date. Weekley, the director of museums at Colonial Williamsburg, shrewdly considers Hicks's "secular" life and art through the filter of his intense piety and copiously illustrates her large-format book with brilliant color plates. Recommended for academic libraries.ADouglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., CA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review, Amy Todd
...a scholarly history of Hicks as both minister and painter, and of the turmoil these conflicting vocations wrought on his own kingdom.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Although other books have chronicled the career and life of Edward Hicks (1780-1849), America's most beloved folk artist, this is the first book to thoughtfully integrate and discuss his secular and religious concerns as they affected his artistic production, particularly the creation of his "Peaceable Kingdom" paintings. A Quaker, Hicks expressed his religious beliefs in his work, depicting an idealized view of the world as he believed it should-and could-have been. Hick's popularity today is due to the aesthetic appeal of his paintings, to the energy and passion expressed in them, and to the interpretive challenges they present.

SYNOPSIS

Popular 19th-century folk artist Edward Hicks was a devoted Quaker who expressed his religious beliefs in many of his works, particularly the Peaceable Kingdom paintings collected in The Kingdoms of Edward Hicks. This informative volume examines more thoroughly than any previous study of Hicks's career the role the artist's faith played in his artistic production. With more than 173 illustrations, including 131 full color plates, The Kingdoms of Edward Hicks will appeal to fans of the artist and folk art aficionados alike. In this excerpt, author Carolyn J. Weekley examines the Peaceable Kingdom paintings within the context of Hicks's career output.

FROM THE CRITICS

NY Times Book Review

Weekley has compiled a scholarly history of Hicks as both minister and painter,a ndof the turmoil these conflicting vocations wrought on his own kingdom.

Library Journal

Although he is now seen as a progenitor of the "na ve" style, during his lifetime Edward Hicks (1780-1849) was known only as a devout, impoverished Quaker minister who liked to paint. With a few exceptions, his extant body of work is made up of 62 "Peaceable Kingdom" pictures, based on Isaiah's biblical prophecy. Although these paintings, known for their charmingly wide-eyed and sensuous beasts, use potent color and effective design, they are technically unsophisticated and repetitive in the extreme. But they contain a powerfully serene devoutness--a mood probably expressed in compensation for Hicks's guilt about an avocation viewed as frivolous by other Quakers. As the popularity of folk art boomed in the early 20th century, Hicks's homely visions were popularized and became the focus of scholarly attention, and this work is probably the best to date. Weekley, the director of museums at Colonial Williamsburg, shrewdly considers Hicks's "secular" life and art through the filter of his intense piety and copiously illustrates her large-format book with brilliant color plates. Recommended for academic libraries.--Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

NY Times Book Review