“The Residence of David Twining 1787” is an artwork created by Edward Hicks in 1847. It is an oil on canvas painting which falls under the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement, and is characterized as a genre painting.
The painting presents a detailed and lively depiction of an 18th-century rural setting. At the center, there’s a large two-story house with an adjacent structure, possibly a barn or secondary residence. The house is surrounded by a substantial amount of activity—people engaged in various tasks and conversations, and a multitude of animals including cows, sheep, horses, ducks, and chickens.
In the foreground, a varied assortment of farm animals is clustered together, giving the scene a sense of abundance and prosperity. The central focus seems to be on a family, with a man standing by a fence gate addressing a child, a woman on horseback, and another woman seated with two children. This intimate grouping suggests family unity and domestic tranquility.
The style of the painting, typical of Naïve Art, is characterized by its simplicity, bright color palette, and a lack of perspective that gives everything equal importance. Details like the people’s clothing and the architecture of the buildings provide historical context and suggest the time period in which the scene is set.
The way Hicks has captured the various facets of pastoral life, from labor to leisure, reflects a sense of nostalgia for times past and communicates a serene, self-sufficient world where humans and nature coexist harmoniously. Overall, Hicks’ artwork stands as an endearing visual account of rural American life in the late 18th century.
