Newtown
A simple scene, almost a cliché — orchids in the window, afternoon light hitting just right, a backyard blurred in the background. Nothing groundbreaking, just a nice play of colors and shapes.
But sometimes, that’s enough.
We settled in Newtown Township in 1996, right on the edge of Newtown Borough - a small town of about 2,000 people. Back then, our backyard overlooked farmland, with open fields stretching in all directions.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and the landscape has completely transformed. The farms that once surrounded us have disappeared, replaced by single-family homes, condominiums, and shopping centers. Though the area still retains its suburban charm with plenty of green spaces and parks, the only farm that remains nearby is Shady Brook Farm.
Shady Brook Farm, in particular, has seen rapid development around it. With condominiums and commercial buildings now encroaching on its borders, its future feels uncertain. Sadly, these might be its final years. A landscape once timeless, now fading into memory.
I drive by its fields daily, taking in the ever-changing scenery - vast open spaces, an unobstructed sky filled with dramatic or cheerful clouds, and the shifting colors of the seasons. This winter has been unusually warm, with little snow. Here’s a glimpse of how it looks nowadays - starting with bare fields,
then a light dusting of snow as the snowfall begins to accumulate,
and finally, a snow-covered field
Just another day in the office - nice, tranquil North light
Quaker Minister and America’s foremost primitive painter, Edward Hicks, resided and was buried just a mile away from my Newtown residence. He is best known for his ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ pictures, of which sixty-two exist, and he might had painted over a hundred of them. Hick’s house is still there and there is a ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ playground located a couple of blocks from it.
The ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ paintings depict a prophecy in the Book of Isaiah (11:6):
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
…
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain
Peaceable Kingdom playground, Newtown, PA
The prophecy is commonly perceived as a description of a state of harmony among all creatures, a state of peace as opposed to war. However, it is hard to believe that Hicks spent so much time on a series that spanned half of his life, from 1816 to 1847, to convey such a simple message.
The prophecy could be perceived on a deeper existential level as a description of a place where there is no death and no time - a blessed land where nothing changes, the feature frequently associated with an afterlife. Hicks being a Minister most probably perceived it as such and presented his reflections in the ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ series.
Many great intellectuals contemplated over the centuries the mystery of life, death, and possibility of the afterlife. Although they did not come any closer to resolving the mystery, at least they tried and left after magnificent descriptions of their views. Among them, in my humble opinion, is one of the most profound poetic works of the XX century - ‘The Great Elegy for John Donne’ by Joseph Brodsky. Here is the description of the ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ from this elegy:
The radiance of that Country does not fade.
From thence all here seems a faint, fevered dream.
From thence our Lord is but a light that gleams,
through fog, in window of the farthest house.
The fields lie fallow, furrowed by no plow.
The years lie fallow, and the centuries.
Forests alone stand, like a steady wall.
Enormous rains batter the dripping grass.
...All things are distant. What is near is dim.
The level glance slides from a roof remote.
All here is bright. No din of baying hound
or tolling bell disturbs the silent air.
Joseph Brodsky - The Great Elegy for John Donne
И климат там недвижен, в той стране.
Откуда всё, как сон больной в истоме.
Господь оттуда -- только свет в окне
туманной ночью в самом дальнем доме.
Поля бывают. Их не пашет плуг.
Года не пашет. И века не пашет.
Одни леса стоят стеной вокруг,
а только дождь в траве огромной пляшет.
...Всё, всё вдали. А здесь неясный край.
Спокойный взгляд скользит по дальним крышам.
Здесь так светло. Не слышен псиный лай.
И колокольный звон совсем не слышен.
Иосиф Бродский - Большая элегия Джону Донну
And here is an image from my ‘Venetian Masks’ series inspired by the elegy. One with sharp vision could even discern ‘windows of the farthest house’ in the upper right corner.
Peaceable Kingdom
Eclipse-shmeclipse. For the li'l old Newtown it was just another midday at the office. And quite a humid midday, really hot on the sunny side of deserted trafficless streets.
Only a couple of single enthusiasts and several small groups with kids waited for the beginning of the show at the shore of Lake Luxembourg.
The show started on time. Unfortunately, because of the cloudy sky, it started behind the curtains. The viewers waited patiently for occasional glimpses of the Sun.
And their patience was rewarded with this amazing view.