Barnyard Ballet
One of the most prominent traits of the Amish community is that they choose to lead a simple life. The reason they do this is because they believe simplicity is a symbol of humility. Amish take seriously the Biblical commands to separate themselves from worldly things and is demonstrated in the way they dress, not using technology such as electricity, vehicles, and other modern devices.
By living simply and restricting access to unnecessary items, such as fancy clothes, TV, or iPhones, the Amish feel they can keep the modern world from intruding into their lives and allow them to remain focused on their faith, family, community and living a modest life.
Contrast this with the idea of ballet. Ballet is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and has since become a widespread and highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. A ballet comprises the choreography and music for a ballet production. Ballets are usually performed with classical music accompaniment and use elaborate costumes and staging.
The inspiration and motivation behind this painting called “Barnyard Ballet” was to craft an image of the most unlikely scenario to happen. A collision of the simple and modest life of Amish and to ponder “what would it look like if Amish were into ballet?” The goal was to have an image that is whimsical and fun, where people can laugh at, be amused by, and appreciate the painting’s incredible folly. Ballet and barnyards absolutely do not go together, nor would farmhands ever be practicing their dance moves, especially in the hazards of a barnyard.
Art is unique and touches people differently. Regardless, the goal is to create an image that touches a person’s emotions, funny bone or in other ways. This piece was on display in a small exhibit early in my painting journey. The head of the organization received a complaint from a woman who took offense to the image and stated that “women do not twirl men” and demanded the piece be removed. The piece was removed, but the head of the organization reminded me that I had arrived as an artist because I evoked an emotion from the piece.