Old Order Amish
Amish are a Christian denomination with a core belief in “submitting to God’s will,” or peaceful surrender, which guides their interactions with the world and emphasizes community and humility. The Amish value a rural lifestyle and manual labor, promoting self-sufficiency and a slower pace of life.
Some categorize Amish into four different groups: 1) Old Order with no electricity and very plain clothing, 2) New Order with limited technology and slightly relaxed clothing, 3) Swartzentruber, who use no tech at all with extra plain clothing, and 4) Beachy Amish, who use cars and technology with clothing that is modest. There can be additional variations between groups depending on the particular church bishop’s beliefs and directions.
It is now commonplace to see Amish riding electric bicycles and scooters while using cell phones. This painting playfully imagines Old Order Amish strictly adhering to no technology and no modern conveniences, such as modern bicycles. The penny-farthing bicycle was popular in the 1870s and was also known as a “boneshaker,” whose front wheel could reach 5 feet off the ground. Clearly, not a comfortable ride, but joy can still be had with colorful handlebar streamers, like those we had on our bicycles in the 1960s and 1970s. This painting emphasizes the simplicity of Amish life, though its clean lines represent the power of a simpler, more focused life.
The fish symbol is based on a Greek acronym for the phrase Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior. When we take the first letter from each word in that phrase, we have ΙΧΘΥΣ, which happens to be the Greek word for “fish.”
Purposely, I have not included facial features because 1) Amish do not want pictures taken of them, 2) the painting represents a group and their lifestyle and not one individual, and 3) stylistically, there is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us.
