Farm Scene 

This is ‘Farm Scene’, a print by Joseph Shapiro. The windmill, an icon of rural industry, stands prominently, yet here it is still. The presence of the windmill hearkens back to earlier times when these machines dotted landscapes. It is a visual echo of progress. But note how it mirrors images of the cross in Christian iconography, a sacred symbol adapted for utilitarian purposes. It has taken a new meaning. Consider the horse, too, which also evokes past agricultural methods. Horses in art often symbolize vitality and strength, yet this one is still. The overall emotional tonality suggests the melancholy of decline. Such imagery touches on themes of temporality and the inevitable passing of ways of life. The symbolism of the windmill and the horse is not linear, but cyclical; it resurfaces and evolves, bearing new meanings in diverse historical contexts.