The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 1845

Editor: Here we have Edward Hicks’s “The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776”, an oil painting dating from 1845. It feels...static, almost stagey, despite the significance of the event. Everyone looks so contained. What am I missing here? Curator: Static is a perfect word! It reminds me of a carefully arranged tableau, doesn't it? Hicks painted this almost 70 years after the event itself. Imagine trying to capture history from so far away. Perhaps that distance, combined with his Quaker beliefs, led to this restrained approach. He wasn’t *there*, you know? It's as much about memory and myth as it is about historical record, wouldn't you agree? And it carries a different emotional resonance as a result. Do you notice how ordered everyone seems to be in their seats? Editor: That’s true! It does feel incredibly orderly for such a pivotal moment in history. Why not embrace some sort of passionate chaos, given the subject matter? I wonder if the neoclassical influence had something to do with that— emphasizing order over emotion? Curator: Precisely! Neoclassicism always aimed for this noble serenity, right? So Hicks, consciously or not, might be channeling that aesthetic to ennoble the event and its participants in the way a founding myth takes root and inspires. But you picked up on something important – look at the banners at the top – do you suppose there is any significance in the visual rhetoric? Editor: That's a very interesting detail! Looking at them again it's like the Eagle above E Pluribus Unum are quietly overseeing this monumental signing – and also like they add a nice sense of depth with the banners creating a strong 3 dimensional point! So the real trick here is to remember to think beyond the image when discussing history! Curator: Exactly! It’s about history *remembered*, shaped, and ultimately, given artistic form. And hopefully the work invites a viewer to challenge assumptions or celebrate new truths!