Few other subjects reflect a society's values ​​and norms, and their evolution, as clearly as depictions of children. The exhibition " Children, Children! Between Representation and Reality" at the Bucerius Kunst Forum is dedicated to the portrayal of children in art from the 16th to the 21st century. Six chapters approach the topic from different perspectives and showcase not only paintings but also photographs, works on paper, media art, and sculptures.

The starting point for the exhibition's depictions of children is the Madonna, which continues to shape societal perceptions of mother-child relationships. Over the centuries, the portrayal of children has served various functions. Originating in aristocratic circles around 1500, the child portrait was intended to reinforce the continuity and claim to power. Against this backdrop, portraits often depicted children in armor as miniature adults, preparing them for their future roles as military commanders and rulers. A playful variation is the portrait historié, in which children were portrayed, for example, as ancient gods. Particularly in the 17th century, Dutch and Spanish genre painters took up the motif of poor children, a theme that persists to this day. The artists were not necessarily aiming for a socially critical perspective. Indeed, children living in financially disadvantaged, often precarious, circumstances are frequently depicted with a smile. Child labor was not fundamentally rejected; it was seen as a positive contribution that children could make to the family income.

The exhibition uses a variety of examples to illustrate the changing portrayals of children over the centuries. Today, portraits of deceased children are rare. In the past, however, these portraits served as a way to preserve the memory of the youngest members of society. Nowadays, remembrance is more often captured in lifelike images, such as photographs showing children in happy situations. The most significant shift, reflecting a different understanding and definition of childhood, occurred at the end of the 17th and during the 18th centuries. Children were now recognized as having their own independent development – ​​ideally in nature and away from the adult world.

Thus, the theme of childhood remains one of the most popular subjects in visual art to this day: experimenting, pushing boundaries, drawing, playing, and interacting are formative for the most important phase of a person's life.

Image: Rineke Dijkstra, Julia, Amsterdam, March 7, 2022, 2022