Some of the earliest paintings of children in western art were medieval depictions of the infant Jesus Christ. In those early Jesus images and images of other children during that time, the children were shown as mini-adults and thus “unnatural”. The paintings were made to teach devotion and not please the eye or display the artist’s skill. Before the fifteenth century, most children’s portraits in art were either depicted in biblical stories or as Cupid.
After that, until the late 1800s/beginning 1900s, many children’s portraits were commissioned by royalty and the aristocracy. During that period in history, children from wealthy families were expected to behave and dress like miniature adults.
Artists like Thomas Sully, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and Mary Cassatt were the pioneers of non-commissioned portrait paintings of children in more natural environments and circumstances.
Portrait of Irene Cahen Danvers “The Little Girl with the Blue Ribbon” by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
The “Portrait of Irène Cahen d’Anvers”, is an oil painting by the famous French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The work was commissioned in 1880 by the wealthy French Jewish banker Louis Cahen d’Anvers. The portrait depicts his daughter, Irène Cahen d’Anvers, at 8.
Renoir frequently painted portraits of the families of the Parisian Jewish community. Many of these art portraits have become famous portrait paintings. “Portrait of Irène Cahen d’Anvers” is one of his favorite portraits and is today considered one of Renoir’s masterpieces.
Interestingly, Louis d’Anvers was dissatisfied with the painting and hung it in the servants’ quarters. He also delayed the payment of Renoir’s fee of 1500 francs. Nobody knows why he was so dissatisfied with the painting.
The painting was exhibited in an exhibition dedicated exclusively to Renoir three years later. In 1910 the painting was sold to the Camondo family, which Irène had married into in 1891.
La leçon difficile “The difficult Lesson” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s 1884 canvas, known in English as “The difficult Lesson”, is an almost photo-realistic replica of a child engaged in a tough lesson. It is one of the most famous portrait paintings in art history and is an excellent example of Bouguereau’s populist realism.
Bouguereau had a tremendous personal interest in the education of women and girls. This portrait was one of the ways he showed his philosophy regarding the education of women and girls. In addition, he used his standing in the art world to allow women to study at many leading French art institutions.
As depicted in this portrait, his concern with modernity and urban living conditions is a testament to his respect for the educational system that so benefited him.
Vendangeuse “The Grape Picker” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau painted this painting of a child in 1875. It is titled “Vendangeuse” but is most commonly known as “The Grape Picker”. This painting forms part of Bouguereau’s portfolio of famous art portraits.
In “Vendangeuse”, he depicted a young and humble grape picker. According to art critics, his excellent oil technique “gives soul to the portrait.” The girl is holding a wooden basket that has bunches of purple and green grapes. Because of the basket’s weight, she counterbalances by slightly leaning back. She faces the viewer by rotating her neck forward, and her body is slightly turned to the side. This posture is very convincing and results from the artist’s knowledge of anatomy.
Bouguereau used contrasts to provide this masterpiece with an incredible appeal. In fact, the bright red fabric wrapped around the girl’s hair contrasts with the overall green of the background. He also determined light and dark, and he used shades of green, brown, and ochre to create a natural atmosphere.
It is also interesting to know that this painting, as one of Bouguereau’s famous portraits, is based on works by Raphael.
Child in a Straw Hat by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
“Child in a Straw Hat” is certainly one of several famous portrait paintings created by Mary Cassatt of little girls appearing to play dress-up. Generally, Cassatt portrayed girls taking pleasure in role-playing, but the girl in this painting seems as if she is not enjoying herself.
This portrait is a simple portrait painting featuring a small girl standing and wearing a straw hat. A wall with a warm green-grey color forms the background of the painting. The girl has a shy and worried expression and is looking to the right of the viewer’s perspective. Her one hand holds the other, and her light blue dress is painted with fluid and gestural brushstrokes.
Broad, visible brushstrokes were used throughout the composition. This technique caused abstract patterns in some areas like the white sleeves of the blouse and smock. The artist applied the paint quickly and directly to the canvas – a technique referred to as “alla prima”.
“Child in a Straw Hat” was created by this American artist with oil on a large 25 11/16 x 19 3/8 inch canvas. It now belongs to the National Gallery of Art and is dated 1886.
The Torn Hat by Thomas Sully (1783-1872)
This famous portrait by Thomas Sully of his nine-year-old son, titled “The Torn Hat” is unusually informal for that period.
The nine-year-old Thomas is depicted off-center in the painting. He wears an open shirt with a rumpled jacket and straw hat. It was becoming more usual for children to wear informal clothes as it was acknowledged that play was beneficial for young people.
The fine detail of the torn hat suggests mischief, in contrast with the rosy sweetness of his face. The viewer always wonders how the hat got pulled.
“The Torn Hat” displays Sully’s characteristically fluid use of paint. The tear in the hat brim also allows Sully to show off his brilliant skill of painting a face under a complex pattern of light and shadow.
Conclusion
Over the centuries, the way children have been depicted in portrait paintings has changed. And although the reasons for using children as subjects for portraits have also changed over the years, some of the masterpieces of well-known painters are portrait studies with children as the subject.
