This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by O'brien, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Nature of Childhood through History Revealed in Artworks?

University of Cape Town, co223{at}cam.ac.uk

Several authors have used artworks to interpret the nature of childhood in various historical periods. This contribution argues that artworks are of limited value in illuminating societies' attitudes towards children as well as the psychic realities and social experiences of children themselves. In particular, visual artworks suffer from ambivalent interpretation (both of subject matter and its expression) due to influences that are independent of its subject matter. Influences include: the vagaries of artistic developments, conventions, style, tastes, fashions, markets and patronage; physical factors such as the techniques, materials and technologies available, the division of labour, studio practices and the number of sittings available; the unpredictable nature of creativity; interpretations of viewers and `adults'; and the capacity of artworks to change social reality. It is concluded that psychosocial inferences about history based on artworks alone involve a category mistake and that the use of art as evidence for the nature of childhood is largely a matter of risky inference.

Key Words: childhood • history • historiography • ontology of art • paintings

Childhood, Vol. 10, No. 3, 362-378 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/09075682030103007


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Muponde Opinion, Dialogue, Review: Unhappy family, unhappy children and the end of childhood in Dambudzo Marechera's The House of Hunger Childhood, November 1, 2006; 13(4): 519 - 532. [Abstract] [PDF]