To turn, as swimmers into
cleaness leaping,
Glad from a world grown old
and cold and weary…
-Rupert Brooke
 |
| Gerard Wickham - Conrad - 2016 |
Just a few weeks ago, I
finished my youngest son’s portrait, a small oil painting executed on poplar
panel. He is just fourteen years old, a
pivotal age in a child’s development into adulthood. With one foot still anchored securely in the
cradle, he is dependent on his parents for sustenance and guidance, but, at the
same time, he is more capable than ever of taking action independently and sees
himself as ready to take on the challenges of the wider world. I recognize this time in his life as one of
possibilities. Choices he makes now will
often have an impact far into his future.
I sort of see him as a courageous explorer embarking on a journey into
unchartered territory. On one hand, I
envy him, but, on the other, I’m glad it’s not me doing the trailblazing. These were some of the ideas kicking around
my brain as I started this portrait. To
successfully convey them in imagery, I chose to make some radical changes in my
normal practices.
Usually in painting, I
present my subject indoors, lit by artificial lighting, ordinarily multiple
sources carefully arranged to maximize sculptural effect and to establish a
satisfying interplay of darks and lights.
I prefer to depict the figure in a shallow space, activity organized
parallel to the picture plane – somewhat akin to the manner in which figures
are presented on the tympanum of a Greek temple. I also typically minimize the effect of
atmosphere and shadow, offering an interpretation of visual reality that
eschews ambiguity and distortion.
In this portrait of my son,
it was essential that he be presented outdoors.
Space represents possibilities, challenges, the unknown. Sunshine obliterates nuance, transforming
sculptural form into flat planes where it touches directly. While I most often opt to portray an
individual straight on, I chose here to depict my son from below, making him
appear more heroic and bringing in a large swatch of clear blue sky to fill the
space behind him. Initially the garage
was not included in the painting, but I added it in later because it was
needed. It anchors the composition,
providing contrast with the broad expanse of the sky, but I was particularly
interested in the web of shadows cast on the face of the structure. It is late fall. Though the day is clear, the sunlight bright
and transforming, the sun is low on the horizon, its reach already becoming
feeble. The trees are bare. Winter is coming on.
It’s hard to put into words
exactly what I was hoping to project in this portrait, but I feel that I got it
right, that I arrived at the image I had in mind before getting started. Although the decisions I make in constructing
a painting are usually very deliberate, dissecting a work, as I have done
above, is generally fruitless and misleading.
The impact of visual art is overwhelmingly emotional and immediate. So, my advice is to study the painting, skim
over my words.
The concept of adolescence
is a fairly recent invention. It wasn’t
until Victorian times when upper-class children were receiving extended
education that the period between the age of thirteen and the early twenties
was considered a unique stage of life stationed between childhood and
adulthood. Prior to that the natural
assumption was that, when a child was physically capable of taking on an adult
role, he or she would do so. Hence it
was the norm to find children employed or encouraged to marry at a very early
age. With the development of the concept
of adolescence, children experienced a delay in the assumption of adult roles
and responsibilities. To some, this
delay must have come as a welcome relief and to others, a purgatory; most
likely, for the majority of adolescents the experience represents a little of
both. Rarely is a child, upon entering
adolescence, equipped to function in the adult world; expectations are simply
too high and the world is an incredibly complex place these days. On the other hand, the adolescent often feels
the need to assert him or herself as fully mature and far more sophisticated
than the adults who serve as authorities or guides within his or her life. This duality results in an uneasy limbo, a
frustratingly long period enhanced by freedom from real responsibilities yet
defined by seemingly absurd restrictions, thwarted ambitions and unfulfilled
desires. So adolescence is definitely a
charged period in human development characterized by intense emotions and
regular upheaval – which really makes for an ideal theme to address in
art. I thought it would be interesting
to take a brief and very selective survey of how some artists explored this
theme in their work.
Before modern times, it was
the norm to dress children, once out of infancy, identically to adults, so it
can be a challenging task to identify adolescents in paintings.
 |
| Peter Paul Rubens - Clara Serena Rubens - c1615 |
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| Sandro Botticelli - Portrait of a Young Man - c1482 |
We are more accustomed to
seeing teenagers establishing their own unique styles of grooming and dress,
styles that commonly challenge accepted standards and can often seem ridiculous
or offensive to adults.
 |
| Anne-Louis Girodet - Portrait of a Youth - 1795 |
When I first saw this
portrait by Girodet, I thought that the young man depicted was a street urchin
too impoverished to dress properly and get a professional haircut. Upon performing a little research, I learned
that this youth embodied the prevailing styles of post-Revolutionary France
A child’s transition into
adulthood can be painful to both the child and the parents. Often, a happy and unguarded child can become
closed-off and distant during this period.
 |
| Edvard Munch - The Four Sons of Dr. Linde - 1903 |
In this group portrait by
Munch, the oldest son is not engaged with the viewer. His head is tilted wistfully to the
side. His eyes no longer see; they are
focused internally on private dreams and musings. There is already a divide that separates him
from his younger siblings.
 |
| John Singer Sargent - The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit - 1882 |
Sargent also addresses the
gulf between childhood and adulthood.
The children in this painting are arranged so they retreat, youngest to
oldest, away from the viewer, the two oldest sisters set in a distant, dark
alcove which places them both physically and emotionally apart from the
group. The senior of the two is turned
in profile, shrouded in shadow, no longer accessible to the artist and,
consequently, the viewer too.
 |
| Elisabeth Vigee-Le Brun - Portrait of the Artist's Younger Brother - c1770 |
Vigee-Le Brun portrays her
brother as a student, armed with the tools of his trade, venturing forth
happily into the world to obtain the education and skills necessary to a
successful adult.
 |
| Edouard Manet - Luncheon in the Studio - 1868 |
With this work by Manet, as is
common within his ouerve, it is a little difficult to differentiate between
reality and artifice. Obviously, the
setting is staged: the interior of a studio stocked with props and costumes. We
are encouraged to question whether the three individuals, a youth commanding
the center of the scene, a man seated at a table displaying food and tableware
and an indistinct woman standing in the background grasping a carafe, are
“real” people inhabiting the studio space or simply models posing within that
space to play a role or fulfill compositional needs. A potted plant residing in the corner of the
room asserts a presence equivalent to that of the people inhabiting the space. The leavings from the meal are arranged
similarly to articles inhabiting many a Dutch still-life. There is a wall hanging behind the man that
curiously resembles a map that appears in the background of several of
Vermeer’s paintings. The helmet and
weapons hearken back to Rembrandt. With
this preponderance of references, Manet is deliberately deconstructing his own
image, suggesting that the artist cannot address experience without being influenced
by art history and that the boundary between actuality and craft is extremely tenuous. After some consideration, a determination
becomes possible. The man portrayed is
an artist who has taken a break from his work to share lunch with a young man,
most likely his son. The meal is over. The artist is enjoying an after meal smoke,
while the youth pauses before exiting the scene and a servant waits to be
summoned to pour more coffee. A
comparison between the adult male and the youth is revealing. The adult, sporting a full beard and dressed
plainly in dark clothes crowned with a gray top hat, sits behind a table filled
with the remains of an elaborate meal.
He is lost in his sensual pleasures, momentarily oblivious to his
surroundings. He is passive. Conversely, the youth is active, demanding
our attention. He is dressed
fashionably, almost flashily, in a pork pie hat, light, subtly striped pants, a
white shirt striped in blue and a patterned tie. His hair is neatly cut. He gazes confidently past the viewer with a
smug, confidant expression on his face.
He appears more than adequately prepared to confront the world.
At the turn of the twentieth
century, many artists were forthrightly addressing themes of sexuality in their
work, and their exploration of adolescence naturally focused on the development
of a sexual identity resulting with physical maturation.
 |
| Edvard Munch - Puberty - c1894 |
Here Munch presents
adolescence as a horrifying period of transition. This girl, naked and vulnerable, draws her
knees together tightly and places her hands between her thighs
protectively. Her eyes are wide with the
realization that she is being perceived differently than in the past, that her
innocent childhood days have lapsed. The
weight of sexual responsibility, personified as a dark, looming shadow, haunts
her like an ever-present specter.
 |
| Ferdinand Hodler - Spring - 1901 |
Hodler, on the other hand,
defines adolescence as an exciting period of sexual awakening akin to the
seasonal rebirth of the natural world in spring.
 |
| Fairfield Porter - Jerry - c1955 |
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| Fairfield Porter - Lawrence at the Piano - 1953 |
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| Fairfield Porter - Chris, Sarah, Felicity - 1959 |
Porter’s adolescents are
depicted in a protected environment insulated from external judgement. They dress plainly and comfortably with
little concern to impress an audience or project their adultness. There is a lazy clumsiness in their bearings. The inexpensive sneakers, elaborately
decorated slippers and pants hiked high on the waist exposing bare ankles
attest to their ties to childhood, their allegiance to the familial nest. But their faces express a sullen boredom, a
barely recognized desire to explore territories beyond the safe confines of the
home. Only in Chris, Sarah, Felicity do we see a young male who dresses more
provocatively and projects the aura of hostility and rebellion we commonly associate
with youth culture today.
 |
| Alice Neel - Olivia - 1975 |
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| Alice Neel - Olivia with Rubber Plant - 1977 |
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| Alice Neel - Swedish Girls - 1968 |
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| Alice Neel - Ginny in Striped Shirt - 1969 |
In all of her portraits,
Neel insightfully dissects her subject, not cruelly but choosing to use humor
and compassion as her primary instruments to explore her sitter’s
personality. When painting adolescents,
Neel evokes their moody isolation, reveals the insecurity and awkwardness
underlying all of their apparent bravado and exaggerates the absurd fashions
which they often embrace so readily.
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| Andrew Wyeth - Roasted Chestnuts - 1956 |
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| Andrew Wyeth - The Swinger - 1969 |
Wyeth expertly documents the
wiry body type that often results from years of rapid growth in the early
adolescent years. These young men appear
impossibly lean and lanky. I’ve particularly
admired The Swinger for many years. In this painting, Wyeth skillfully captures
the nonchalance and swagger so essential to youth culture in the 1960s.
 |
| Sally Mann - Emmett and the White Boy - 1990 |
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| Sally Mann - Candy Cigarette - 1989 |
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| Sally Mann - At Charlie's Farm - 1990 |
In many of her photographs,
Mann has recorded images of her children’s development. Some of her finest work addresses the theme
of adolescence, particularly the period just before physical maturation. The children in these photographs are
attempting to project an adult-like sophistication and worldliness, even an
aura of threat. They seem more than
willing to embrace the forbidden behaviors and practices of adults, but, of
course, we recognize that we are only observing children’s games, the mock
interpretations of grown up activities.
There is a darkness and sadness in these photographs. We, as viewers, share a mother’s response to
witnessing her children abandoning the security, wonderment and innocence of
childhood to venture into the world of adult complications, awareness and
responsibility.
Even my small survey has
shown that artists have expressed quite diverse opinions concerning
adolescence. I think this most likely
reflects the views of the general population also. Adolescence can be characterized as a period
of amazing change, exciting challenges and expanding opportunities. Conversely, artists have portrayed this phase
of life as one of awkward transformation, emotional instability and slavish
conformity to fashion. Inevitably, with
the taking on of the onus of adult responsibilities, a loss of childhood
enthusiasm and innocence results. Often
adolescents are too impatient to make the transition into adulthood – a symptom
of the “grass is always greener” syndrome which seems to infect most people of
all ages in contemporary society.
Looking back now, I realize that childhood is an incredibly unique and fleeting
period of our lives, one that should be savored and extended for as long as
feasibly possible. And, even as adults,
we should struggle to retain a childlike perspective, permitting us to
experience our banal and ordinary surroundings with a fresh eye and to take
great pleasure in the seemingly insignificant occurrences of our daily
lives. For an artist, this struggle is
particularly critical, for without the ability to see “reality” in a new way…to
find the extraordinary in the ordinary…to view as fascinating that which others
ignore, the creation of credible art is impossible.
“I, Eternal Child, always
watched the passage of the rutting people and did not want to be inside them, I
said – spoke and did not speak, I listened and wanted to hear them and see into
them, strongly and more strongly.”
- Egon Schiele
As always, I encourage
readers to comment here. If you would
prefer to comment privately, you can email me at: gerardwickham@gmail.com.
