The Young and the Restless: Children in Art

January 13 - April 15, 2007

As a companion exhibition to Hidden Treasure: Original Children's Book Illustration from the Cedar Rapids Public Library, the CRMA searched its collection for images of children . Not surprisingly, images of the child and children have figured frequently in art, from individual portraits to candid images of children at play and characters in narratives. This exhibition features important works by both Marvin Cone and Grant Wood, as well as other artists in a variety of media.

Childhood is a magical time. Thinking back upon it conjures up a mixture of joy and pain, of wonder and frustration. How often, however, does one stop to contemplate the different ways in which children are depicted and the factors that affect such portrayals? What attributes and characteristics does a child possess that find their way into images of children? What moments are depicted and how are they typical of childhood? How much of any image is based on the actual personal experience of the artist and how much is drawn from mythologized or idealized collective perceptions of childhood? These are questions that are not immediately answerable but all raise potential factors in one's final interpretations of the works seen in The Young and the Restless: Children in Art.

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