Suffer Little Children 2008

Oil on board
128 x 70 cm

Luke 18:16, Matthew 19:14

This doll has what appears to be prosthetic arms and makes reference to the many children who have suffered during conflicts. Landmine victims who do survive, most often lose limbs. This child has a hauntingly beautiful face with rosy cheeks. As a reference to other child victims I have painted numbers just visible on the right under forearm. Those numbers would only have the purpose of identifying this child as a holocaust camp inmate. There is a large Red Cross on the child’s chest, perhaps an appeal for compassion. On the left I have made growing markers with dates as people often do on the side of a piece of furniture or a door frame to denote the growth (in height) of their children. These dates have personal significance to the artist.