Titled after the "It's A Small World" ride at Disneyland and Disney World, this art gallery exhibits art consisting of children from all over the world. The purpose of this gallery is to expose the viewer to different types of races, ethnicities and cultures.
This is a portrait of a Mexican girl named Virginia painted by Friday Kahlo in 1929. Frida Kahlo loved to paint portraits, specially of children. Mexicans are said to have big thick eyebrows and hair on their upper lip. Frida Kahlo made sure to paint those features on this girl. This is a reminder to us that the slightest features make us who we are.
[Japanese Mother with Her Three Children], Kusakabe Kimbei, 1870s - 1890s, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
This is a photograph from the late 1800's of a Japanese mother with her children. As an audience member, it's hard to tell apart the oldest child from the mother. Japanese children have similar, if not the same, features as an adult. The formal element of space gives emphasis on the mother and her three children, showing how important a mother is to her children.
This photograph was taken before the Emancipation Proclamation, meaning that this boy was alive during the time of slavery. Being black/African American during those times was hard. The fact that this child has a school-like uniform shows that he probably wasn't a slave. That was major during the "slavery" times.
Chinese Girl (Shanghai), Schneider-Kainer, Lene, 1885/1971, From the collection of: Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History
This is a watercolor-based painting that exhibits a Chinese little girl. The artist does not really mention anything about who the little girl is or why she decided to paint her. However, we can see that the artist did give facial expressions to the little girl. The little girl looks distracted, maybe it's because of her colorful outfit. In this piece, the artist somewhat gives movement to the little girl by adding "shadows" in the background.
Indian Baby, Emily Carr, circa 1908, From the collection of: Royal BC Museum
This is a watercolor painting painted by Emily Carr. In the painting we see an indian baby. The baby is most likely a baby girl and that can be assumed by her pink clothing. The artist made sure to give this little baby Indian-like features. India is a beautiful and magical place. when the artist created contrast within the child's face, she too created a beautiful painting of an Indian child.
Persian Baby (Isfahan), Schneider-Kainer, Lene, 1885/1971, From the collection of: Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History
This is a watercolor painting of a Persian little girl. The artist that painted this painting (amongst others in this collection) traveled to many different places. The artists' technique stayed the same throughout these portraits. The soft color palette choice gives this piece an "innocent" mood. The implied texture, which is a smooth one, also contributes to the paintings innocent and soft mood.
This painting is an oil on canvas portrait of a Russian little boy. This is one of the artists' most important pieces. The artist had cancer and therefore he traveled to Moscow to get help. While he was in the hospital, he still painted. This is where the artist painted this portrait. While it is of a Russian little boy, the artist was of Mexican heritage. The painting techniques in "Sputnik Boy" are similar to those of Frida Kahlo's "Portrait of Virginia".
New York, Helen Levitt, ca. 1940, From the collection of: Fundacion MAPFRE
This is a black and white photograph of black/African American children. In this photograph we see the two boys comforting each other. Their body language indicates that there is some type of struggle. While this is a photograph, the artist captures the innocence and beauty that of a child. By printing this photograph in black and white, the artist created a very personal and intense mood. The mood gives the final piece a much more effective outcome to viewers.
New York, Helen Levitt, ca. 1940, From the collection of: Fundacion MAPFRE
In this photograph, photographed by the previous artist, we see a much more happier child. Just like how black and white makes one piece much more serious, it can also make a piece more genuine. I think that this little boy's facial expression and body language plus the color scheme, give the piece a more natural feel.
New York, Helen Levitt, ca. 1940, From the collection of: Fundacion MAPFRE
I decided to end this gallery with this photograph. As well as the last two, the artist is Helen Levitt. This photograph shows different little boys playing in the streets of New York in 1940. The purpose of this gallery is to show how children come together as one. The artist effectively uses emphasis to show how children come together. There is nothing in the background, except the street, and this puts more focus on the children.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
