‘I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then’- Alice in Wonderland
How and why is the loss of childhood innocence explored in art?
Some believe that through the novel Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll explored the loss of
childhood innocence. Throughout the novel, Alice experiences the physical change of
fluctuations in height and size, unsettling her and causing sorrow, which is arguably reflective of
her discomfort in growing up, and her difficulty in coming to terms with it. Furthermore, the novel
concludes with Alice’s return to reality which, with age and maturity, she has been able to
separate from her fantasies of childhood; explored through the concept of Wonderland. In this
essay I will use the work of key artists to investigate how the loss of childhood innocence is
represented in art. In completing my research I hope to explore varied aspects of the question so
that I can understand how this theme has been interpreted differently by a range of artists.
Through comparing their artwork, I will be able to see the similarities and differences in their
approaches to this topic, which will later inspire my own work. I have decided to focus on the
artwork of Banksy, a street graffiti artist, Kazuhiro Hori, a fine artist, Gottfried Helnwein, a painter
and photographer, and DB Waterman, a mixed media artist. Since they use a wider variety of
techniques and methods, I hope they’ll provide a broad basis for the research I will undertake in
answering this question, as they have approached the topic from different perspectives. Through
my research, I am aiming to see how these artists have represented the topic of lost childhood
innocence, possibly through portraying the discomfort experienced in growing up, as Alice felt in
the novel, or alternatively through exploring the loss of imagination that accompanies a transition
into adulthood. I also aim to understand why artists have chosen this as a focus for their work;
perhaps as a means of challenging societal ideals surrounding childhood, to spread a darker
message about society and its failure to maintain the innocence of childhood in the corrupt world
we live in; a world which children are readily exposed to. Through this study, I therefore hope to
develop an understanding of the message that artists are portraying and how they are able to
convey this to their audience, as well as why this issue of lost childhood innocence is important
to them, all of which I hope will inspire my own work in relation to this topic.
Banksy has remained anonymous since the early 1990s, when he began producing his stencil
graffiti art. His work is often used to share a political message, some of which are controversial,
and typically featuring children, the ‘universal symbol of innocence and purity’ (Syer 2021). I have
therefore decided to use his artwork to answer my question as lost childhood innocence has
been portrayed in several of his pieces, to raise questions about the society we live in. The two
artworks of his that I have chosen demonstrate the different ways this has been achieved,
ranging from relaying a subtle message to a bold and powerful one. The first piece is titled ‘Girl
with Balloon’, created using the graffiti and stencil technique. At first glance Banksy does not
appear to be portraying the theme of lost childhood innocence through this artwork. However, it
has been interpreted that the balloon being a ‘delicate object that is there one moment and gone
the next’ (Sarah Mills 2020) connects it to lost childhood innocence. The girl illustrated in the
piece has either lost grip of the balloon, and ‘the meaning can be interpreted as a loss of
innocence’ (Syer 2021) or is alternatively about to catch it; which would give the piece an entirely
different meaning. Through leaving this up to interpretation, Banksy encourages his audience to
question it’s meaning, thereby bringing the topic of childhood innocence into focus for society. I
admire how Banksy has been able to raise complex questions through the piece considering the
simplicity that is seen on the surface level. However, it could be argued that this makes the
artwork less impactful as the bold message is not highlighted clearly to the audience. Despite
this, I think that Banksy has been effective in not instantly revealing the piece’s meaning as by
leaving it up to the interpretation of those viewing it, Banksy encourages his audience to take
time to reflect on it. The artist has created depth through the use of negative space, which I find
especially effective in the girl who appears to have a skeletal figure, raising yet more questions
about Banksy’s purpose in creating this work. I was attracted to this piece initially through the
bright red of the balloon which the artist has effectively highlighted as this is the only coloured
section, and it is therefore in comparison with the background. This stark contrast draws the
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, viewers focus to the balloon specifically. Since it is heart shaped this would fit the interpretation
that it is linked to innocence, as hearts are a childlike image associated with love. Therefore
despite the initial simplicity that the piece appears to portray, it is clear that Banksy is creating a
deeper message through his artwork.
The piece ‘Napalm’ or ‘Can’t Beat That Feeling’ is an example of Banksy’s use of more potent
messaging. The message that this portrays is significantly bolder, intended to shock the viewer
whilst leaving much less up to interpretation. This is a screen-print through which Banksy
encourages his audience to reflect on the impact that war has on children; linking to lost
childhood innocence which war has the capability of destroying. The focal point of the piece is
the girl positioned in the centre, who initially captured my attention as she is seen running and
screaming, seemingly being encouraged along by Mickey Mouse and Ronald MacDonald, two
symbols of America’s consumerist attitudes. The imagery of the running girl has been taken from
the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Nick Ut. This photograph is called The Terror of War,
and it depicts a young girl running from a bombing during the Vietnam War in 1972, naked as her
clothes were set alight. Banksy has chosen to position the imagery from this horrific photograph
with two smiling characters, both of whom are associated with childhood. ‘This establishes a
disarming juxtaposition in one of Banksy’s most cutting and provocative social criticisms’ (Syer
2021), creating a deeply unsettling artwork. As Mickey Mouse and Ronald MacDonald are
‘seemingly unconcerned by her distress’, with their cheerful expressions contrasting with that of
the girl, this could be interpreted as demonstrating America’s ignorance to the horrors outside of
their country. This could demonstrate that whereas some children in the world are able to retain
innocence, through their society’s ignorance, this is arguably at the expense of others who are
exposed to horrors of the world such as war. Banksy has therefore again created this piece to
raise political questions about our society, which I believe he has been very effective in
achieving. I like the way that the girl has been framed by Mickey Mouse and Ronald MacDonald
as this potentially suggests that she is under their power and control, in being outnumbered by
them. Additionally, the use of expressions has been greatly effective in adding to the artwork’s
unnerving composition. This piece uses only two colours, alongside black and white. By avoiding
a bright shade of yellow in the outfits of Ronald MacDonald and Mickey Mouse, Banksy has
effectively kept a focus on the child in the centre, whilst suggesting that a bright and colourful
childhood is not the reality for all children.
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