Little Boy 1991

Marlene Dumas created 'Little Boy' using ink on paper. At first glance, the boy appears like a ghostly figure, rendered with stark contrasts and a disturbing absence of detail. The face, a pale mask, hints at the fragility of childhood innocence lost, reminiscent of ancient death masks intended to preserve the likeness of the deceased. Consider the hands, rendered as almost skeletal forms, grasping, perhaps at something unattainable. We find similar gestures in medieval depictions of the Dance of Death, where skeletal figures clutch at the living, a potent reminder of mortality. Dumas taps into a primal fear, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. This archetypal figure of the child, marked by a disturbing ambiguity, has resurfaced through history. It reminds us of how symbols can be charged with different meanings, evoking both vulnerability and a haunting awareness of mortality.