The Little Gardener 

Micaela Eleutheriade created this painting called 'The Little Gardener' using oil on canvas. Notice the young boy gazing thoughtfully at the potted plant in his hands. Eleutheriade painted this in Romania, and although undated, it probably reflects the interwar years. It embodies the values of a time that was shaken by the first world war, where there was an increased focus on the domestic and the family. The boy’s interaction with nature suggests a longing for purity and a connection to a simpler life. It would be interesting to find out whether the rise of the middle class might have influenced new attitudes to nature and the cultivation of private gardens as a leisure pursuit. As a historian, I would be looking at photographic archives of the period as well as magazines and books on gardening and botany to understand more of the cultural context. What does this artwork tell us about the changing social values of its time?