Fire (2025)Oil painting by Angeline Maas

Being a child in a world on the edge.

This work is part of my ongoing exploration of childhood—its fragility, resilience, and freedom—set against the backdrop of a world in turmoil. It reflects on children growing up in conflict, under pressure, and in societies marked by uncertainty, while also revisiting my own childhood and that of my children.

I grew up in a beautiful, spacious pre-war house, surrounded by parents who gave me the freedom to explore and simply be a child. That sense of openness contrasts sharply with the reality many children face today: borders closing, surveys from the Ministry of Defense landing in our mailboxes, and a constant undercurrent of fear and control. My own children grew up in the freedom of nature, playing outside, yet they too were confined during the pandemic—trapped behind screens, losing sight of the beauty close to them.

Brand! stages children in constructed scenes, often set against a backdrop of chaos, color, and symbolism. These are not just portraits; they are narratives—about upbringing, about freedom, about the right to play, to dream, and to exist. Each piece reflects the world children inhabit today: a world that sometimes feels like it’s on fire, yet where hope still glows beneath the ashes.

The starting point for this series is old class photographs from a school that no longer exists in my village, combined with contemporary muses and heroes. Together, they form a dialogue between past and present, innocence and threat, vulnerability and strength.

Materials used:

oil, linnen

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 132 x 152 x 5cm (framed) / 130 x 15cm (actual image size)
• Framed and ready to hang
• Signed on the back
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: People and portraits

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