Youth 1926

Frederick Carl Frieseke painted this scene of a boy and his toy, rendered with a brush that seems to float. The muted tones create a certain nostalgia for the painting itself, but also for childhood. I can imagine Frieseke setting up this scene, placing the boy just so in the chair, with the toy rabbit looking adoringly at him. The boy looks out, directly confronting the painter, and us. I wonder what he's thinking? It's not easy to sit still, especially as a young child. Frieseke is channeling Impressionist painters like Monet or Renoir with the application of light and the loose brushstrokes. There's a sense of calm, stillness, and quietude in the scene, but I can imagine the fidgeting and negotiating it took to create it. The objects surrounding the boy remind me of the transience of childhood. The boy will grow up, but the painting captures him in a moment. It’s like Frieseke is reminding us to find beauty in the everyday, in the things that surround us.