“Little Boy,” created by Marlene Dumas in 1991, is a notable work in the Neo-Expressionism movement and belongs to the portrait genre. The artwork, titled by the artist, depicts a child in an abstract representation, characterized by the use of dark, opaque colors and stark, contrasting lines.
In the artwork, the central figure sits with a distorted and indistinct face, rendered in a smudged, almost ghostly manner. The child’s features are obscured, creating a sense of ambiguity and evoking a range of emotions from contemplation to unease. The background is similarly abstract, featuring dark hues that reinforce the somber tone. The use of broad, expressive strokes and undefined spaces further accentuates the emotional intensity of the piece, typical of Neo-Expressionism.
