Essays On Child Labour

The reason I chose to do this painting is because I feel like it really relates to what is going on in today’s day and age. Mainly because of all the school shootings that are happening right now, And what the current president wants to do about it. By May of 2018 there had been 23 school shooting in just 5 months. Although he painted “Child Soldier” in 2011 i feel like it can still make a difference today.

Banksy is a street artist whose identity remains unknown is believed to have been born in Bristol, England, around 1974. He rose to fame with his art pieces in the 1990s. Banksy is the subject of a 2010 documentary, which shows the relationship between commercial art and street art. Commercial art is art used in advertising and selling, while street art street art is visual art created in public locations. He began his street art career in the early 1990’s in Bristol’s graffiti gang, although his beginning art was freehand, the art he does now is stenciled art. Although it is stenciled his art is completely amazing and should be recognized more, because I believe his art can make a difference.

This painting was given many names by so many different people such as, Crayon boy, or Crayola Soldier, but the one I found the most interesting and the one i liked the most was Child Soldier. The reason I like this name better is because I find it relates more to the story he is trying to

tell. In this piece of art there is a little boy standing up like a soldier with a submachine gun. He is surrounded by colorful flowers and butterflies. Something i found weird about the painting is that the bullets of the gun are a different colors i feel like this means that even if you trust child enough to give them a gun, they child will still act childish. It is almost like if you give a dog a book they are still going to act like a dog.

The boy is assumed to be a Vietnamese soldier who is trying to renounce his childhood in order to fight for his life during the Vietnam war. Banksy wanted to create a an example between what the boy is doing and what he should be doing. A contrast between innocence and violence. I feel like innocence and violence is something that shouldn’t be intertwined with each other because they both such big factors in life. That is why he is surrounded by colorful things that he should have drawn instead of holding a gun. I feel like Banksy is trying to say that we are making kids grow up faster than they should. we are making them defend themselves when what they should be doing is learning, playing, and coloring. We should let kids have a childhood instead of taking that childhood away just to fight for a country.

In conclusion, this painting can mean so many things and it can have so many different meanings. The one i find the most meaningful is the difference between innocence and violence. We all need to start appreciating our childhood, because those are some of the best years we will never get back. Banksy is one of the best street artists out there and i find it amazing that he uses his platform to make a difference and to try to bring awareness to social issues.