Lifes.Big.Mess

Through a Child’s Eyes with @lutje_anna

To see more of Renate’s artwork, follow @lutje_anna on Instagram.

Childhood is a universal experience, and yet the Dutch artist Renate Groenewoud (@lutje_anna) makes paintings that reintroduce adults to a child’s unique perspective. “Most of the time people think that children should be happy,” says the mother of three boys, who also works at a preschool during the day. “I try to show that children have their own world, and they can be lonely, too.” In particular, the intense gaze and subdued color palette in Renate’s close-cropped portraits focus on a child’s process of navigating many emotions — both positive and negative — for the very first time. “A little sorrow for us can be big for a child,” she says.