Celebrate Mother's Day: Artworks Reflecting Mother-Child Bonds

For upcoming Mother’s Day, here is a selection of personal favourites and classic artworks that exemplify the mother-child connection we celebrate with this special day. (From the Art Junkie archives)

A vintage black and white photograph of a woman in a dress walking next to a child, surrounded by colorful geometric frames in pink and blue on a textured background.

A portrait formed of light and shadow depicting a mother walking with her chubby-legged child is framed by neon bands of magenta and cyan in this work by London, Ontario-based artist Jack Chambers (1931–1978).

A cozy indoor scene depicting a tired mother holding her sleeping child while sitting at a table with books, a lantern, and a drink, surrounded by a warm ambiance. — Paraskeva Clark, Souvenirs of Leningrad: Mother and Child, 1955-56, oil on canvas, 86 x 90 cm

The classic mother’s conundrum. In her early days, before she moved to Canada, Clark’s parenting and household duties left little time for painting, a frustrating reality. See more about Paraskeva Clark here.

A woman wearing a straw hat holding a young child, both looking away from the camera with a concrete wall in the background. — *Mother and Child* by Mark Power, 1973 SAAM, © 1973, Mark Power

From the American Art collection at the Smithsonian, a brilliant, timeless, mother-child shot (1973). As the museum notes: “While in many photos of mother and child it’s the young one who squirms, here the daughter is absolutely calm while the mother waves an arm in a blur.”

A painting depicting a seated woman cradling a baby in her arms, with the woman looking down affectionately at the child. Both figures have simplified, rounded features, and the background features muted colors. — Madre e hijo al borde del mar (Mother and Child on the Seashore), Picasso, 1921. Art Institute of Chicago

Picasso did many mother and child paintings, including this one: “Madre e hijo al borde del mar” (Mother and Child on the Seashore), 1921. See others here.

A portrait of a Black woman wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, holding a young child in her arms. The child wears a pink top with floral designs. The background is a light beige color. — Amy Sherald, *Mother and Child* (2016). Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth, ©Amy Sherald.

When Amy Sherald was chosen as the official portraitist for Michelle Obama in 2018, she was catapulted to superstardom from her burgeoning career. In this painting (two years earlier), the traditional Madonna and child has been reframed in modern context, with a young girl hoisted onto her mother’s denim-clad hip. (also see this piece on The Art Junkie about a controversy over censorship of her art)

A woman seated on a chair, holding a baby in her arms. The woman has long dark hair and wears a green dress. The baby, dressed in a light blue outfit, is looking directly at the viewer. The background features a muted interior with a door and a table with a pitcher. — Alice Neel, *Mother and Child (Nancy and Olivia)* (1967) via The Met

Much has been written about this work, painted by one of the great modern portraitists, Alice Neel. This work shows Neel’s daughter-in-law Nancy, a new mother to her own daughter Olivia, Neel’s first grandchild. Neel was an advocate for women, and the heroics of early motherhood, which she knew herself, are evident in this painting. (See more about this painting and others by Neel did at Artforum here)

A somber black and white portrait of a distressed woman looking pensively into the distance, with two children partially visible behind her, suggesting a sense of hardship and concern. — Dorothea Lange. *Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California*. March 1936

One of photography’s most famous mothers: “Migrant Mother,” by Dorothea Lange (1936). The iconic photograph of Florence Owens Thompson, a migrant mother struggling through the Great Depression, symbolizes a woman’s strength and determination in the face of hard times.

On a Personal Note:

A sepia-toned photograph of a woman sitting beside a young boy. The woman is elegantly dressed and is reading a book while the boy, dressed in white, looks at the pages with focus.

I have always loved this portrait of my maternal grandmother (Eileen) with son Robert, probably around 1921. She was an amazing mother and grandmother, as strong as they come and always full of laughter and joy.