In 1560, Bruegel the Elder painted an image of over 230 children, playing 83 games – many of these past times no longer exist, their names now belonging to hidden history. In 2025, Children still play games: steal lanyards, draw cocks, throw just about anything from punches to pennies to paper aeroplanes.

 

Since teaching Art in secondary education, I’ve developed a series of oil paintings after Bruegel’s masterpiece. ‘Purple Incident Forms’ I’ve written to log day to day violence in school have also influenced each work. Reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, the figures evoke the tensions of inner-city school life where the savage side of play taps in and cultural conflicts are laid bare.