The History of Children through the Images They Produce: the Case of Pia Burei Bozzini's Archive of Paintings Developed in the Closlieu Setting

This contribution aims to open a reflection on the historical relevance of the archive of paintings produced by children in Pia Burei Bozzini's Arno Stern method Closlieu between 1984 and 2024 in Milan. Pia Burei Bozzini, a primary school teacher and long-time trainer at the Opera Nazionale Montessori, was the praticienne who was responsible for collecting and preserving children's expressive elaborations produced in her personal Closlieu according to the canons described by Arno Stern. In this space, children find an answer to their expressive, inner need, which is natural and spontaneous like the trace they leave on the blank sheet of paper in the absence of external judgement. Painting, in fact, is for Stern a universal activity that is shared by children all over the world regardless of their life context and that, despite what adults think, is devoid of a communicative function. Indeed, the painting does not need to be corrected, interpreted or improved: it should be accepted and respected as it is, recognising its intrinsic value. The preciousness of an archive that collects thousands of paintings freely produced in such an environment is given, in the first instance, by the non-judgmental attitude adopted with conviction by the praticienne throughout the years of her activity. This attitude allowed children to leave a trace of themselves and to let the images that inhabited their minds emerge. The care for the environment, the methodological rigour and the continuous re-presentation of this mode of expression made the material produced in the Closlieu absolutely interesting for educational research purposes. Which subjects did children spontaneously paint in the 1990s? And which subjects are chosen today? Have the techniques used changed over time? Furthermore, from a longitudinal perspective, the collection makes it possible to visualise the graphic development of each individual child who has approached this special expressive environment over several years. Pia Burei Bozzini's archive, which has never been studied before, preserves the cultural heritage produced by children, and describes a piece of history told from their point of view, in the full awareness that they had a space in which they could freely express themselves.