Do you truly remember what it was like to be a completely innocent child?  Free from guile and not yet succumbed to the pressures of the adult world?  For so many, that innocence is  taken away at a younger and younger age.  This series of photographs by French artist Isabelle Chapuis illustrates the striking juxtaposition between the push and pull of childhood innocence and the lurking aggression of adulthood beneath the surface.

When left to their own devices and free from outside pressure, kids will be kids.  All they want to do is play games, eat candy, enjoy and revel in a world without responsibility.  But in so many cultures, including our own, children are being raised with the expectation of becoming tiny versions of the adults by whom they are surrounded.  The overachieving mom expects her daughter to excel in every way, the young boy growing up around gang culture finds it hard to buck against those influences.

There is a sadness about these photographs, even when the boy is taking a more “aggressive” stance, it seems to be a putting on of an act– there is a true feeling of reluctance and hesitation in each photo.  He seems to be a boy who is being coerced into a world in which he doesn’t belong, a child who only wants to enjoy the sweetness of life while it is still possible to do so.  Adulthood comes calling soon enough, unfortunately sooner for some than others.

To see more of Isabelle Chapuis’ work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.