In the Eyes of a Child

Dreams and survival during and after the war

Portrait, Nizhny Tagil, 1942

Portrait of a Boy, 1942–46.

Portrait, ca. 1942–46

Young Woman in a Downy Shawl, 1947

Portrait of a Boy, 1950. Oil on canvas

Craftsmen-Apprentices, 1954-1958

Childhood memories of Ukraine

First News: The Revolution 1917, 1956, oil on canvas

Private moments. At Home. The 1940s

Untitled, 1950s, watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, 1950s, watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, 1946-50s, watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, ca. 1950s, watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, ca. 1945-1950s, watercolor, gouache, paper

The Thaw

Hope and healing. 1950s

Untitled, 1950s. Gouache, ink, paper

Untitled, ca. 1958. Pencil, ink, paper

Leaders and Children

Socialist Realism. 1955

Lenin and Children

Kirov and Children

Zhdanov and Children

Leaders and Children series, 1955. Oil on canvas. Photo. On permanent exposition at The Palace for Young Pioneers, now Anichkov Palace, Leningrad, 1955-94.

Children at play

In seasons. The 1950s

Untitled, ca. 1955-59, Pskov or Nizhny Tagil. Watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, 1950s. Watercolor, gouache, paper

Untitled, 1950s. Gouache, paper

Contour and color

The 1950s

Children, At Skating Rink, 1959. Oil on canvas

Young Woman in a Blue Beret. Valya’s Portrait, 1958–60. Oil on canvas

Woman in Blue Head Scarf, 1959. Oil on canvas

Old Man in Red Shirt. Old Miner, 1958. Oil on canvas

Make-believe

Metaphor and abstraction

Holiday at River Volkhov, Leningrad, 1965. Oil on board

Household Store, Khozmag, 1964. Oil on board

Sketch for Household Store, Khozmag, 1963–64. Pencil on paper

Ficus, 1965. Oil on board

Boats at the River Bank, 1962. Oil on board

Windows, 1959–65. Pencil on paper

Untitled, 1959–65. Pencil on paper

How Parents’ Trauma Leaves Biological Traces in Children

Rachel Yehuda

Epigenetics potentially explains why effects of trauma may endure long after the immediate threat is gone, and it is also implicated in the diverse pathways by which trauma is transmitted to future generations.

The implications of these findings may seem dire, suggesting that parental trauma predisposes offspring to be vulnerable to mental health conditions. But there is some evidence that the epigenetic response may serve as an adaptation that might help the children of traumatized parents cope with similar adversities. Or could both outcomes be possible? . . .

The hope is that as we learn more about the ways catastrophic experiences have shaped both those who lived through those horrors and their descendants, we will become better equipped to deal with dangers now and in the future, facing them with resolution and resilience.

This article was originally published with the title "Trauma in the Family Tree" in Scientific American 327, 1, 50-55 (July 2022)