A student painter’s “haunting” artwork on the impact of violence has been commended by the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

Austin Dowling, 14, a year ten student at Saltus, said he created He Will Rescue Them after his parents told him about the antiviolence Live. Love. Life. exhibition at the Paget gallery.

The show, which opened on Wednesday, features 199 submissions on the theme of anti-violence and was organised with the Ministry of National Security.

Austin said he had been “unsure at first” on the visual aspect of the theme.

The painting depicts a young man looking through a broken window above a red-daubed wall, designed to evoke images of blood, with a quote from the Bible’s Book of Psalms: “He will rescue them from oppression and violence.”

He said: “I used broken glass; glass is an innocent thing, delicate, and when it’s broken you can’t get it back. You have to replace it.

“I thought the boy would be relatable. You’re seeing a child looking sad — you just feel for him.

“You feel empathy. You can understand how violence has its effect just by looking at a face.”

He created the work with acrylic paint on a watercolour base.

Austin, who said he enjoyed drawing, explained he had “always had problems with painting” but had learnt new techniques in his art class.

Tom Butterfield, the founder and creative director of the gallery, said he had organised exhibitions for 45 years — but found Live. Love. Life. “one of the most significant things we’ve put together”.

He added that Austin’s painting was “a haunting image. I can’t go a day without thinking back to it”.

Mr Butterfield said: “No matter what the interpretation, whether it’s broken lives or as shattered glass, it’s fitting.

“It’s that stare out into the world that asks, why does it have to be like this? I’m really impressed with this.”

He added that the idea for the collaboration with the Ministry of National Security happened after a conversation with Wayne Caines, the minister, on how to raise the gallery’s profile.

Mr Butterfield said: “In a heartbeat I thought this is exactly where we need to go so that kids can exorcise on paper or canvas the things they’re thinking about, the issues we try to sweep under the carpet because it’s not in our face.”

He added that the submissions from young people were a testament to changed times in Bermuda.

Mr Butterfield said: “For many of Bermuda’s youth, you can see that violence in all forms, whether in the home or in the streets, is suddenly part of our lives.

He added: “Making a slingshot is not part of the fun any more; something like that

takes on a much more sinister implication.”

The exhibition, featuring work by artists of all ages, is on display at the Rick Faries gallery at Masterworks until March 4.

It features mixed media, digital media, animation and photography, as well as traditional painting.

The winning entries will be announced by the ministry at the end of the show and prizes worth a total of $9,000 will be awarded.