Parents rightly think their child is special and proudly hang their artwork on the fridge or pass it along to grandma and grandpa. But is your kid the next Picasso? A new movie, My Kid Could Paint That looks at the story of Marla Olmstead, a young girl whose paintings have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars and brought her family both fame and, after a 60 Minutes piece questioning their authenticity, notoriety.
Is Marla a child prodigy or are the canvases a collaboration between her and her father, and she a mere pawn exploited by her parents? What does the sale of her paintings say about modern art? Even if children are gifted, how do parents nurture these abilities and still let kids be kids? The moviemaker presents both sides of the story and lets the viewer draw his or her own conclusions.
We think the issues this movie present tie into larger cultural questions about childhood. “Play” – be it sports, art, music, dance – is more structured than when we were growing up. Sure, we took the occasional piano lesson (and were most certainly not prodigy material), but we were free to play and explore at our own speed and for its own sake. As a culture is our fascination with so-called child prodigies and the trend of signing kids up for all kinds of scheduled lessons and activities a sign that we’re expecting too much from kids who just want to play (or paint, as the case may be)?
My Kid Could Paint That hits theaters today (10/5).
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
The "is she brilliant, contrived, or exploited" child painter is apparently one of those controversies that comes around at regular intervals... 10 years ago, the focus was Alexandra Nechita, who did a nationwide tour when she was about 13.
view wende in the twin cities's profile
Yes, and about 10 years before that, that little Chinese girl (whose dad was also a painter, who quit painting to devote himself to managing her career). I think she was autistic?
view cmcinnyc's profile
Makes you wonder if anyone will remember a 1977 or 1967 example, doesn't it?
Are they always girls? If so, I wonder why...
view wende in the twin cities's profile
Coincidentally, I'm going to see this documentary tonight. What interests me about this story, in addition to the issues you mention, is the fact that, apparently, when rumour that Marla's work might be a hoax started to spread, the family began receiving anonymous threats. It's incredible the public sense of entitlement when it comes to public figures -- not to mention the public's ability to completely lose perspective on an issue.
view TammyE's profile
i know this isn't a pc statement but we wouldn't have Mozart if it weren't for his stage-dad. i absolutely don't endorse or condone pressuring kids to go through that kind of experience but for some reason mozart came to mind.
view *heather leaf*'s profile