Non-Disney Entertainment
Topic: My Kid Could Paint That

#	Author	Message
1	Kar2oonMan Thu 5/1/2008 8:01a	I watched the documentary "My Kid Could Paint That" last night. It was one of the most riveting and uncomfortable films ever. I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time. A few years ago, 4 year old Marla Olmstead turned the art world on its ear by creating colorful abstracts that began selling for thousands of dollars. Her success had a couple of components to it -- first, pehaps she was a "natural", a gifted child prodigy, producing amazing works of art intuitively. The other was sort of a poke in the ribs of the abstract art world -- if a 4 year old was as good at this as an adult, it demystified what a lot of people believe the "scam" of modern art really is. The documentary chronicles the family's rise into the national spotlight, the gallery showings, the news crews, the celebrity, the money. And it captures the parents reactions as they watch for the first time a 60 Minutes story where an expert makes the case that a painting she did while 60 Minutes' cameras were rolling is markedly different, and far less "polished", from the rest of "her" work. It's an amazing film. The filmaker set out to do one kind of film, and his story took a sharp unexpected turn. The result is one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever seen.
2	mele Thu 5/1/2008 8:08a	Wow, that sounds interesting! I have to admit, the appeal of a lot of modern art escapes me. The people in my family have always been very artistic (including myself) so it's never seemed particularly difficult. I am nowhere near as creative or talented enough to be a "real" artist, however. My client is wealthy and collects art. She's also volunteers on the boards of some art museums. Some of her choices are not anything that I would put in my home but it has been interesting to see the art magazines she collects. Anyway, the documentary sounds quite interesting. Is it out on dvd or was it on tv?
3	Kar2oonMan Thu 5/1/2008 8:20a	DVD. (I watched it on pay per view). http://www.sonyclassics.com/my...intthat/ >>Some of her choices are not anything that I would put in my home but it has been interesting to see the art magazines she collects.<< Much of it is a mystery to me, as well. And I have to admit that I do think that a lot of abstract artists have made a killing off people who read all sorts of meaning into what is often a lot of splatters. Part of me enjoyed the idea that if this 4 year old could do it, then the jig was up. It's interesting what we considered art. It seems the higher something sells for, the more we strive to "like" a particular work of art. To me, if any work of art truly appeals to you, from dogs playing poker to a Jackson Pollock, then that's what art should do. But that said, I have my own likes and dislikes like everyone else, and it's all just personal taste when you get right down to it. Throughout teh film, you are torn. On the one hand, you feel for the child, of course. And you find yourself empathizing with the parents at the same time as your questioning how much dad had to do with the final works of art (he works at a Frito Lay plant, and is an amatuer painter himself). The blessing/curse of fame is documented here as a beast that soon grows out of their own control. It's like Mickey's Sorcerer's Apprentice, except with paint brushes and tubes of acrylics replacing the brooms and buckets of water. Here's a link to a short clip from the 60 Minutes piece... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...22.shtml
4	BlueDevilSF Thu 5/1/2008 9:03a	I watched this a couple weeks ago after having seen the 60 Minutes segment a while back. Yes, it was a fascinating movie to watch, but I wanted to slap Marla's rep in just about every scene he appeared in. You should track down a copy of the DVD. There is an update of sorts as part of the bonus materials. It doesn't reveal a great deal of "new" information, but it does have some interesting footage of reactions from viewers at different festivals. There is also a segment about a women's art exhibit for which Marla's work was submitted and its vehement rejection. (The organizer of the exhibit sent a rejection letter thanking Marla for submitting but that, at such a young age, she really had no idea of "women's struggles," the theme of the exhibit.) You will have to pause the disc to see it, but the "artist's statment" that came with her submission. It's pretty pretentious and obvious that Marla doesn't possess the language skills to have written it. The exhibit organizer didn't mince words in her interview. There are some other odd bits, including the director relating a dream he had about the Olmsteads which I won't repeat here. I just don't understand why he felt it necessary to reveal it.
5	Kar2oonMan Thu 5/1/2008 9:07a	Thanks, Blue Devil, for that! I really am considering buying the DVD. >>I wanted to slap Marla's rep in just about every scene he appeared in<< He was a piece of work, wasn't he?
6	Kar2oonMan Thu 5/1/2008 9:09a	But I also have to admit that there was something "serves ya right" to see all these adults gushing and fawning, all the pretention that "art experts" at the gallery showings displayed. There really is a high level of BS in the world of art, and a lot of it comes from the people viewing and buying the work.
7	BlueDevilSF Thu 5/1/2008 9:25a	Have you ever seen Marla's website? http://www.marlaolmstead.com
8	Kar2oonMan Thu 5/1/2008 9:39a	I did see the site. It's interesting, isn't it, that no mention whatsoever is made of "My Kid Could Paint That" in the "media" section, and that the comments by art critics and such are pretty much confined to the period before the 60 Minutes piece aired. In looking at those finished pieces, and comparing them with the other work created for the "start to finish" videos, there really isn't any doubt in my mind as to what happened here.
9	Jim in Merced CA Tue 5/6/2008 2:55p	Interesting topic, for sure. I'm always intrigued when people look at a piece of art and say 'I could do that.' Perhaps. But the fact is, I would say to that person you didn't do it. I had a lengthy conversation with a friend of mine -- about Jackson Pollack, and his 'drip' technique. 'It's not art.' he informed me, 'He's just dripping paint onto a canvas.' *sigh* This is the same guy who thinks Thomas Kinkade is the pinnacle of artistic talent, so there you go. And to suggest that art is simple to do -- that 'anyone' can take tube of paint, squeeze it onto a canvas, and use their hands to create a piece of art -- to me, is ludicrous. Anymore than 'anyone' can pick up a pen and draw little pictures and call them 'Peanuts.'
10	Ursula Tue 5/6/2008 3:05p	<And to suggest that art is simple to do -- that 'anyone' can take tube of paint, squeeze it onto a canvas, and use their hands to create a piece of art -- to me, is ludicrous.> But you can. I haven't seen the piece but I would like to, keep in mind. But, anyone can take paint, splatter it on canvas and call it art. It really just comes down to if anyone wants to buy it or display it.

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