Comments on: Marla Olmstead – six-year old Picasso in the making http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html Style, Design & Tech News for Modern Parents Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:05:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mara http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-153 Mara Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:50:37 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-153 y would they lie? someone randomly wanted to buy the first painting from a friends coffee shop, not knowing who or what it was and still willing to pay a good chunk of change for it, 250 i think... the father (as strange as some thought he was, most artistic people are) didnt want to live vicariously ( i think the OP needs to look up the actual meaning of that word) thru anyone, he could have said they were his if he was looking for fame, but he didnt, b/c they werent. i would think people would be willing to pay less for a 4 year olds art, if the parents were just in it for money, he could have spun a whole web of lies about his artistry, but he didnt, they gave credit where credit was due and the public tore this little girl apart. y dont people understand that art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, referring to "seeing adult concepts", U SEE WHAT U WANT TO SEE, LIKE ALL ART, THATS Y IT RELATES TO THE MASSES, ITS OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION, i doubt marla (or any child for that matter) sees what u see when u look at a monet or picasso or pollack for that matter, how can u claim to know what she painted, or didnt for that matter. i hope for her sake she still paints, WITH or WITHOUT her fathers "coaching".... AND i think the only person who really EXPLOITED marla here was the director of the documentary, he told the family it was about her, but he obv had a bigger idea at heart, criticizing what constitutes art, its worth, and its future. shame on him!
y would they lie? someone randomly wanted to buy the first painting from a friends coffee shop, not knowing who or what it was and still willing to pay a good chunk of change for it, 250 i think… the father (as strange as some thought he was, most artistic people are) didnt want to live vicariously ( i think the OP needs to look up the actual meaning of that word) thru anyone, he could have said they were his if he was looking for fame, but he didnt, b/c they werent. i would think people would be willing to pay less for a 4 year olds art, if the parents were just in it for money, he could have spun a whole web of lies about his artistry, but he didnt, they gave credit where credit was due and the public tore this little girl apart. y dont people understand that art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, referring to "seeing adult concepts", U SEE WHAT U WANT TO SEE, LIKE ALL ART, THATS Y IT RELATES TO THE MASSES, ITS OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION, i doubt marla (or any child for that matter) sees what u see when u look at a monet or picasso or pollack for that matter, how can u claim to know what she painted, or didnt for that matter. i hope for her sake she still paints, WITH or WITHOUT her fathers "coaching"…. AND i think the only person who really EXPLOITED marla here was the director of the documentary, he told the family it was about her, but he obv had a bigger idea at heart, criticizing what constitutes art, its worth, and its future. shame on him!

]]> By: melanie http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-152 melanie Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:42:49 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-152 Most of her paintings look to me like the work of a 4 year old. The abstract paintings sold at Christie's in the documentary also looked like the work of a 4 year old. I have two children who I bought paint and paper for when they were little. Some days they made mud, other days they drew the sun or stick figures and some days they made gorgeous abstract pictures. My son routinely asked me to finish pictures he was drawing. Personally I don't care who painted Marla's paintings. I think they are beautiful.
Most of her paintings look to me like the work of a 4 year old. The abstract paintings sold at Christie's in the documentary also looked like the work of a 4 year old.

I have two children who I bought paint and paper for when they were little. Some days they made mud, other days they drew the sun or stick figures and some days they made gorgeous abstract pictures. My son routinely asked me to finish pictures he was drawing.

Personally I don't care who painted Marla's paintings. I think they are beautiful.

]]> By: Yuki http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-151 Yuki Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:08:51 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-151 personally i wont call that art. its just heavy parental influence, and a heck lot of publicity. there are actual talented PEOPLE out there who spend time, effort and money to learn and develop themselves, and a little kid here gets newspaper features and money for fingerpainting on expensive canvas. so she comes from a family of artists, that doesnt mean she IS one. abstract art is screwed this way. it's like throwing paint on a canvas and giving it a wonderful explaination, and then people would say how they see it, tralalaaa, and that painting becomes a world famous, worthy item. this is the definition for life being unfair.
personally i wont call that art. its just heavy parental influence, and a heck lot of publicity. there are actual talented PEOPLE out there who spend time, effort and money to learn and develop themselves, and a little kid here gets newspaper features and money for fingerpainting on expensive canvas. so she comes from a family of artists, that doesnt mean she IS one.

abstract art is screwed this way. it's like throwing paint on a canvas and giving it a wonderful explaination, and then people would say how they see it, tralalaaa, and that painting becomes a world famous, worthy item.

this is the definition for life being unfair.

]]> By: Sim http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-150 Sim Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:50:11 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-150 People go on about her differing 'styles' and therefore it can't be her work. She was four and her mind and imagination can only grow from there, how can she have a 'style'? I'm 21 and still haven't painted anything thats even relatively similar to the painting before in terms of refinement and brush strokes. I personally find that technique changes due to my emotion and surroundings which can also be shown in Marla's work- it changing when the cameras are around. I doubt I could even paint the canvas evenly if i had strangers staring at me through the process. I love the work and hate how people try to see the worst in a situation- Jealousy or just pure pessimism? Either way there is no way to determine who painted the paintings, (only the family know the complete truth.) and so people should leave the family be and stop the unnecessary slander. You either like the painting or you don't, the artist shouldn't matter.
People go on about her differing 'styles' and therefore it can't be her work. She was four and her mind and imagination can only grow from there, how can she have a 'style'? I'm 21 and still haven't painted anything thats even relatively similar to the painting before in terms of refinement and brush strokes. I personally find that technique changes due to my emotion and surroundings which can also be shown in Marla's work- it changing when the cameras are around. I doubt I could even paint the canvas evenly if i had strangers staring at me through the process. I love the work and hate how people try to see the worst in a situation- Jealousy or just pure pessimism? Either way there is no way to determine who painted the paintings, (only the family know the complete truth.) and so people should leave the family be and stop the unnecessary slander. You either like the painting or you don't, the artist shouldn't matter.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-149 anonymous Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:55:19 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-149 I met the filmmaker of My Kid Could Paint that. It seems that HE believes she did not paint those paintings, or at least not all of them. Personally, I agree. Many of the brush strokes in the "more refined" paintings are simply NOT POSSIBLE based on the movements of Marla's hands in the videos we do see of her painting. I think Marla is a very charming little girl, and it's great that she love to paint, but it is very clear to me that she simply does not have (DID not have, excuse me) the physical ability to paint the way that is required in order to create those works of art. Look at this painting, for example <a href="http://electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/marla-olmstead.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com/200...</a> There is VERY CLEAR distinction between the background, presumably painted by her father, and the green marks that she is seems painting on the canvas. Completely different style,the color choices don't agree, and the brush strokes are completely different. The film is meant to be open-ended, leaving you to draw your own conclusion. Clearly, Amir Bar-Lev has done a good job. Everyone still has different opinions.
I met the filmmaker of My Kid Could Paint that. It seems that HE believes she did not paint those paintings, or at least not all of them. Personally, I agree. Many of the brush strokes in the "more refined" paintings are simply NOT POSSIBLE based on the movements of Marla's hands in the videos we do see of her painting. I think Marla is a very charming little girl, and it's great that she love to paint, but it is very clear to me that she simply does not have (DID not have, excuse me) the physical ability to paint the way that is required in order to create those works of art.

Look at this painting, for example http://electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com/200… There is VERY CLEAR distinction between the background, presumably painted by her father, and the green marks that she is seems painting on the canvas. Completely different style,the color choices don't agree, and the brush strokes are completely different.

The film is meant to be open-ended, leaving you to draw your own conclusion. Clearly, Amir Bar-Lev has done a good job. Everyone still has different opinions.

]]> By: gimena http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-148 gimena Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:06:41 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-148 marla es una niña hermosa espero q puedan traducir el mnsj lo vi por televicion y me emocione mucho por el simple echo de q es una niña inocente q ama pintar eso es muy importante en los niños porq los mantiene fuera de este mundo q es muy destructivo la tecnologia destruye al ser humano y la pintura....el arte es algo hermoso felicidades por su niña gimena de argentina
marla es una niña hermosa espero q puedan traducir el mnsj lo vi por televicion y me emocione mucho por el simple echo de q es una niña inocente q ama pintar eso es muy importante en los niños porq los mantiene fuera de este mundo q es muy destructivo la tecnologia destruye al ser humano y la pintura….el arte es algo hermoso felicidades por su niña gimena de argentina

]]> By: thalia http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-147 thalia Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:03:34 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-147 I love Marla!! I was doing a search on her and couldnt find her website.. I know that she had one about a year ago. but cant find it now.. can anyone direct me to her website? thanks in advance
I love Marla!! I was doing a search on her and couldnt find her website.. I know that she had one about a year ago. but cant find it now.. can anyone direct me to her website? thanks in advance

]]> By: Angie "Warhol" Miller http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-146 Angie "Warhol" Miller Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:58:02 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-146 I love how everyone has an opinion and has to restate the exact same thing everyone else has already said. She's SIX FREAKING YEARS OLD! Let her be a kid and use her art as a creative outlet. I wish I had had the opportunity and such an AWESOME father to encourage me as a child. I'm very proud of Marla and I'm also very proud of her parents for being so supportive of her especially through such hard times and criticism. Much love and respect to the Olmstead family, ~Angie "Warhol" Miller
I love how everyone has an opinion and has to restate the exact same thing everyone else has already said. She’s SIX FREAKING YEARS OLD! Let her be a kid and use her art as a creative outlet. I wish I had had the opportunity and such an AWESOME father to encourage me as a child. I’m very proud of Marla and I’m also very proud of her parents for being so supportive of her especially through such hard times and criticism. Much love and respect to the Olmstead family,

~Angie “Warhol” Miller

]]> By: Daniel http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-145 Daniel Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:18:50 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-145 It is much like the director of the film said about a bottle of water. You could take two bottles of water and say that one of them is just plain old bottled water, and you could lie and say that the other bottle was once the property of Abraham Lincoln. Any way you cut it, the bottle becomes more valuable or interesting because of the lie spun around it. I think the father should be ashamed of himself and believe with all my heart that he is exploiting his child and living vicariously through her.
It is much like the director of the film said about a bottle of water. You could take two bottles of water and say that one of them is just plain old bottled water, and you could lie and say that the other bottle was once the property of Abraham Lincoln. Any way you cut it, the bottle becomes more valuable or interesting because of the lie spun around it. I think the father should be ashamed of himself and believe with all my heart that he is exploiting his child and living vicariously through her.

]]> By: Amanda http://www.coochicoos.com/art/post_24.html/comment-page-1#comment-144 Amanda Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:48:06 +0000 http://test.coochicoos.com/site/?p=664#comment-144 I agree completely. After watching the videos about Marla and all the hoopla about if her dad helped -- I asked myself why does it matter. Does it make the paintings any less amazing - no. Does it make the patterns and colors any less interesting- no. What if the dad did help and the story was about father/daughter paintings -- is it going to change the outcome - no. So if the painting is amazing does it really matter who did it? Besides, anyone who knows understand or knows about art history -- many of the worlds famous artists had people that worked under them, starting paintings and sculptures and then the artist would finish them. It's crazy to think that people would bring down this little girl and this family based on a story around it -- the art is beautiful no matter how it was created -- the story does not make it art -- the paint and the colors make it art.
I agree completely. After watching the videos about Marla and all the hoopla about if her dad helped — I asked myself why does it matter. Does it make the paintings any less amazing – no. Does it make the patterns and colors any less interesting- no. What if the dad did help and the story was about father/daughter paintings — is it going to change the outcome – no. So if the painting is amazing does it really matter who did it? Besides, anyone who knows understand or knows about art history — many of the worlds famous artists had people that worked under them, starting paintings and sculptures and then the artist would finish them. It’s crazy to think that people would bring down this little girl and this family based on a story around it — the art is beautiful no matter how it was created — the story does not make it art — the paint and the colors make it art.

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