2008 Woodie Awards
Marla Olmstead could paint that
Joshua McCracken
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: Opinion
Granted, I'd heard of the movie My Kid Could Paint That last year when it came out, but had only been mildly interested in seeing it. To those of you who are not aware, it documents child painter Marla Olmstead, who is now a big deal in the art world. After seeing it however, I must say that it is rather sad. Ignoring the whole, 'Is she really painting it?' deal, it seems obvious that pretty much everybody around her is exploiting the crap out of her.
In the course of about an hour and a half, I saw a little brother who was starved for attention, a mother who was more concerned about how it would affect her kid than how much cash she could squeeze out of her, a father who was actively encouraging the exploitation of said child and a whole bunch of art world people who were hailing her as the Second Coming of Christ because of her ability to paint like Jackson Pollock. Pollock's main claim to fame, essentially, was that he painted like a four year-old.
More abstractly, the movie seems to deal more with exactly how much a gimmick matters in the art world. The technical merits of the art are obviously not anything special; she really isn't doing anything that thousands of kids across the country do in pre-school. In fact, one of the people interviewed says flat out that if Marla Olmstead were not a child, her art would be nowhere near as special. What was also mentioned is the fact that her art is the product of childhood, and is therefore a "reaction" against the "cynicism" of the art world, yet no one realizes that the embracing of a child painter for that kind of a reason is the worst kind of cynicism.
I will freely admit that I don't consider myself a friend of the art bourgeois. However, this sort of exploitation seems really low, even for them. In essence, My Kid Could Paint That is a documentary on exploitation with undertones of commentary on the art world that is run by jaded hipsters who are under the impression that the idea matters more than
In the course of about an hour and a half, I saw a little brother who was starved for attention, a mother who was more concerned about how it would affect her kid than how much cash she could squeeze out of her, a father who was actively encouraging the exploitation of said child and a whole bunch of art world people who were hailing her as the Second Coming of Christ because of her ability to paint like Jackson Pollock. Pollock's main claim to fame, essentially, was that he painted like a four year-old.
More abstractly, the movie seems to deal more with exactly how much a gimmick matters in the art world. The technical merits of the art are obviously not anything special; she really isn't doing anything that thousands of kids across the country do in pre-school. In fact, one of the people interviewed says flat out that if Marla Olmstead were not a child, her art would be nowhere near as special. What was also mentioned is the fact that her art is the product of childhood, and is therefore a "reaction" against the "cynicism" of the art world, yet no one realizes that the embracing of a child painter for that kind of a reason is the worst kind of cynicism.
I will freely admit that I don't consider myself a friend of the art bourgeois. However, this sort of exploitation seems really low, even for them. In essence, My Kid Could Paint That is a documentary on exploitation with undertones of commentary on the art world that is run by jaded hipsters who are under the impression that the idea matters more than
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 20
MadSilence
posted 9/20/08 @ 3:18 PM CST
Joshua, you're generally on target, but your references to "the art bourgeois" and "jaded hipsters" are a bit misguided. This is very much a tale of the contemporary art world. (Continued…)
Joshua McCracken
posted 9/21/08 @ 10:59 AM CST
MadSilence,
For the most part, they tend to be one and the same. The contemporary art world, to my mind at least, is in fact run by a bunch of jaded hipsters, and I feel that the comments that many people in the film made to exactly what made Marla's work so interesting proved the point nicely. (Continued…)
G Main
posted 9/22/08 @ 1:44 PM CST
I just finished watching the documentary regarding Marla. I also followed her story earlier when she was four. Especially the 60 Minutes debunking. I had an open mind when I watched this documentary and I felt that the filmaker was quiet honest and trying to just get to the truth. (Continued…)
Angel
posted 9/28/08 @ 9:14 PM CST
We just watched the documentary, and felt pretty angry againts Marla's parents. During the movie her mother said time after time that she was concern about her, and after 60 minutes, she mentioned how relief she was because everything could be over. (Continued…)
MIZZIW
posted 10/14/08 @ 8:13 PM CST
Marla's soul comes out in her paintings. She has a young soul and therefore you should expect her paintings to express that. I have followed her career with a great deal of interest. (Continued…)
Faja Klaus
posted 10/14/08 @ 9:05 PM CST
Marla's talent isn't really an issue here, she's a little kid. Yes, I agree, a child's painting should express a child's thoughts and feelings of the world; this happens every day all over the world. (Continued…)
MIZZIW
posted 10/15/08 @ 11:04 AM CST
My Point exactly. Damien Hirst produces only a few of his works himself. He simply instrcts others what to do. Yet his works bring the highest prices of any living artist today. (Continued…)
Faja
posted 10/15/08 @ 6:35 PM CST
So what does this mean for the rest of us? One of my classes recently featured a guest lecturer who has been written up in Art Forum, and frankly the only work of his that really left an impression borders on assault. (Continued…)
MIZZIW
posted 10/15/08 @ 10:57 PM CST
NO not really. Thus the need for real artist to develop a professional team to sell their art.
MIZZIW
Tressa
posted 10/24/08 @ 12:27 AM CST
I watched the documentary in total disbelief, realizing fully that Marla is and was being exploited by her parents. Marla is a typical four/five year old quiet little girl who likes to use paint to express herself, and her parents got the idea that with a little finishing touch up help from her father they could make money and scam the art world which they did. (Continued…)
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