¿A kid genius or an ambitious father?

[Lashiec]

I've come onto this as I opened Internet Explorer to check Windows Update. Slate is running this article about a new documentary portraying the family background of a little girl considered a young Pollock, as his painting style is very similar to that of the famous painter (disclaimer: I'm not much into classic forms of art). Setting aside her latent talent, the documentary poses the question about the possibility of her being a prodigy, or simply a well guided kid by the hand of his father, the latter possibility bringing to the table the old debate about wether parent could take such advantage of a little genius, and the not so common one about she really understand what she expresses in the canvas, or (again) if her father is shaping everything to looks like it.

¿A kid genius or an ambitious father?

For those interested in if genetic heritage determine wether a kid will be a genius or not, there is this other series of articles about a Nobel prize sperm bank (yup, it sounds weird, doesn't it?), and kids conceived after their mothers were inseminated with sperm from that bank. It's really long, so be sure to have something to eat and drink while you ran through them. I've only read one of the parts, and the comments some of the mothers told about their children regarding their genes sent chills down my spine.
via MSN

[edbro]

Shoot, I could paint like that also! I think my kids could too. (I guess I don't know how to "appreciate" modern art.)

By the way, have you ever heard of those experiments where they do something like put ordinary preschool fingerpaint prints up in a fancy museum and all the critics think they are genius works of art? That cracks me up.

[Ralf Maximus]

Perhaps you're thinking of this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912592/

Kind of a tragic story.  Normalish kid pressured into the world of high-profile art by wacky parents.  The girl will never be the same again...

[Deozaan]

Abstract "art" basically is just adults fingerpainting.

Isn't that always how it works? People want to claim themselves as better than others, so they do something ridiculous and claim it's cool?

[app103]

By the way, have you ever heard of those experiments where they do something like put ordinary preschool fingerpaint prints up in a fancy museum and all the critics think they are genius works of art? That cracks me up.

-edbro (October 08, 2007, 02:44 PM)

I heard about one done with art made by chimpanzees.