http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/29/boy-paints-like-old-master

This makes me angry. Why are people so excited over a 7 year old who isn't really that great? Why are people so excited over some crappy paintings? Why are people paying thousands to get his shit? Why was this on the front page of Yahoo! News?

People really have no idea about art these days. Just because he's young and knows how to hold a paintbrush that doesn't mean he's good or he WILL be good.

I know people who are 10-13 who can make stuff about 500 times better, yet they get maybe 1% of the recognition/publicity as this kid. Is the world really this stupid? He paints realistic landscapes... the reason why that's pointless is because of a great little invention called the camera. I'm not saying he'll never be good or he has no potential but it's really just another kid with nothing else to do.

So do you think that people overreact too much when someone young can do something well? Would you rather have art that looks good and will sell for a lot or risk your investment on a 7 year old who is barely good? Why are people wasting their money on this stuff? Why do you think stupid things like his paintings get more publicity than young people who can do something like this:

It does bug me how some people are idolized like that, I have to say, and I can see where you're coming from. You have to realize that for a 7 year old that's pretty amazing though...

Find me a seven year old who has an interest in painting and who is willing to work and I could probably make him just as good as that. The only thing that's different about this boy is that he's doing something other 7 year olds aren't. That doesn't mean he's going to be the greatest artist who ever lived, which is what this seems to be making him out as.

People seem to think that the more time you work with something the better you'll be. The harder and smarter you go about something is what makes you good. You could be animating, painting, drawing, and composing for years but you could be just as good as someone doing it a couple of months if you aren't well informed on the subject like the other person might be.

The way I see it, if he's this good already, he will only get better and the art will only go up in price. They're investing in the hope he will one day be famous for his art. That or some other stupid reason

i don't know what you're seeing but those were some pretty good paintings for someone who's 7. i wouldn't buy it, but you have to admit that it's pretty crazy a 7 year old did those. if i were to have seen those paintings i probably would have immediately assumed someone much older had done it. calm down

Quote from It's Me

The only thing that's different about this boy is that he's doing something other 7 year olds aren't.

and how is that not a big difference? from that fact alone he deserves praise.

actually, if you think about it, his parents were probably too poor to afford an xbox so he probably had enough time to hone his finger painting skills lol

Quote from It's Me

Find me a seven year old who has an interest in painting and who is willing to work and I could probably make him just as good as that.

i could say the same about any other great artist out there nowadays. what you're basically saying is just because you could find another 7 year old who can do what this kid does then we shouldn't give a shit about this kid. that would be like if i were to say "oh well kobe bryant isn't that great. i could just train someone else his age to play exactly like him".

Quote from It's Me

Find me a seven year old who has an interest in painting and who is willing to work and I could probably make him just as good as that

that's just it though. You'll almost never find a seven year old who is both of these things

Does age really matter that much? I'm not really trying to diminish HIS accomplishments, I'm just saying that age shouldn't really be a determining factor in art. I'm saying that the publicity he's getting is absurd for what he's doing.

Kobe Bryant is good because of his skills as a basketball player, not his age. Although his age may contribute to how he does that doesn't really relate to art unless you get like... arthritis. Any seven year old with supplies and a steady hand has the ability to draw like a "master" in my opinion. Not every person has the ability to play like Kobe Bryant.

If you're going to buy art why wouldn't you buy the best you could in your personal opinion for the least amount of money?

i don't know about the people in that article, but i still think this kid's skills do deserve some degree of praise because of how good the paintings are and because of how young he is. i mean, the way you're saying it makes it sound like people are riding his dick for some stick figure squiggle his parents put on the refrigerator.

and as i said, i wouldn't buy it, but i would understand if anyone did. if this kid ends up sticking with this and ends up becoming the next monet or something, those paintings could be pretty valuable.

Thats shit, honestly. I know people who can paint better and are his age.

Yeah, that is bullshit, Handshake. This boy is amazing. What he lacks that adult artists have is a developed mind. Many of the most popular modern artists are not great drawers, but are great at expressing emotions and ideas. That is the point of art. This kid paints landscapes. They are beautiful, but they are also meaningless.
Without a message, be it political or cultural or social or whatever, art rarely gets popular.

I think that's great for his age. People are paying so much for them because they're expecting him to become a big name in art someday, and those pieces will value much more those days, that's why.
EDIT: Darn, I came in late.

Quote from It's Me

Kobe Bryant is good because of his skills as a basketball player, not his age. Although his age may contribute to how he does that doesn't really relate to art unless you get like... arthritis. Any seven year old with supplies and a steady hand has the ability to draw like a "master" in my opinion. Not every person has the ability to play like Kobe Bryant.

Kobe wasn't as good as he is now when he was seven... and I don't see the difference between this kid and say this 11 year old basketball player. Both have the opportunity to grow into a very talented artist or athlete, but lack the skills that are possible with a fully developed body and mind
Most kids simply don't have the coordination to paint or draw well. You seem to think anyone who puts their mind to it can create mind-blowing art, yet it's clearly not true

Quote from LN3uq

Kobe wasn't as good as he is now when he was seven... and I don't see the difference between this kid and say this 11 year old basketball player. Both have the opportunity to grow into a very talented artist or athlete, but lack the skills that are possible with a fully developed body and mind
Most kids simply don't have the coordination to paint or draw well. You seem to think anyone who puts their mind to it can create mind-blowing art, yet it's clearly not true

Most drawn art is about ideas and execution. I just really don't see how that changes much with years of training. Basketball is completely different from painting. If you don't see the difference between someone twiddling a brush around and someone being physically pushed to their limits then I think there's something wrong with you.

If you're going off the basis of the seven year old's mind being highly developed then you're wrong because he isn't really thinking, he's just painting what he sees. It's dull, expressionless, and lifeless.

@ It's Me : The kid has great talent, he's one of the few at that age. Not anyone can paint "what they see" that way when they're 7. His coordination skills are above average. He deserves what he got. With all due respect, you're being a douche-bag.
You're not expecting the boy to draw "metaphorically", are you? Cut him some slack, I bet he hasn't even read a book yet. He can't understand the corelation between human psychology and color.

If you don't see the similarities then I think there's something wrong with you, haha. Of course they aren't the same, but you can draw something from it, I think. I'm honestly most surprised that your main argument here seems to be that art isn't something that you get better at over time.
You don't seem to have the same attitude towards art as many people do, you describe it as "twiddling around a brush" even though you have to recognize that it takes a certain level of talent and skill to paint. Surely you or I would have to be "pushed to their [our] limits" to create a piece of art anywhere near as professional or aesthetically pleasing as what you might see in a museum, or even in this seven year old's paintings (which I admit aren't of the highest caliber, partially because he is only seven and doesn't have an adult's mind and skill). The difference being that the limits that one would be pushing to create a beautiful painting would be different than what a professional basketball player has to strive for.