Marla Olmstead enjoys painting pictures. She paints colorful abstract works that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Olmstead is 4 years old.
Her paintings have dazzled the art world around the country and are the subject of documentary filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev’s new movie, “My Kid Could Paint That.” The film focuses on Marla Olmstead, a child from Binghamton, N.Y., and her paintings.
Michael Kimmelman, art critic of The New York Times, said there is “no cynicism, no irony” in Olmstead’s work.
At Ohio State, students and faculty have mixed opinions about whether Olmstead’s work was created by her, and whether or not it is possible a child can create renowned abstract art.
Suzanne Silver, professor of painting and drawing, saw Olmstead’s paintings this summer while visiting friends in Binghamton. She said the artwork was not anything she would define as being magnificent abstract art.
“They were quite nice abstractions, but nothing extraordinary,” Silver said. “I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to see them.”
Olmstead’s story has spurred a classic debate on the definition of abstract art.
Abstract art is recognized for its heavy use of color and wide shapes. It does not resemble real life and often has no recognizable form at all.
“Abstraction is a departure from representation, from the world of recognizable objects,” Silver said. “It enables a transformation of ideas and emotions in a very stripped-down fashion. It has a raw power that when tied to reality, things can’t possibly have.”
Abstract art and its lack of a defined subject leads some to question whether or not children could create abstract pieces. Sean Meagher, a sophomore in business, said he does not believe children such as Olmstead are capable of creating meaningful abstract art.
“I don’t think that they have enough life experience to know what they’re doing,” Meagher said.
Others such as George Iliev, a sophomore in international business and finance, said he believes any child can create art.
“Even I made great LEGO constructions at the age of 3,” Iliev said.
Silver said she believes most children could paint work like Olmstead. She said children have creative imaginations and this allows them to be expressive in many ways, including art.
Olmstead and her work have been compared to such great abstract artists as Jackson Pollock and other famous 20th century abstract painters.
Silver said although Olmstead’s abstractions were nice to look at, they were not comparable to the work of the great abstract artists.
“The others were masters of it,” Silver said. “The work I saw doesn’t exhibit that sort of transformative power.”
As the debate about Olmstead’s work rages on, students say they are curious to see the new documentary.
Brandon Paul, a junior in music theory, said he is interested in seeing the film if for no other reason than to see Olmstead’s art for himself and form his own opinions.
The documentary, released only in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 5, has yet to reach audiences in Columbus. There is no release date currently set for Columbus.
Jennifer Hallquist can be reached at [email protected].
