Friday, July 30, 2004
Meet a new child prodigy
A genuine child prodigy is a rare and precious thing. Some produce works of genius that survive the test of centuries (think Mozart); some can become victims of the enormous pressures they can be subject to (think Bobby Fisher).
Akiane Kramarik is a 10-year-old girl of Lithuanian parentage who lives in Idaho, USA. She began painting at the age of 4, and is totally self-taught. Despite that, she is producing portraits that would not disgrace a master - they exhibit the maturity and technique of a person way beyond her years. They are not slapdash abstracts - Akiane can put 75-100 hours into one portrait (she happily gets up at 5.30 am to start work), and they are already fetching prices of $30,000.
That is amazing enough, but even more startling is that despite having parents who were athiestic or agnostic, Akiane says she met God at the age of 3, and before starting any painting she asks Him what to paint. Each painting is accompanied by one of her own poems, which also show a depth of emotion and understanding no ordinary 10-year-old would have.
In every other respect, Akiane appears to be a delightfully normal girl. Let's hope she can be shielded from exploiters and other pressures so she does not become a casualty of the system.
Another review of Akiane's work is here.
A genuine child prodigy is a rare and precious thing. Some produce works of genius that survive the test of centuries (think Mozart); some can become victims of the enormous pressures they can be subject to (think Bobby Fisher).
Akiane Kramarik is a 10-year-old girl of Lithuanian parentage who lives in Idaho, USA. She began painting at the age of 4, and is totally self-taught. Despite that, she is producing portraits that would not disgrace a master - they exhibit the maturity and technique of a person way beyond her years. They are not slapdash abstracts - Akiane can put 75-100 hours into one portrait (she happily gets up at 5.30 am to start work), and they are already fetching prices of $30,000.
That is amazing enough, but even more startling is that despite having parents who were athiestic or agnostic, Akiane says she met God at the age of 3, and before starting any painting she asks Him what to paint. Each painting is accompanied by one of her own poems, which also show a depth of emotion and understanding no ordinary 10-year-old would have.
In every other respect, Akiane appears to be a delightfully normal girl. Let's hope she can be shielded from exploiters and other pressures so she does not become a casualty of the system.
Another review of Akiane's work is here.
