The Art of Youth

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 23 June 2011 12:51

If you haven’t yet seen it don’t miss your chance to see the “iCreate!Teen Art” exhibit at the Bruce Museum before it ends on June 26. This exhibit will feature regional high school art and is organized by the Museum’s Youth at Bruce program. Viewers will be pleased by the extremely high level of artwork that belies the youth of its creators. Digital images of all the artists’ entries will be shown in a slide-show together with local high school students recorded music, presented on an iPad framed and mounted in the gallery. This year over 225 entries were received from more than 100 students throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. An independent three-member jury judged the work and Youth@Bruce awarded cash prizes of $500, $250, and $100 (2) for the top four entries. For more information log onto Brucemuseum.org

One of my favorite child artists was Alexandra Nechita, who is now an adult. She has been a famous artist since she was 8 years old. She has sold paintings to Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and former president Bill Clinton. Her high school named its performing arts theater after her. People magazine included her among its 100 most interesting people. Alexandra saw Pablo Picasso’s paintings in a museum and started painting her own compositions. Her parents have encouraged her ever since. Alexandra’s first art exhibit took place when she was 8 years old. Her painting style was compared to Pablo Picasso and other modern masters. She became known internationally as a talented young artist.

Another extraordinary child artist, now a teenager, is a girl called Akiane. Her artwork first came to the attention of the public when she appeared on Oprah and other high profile television shows. Her paintings are nothing short of amazing not only for their skill but for their depth of mind. She claims that at 4 years old she experienced a spiritual awakening which induced her to first write poetry and then paint. She calls her style ‘Akianism’ a blend of realism and what she terms ‘imaginism’.

Marla Olmstead made her first abstract painting while still in diapers, she was not yet two. Her big break came when she was three, and a family friend hung her paintings in a coffee shop in her hometown of Binghamton, N.Y. By the time she was 4, she had her first solo gallery show. A local reporter covered the story, and the New York Times picked it up. Within a few months, she sold more than $300,000 worth of paintings. But can child prodigies maintain their level of success as they approach adulthood? Mozart battled such a transition victoriously...

Perhaps child prodigies are that much more prodigious because their artistic visions are untainted by adulthood and they can communicate with a depth we have trouble fathoming. The art on display at the Bruce is the work of teenagers and it carries with it a youthful air of independence, a touch of rebellion and a wonderfully fresh new outlook.