Critical Analysis of the Documentary My Kid Could Paint That Research Paper

Critical Analysis of the Documentary My Kid Could Paint That - Research Paper Example The media questioned whether she is the real artist behind the artwork or if she is just being used and exploited in order to sell up the â€Å"masterpieces.† Moreover, this argument is found to be important in this analysis because it has a relation with the focal question whether or not Marla Olmstead can be considered as â€Å"an artist.† There definitely are young people that are called child prodigies. But considering that art is construed as the mode of expression and the manifestation of emotion or pleasure, a four-year-old child is questionably capable of expressing herself or explain the reasons behind her artworks to be categorized as an artist. Thus, this paper would seek to determine the various criteria and theories of arts in order to consider someone to be an artist. For the purpose of providing reliable answer for this issue, the researcher would support the argument based on various theories of arts such as mimetic, expressive, aesthetic and institution al art as well as the three basic criteria in order to consider something as an art. Discussion Art, whether generally accepted or not is a representation of the artist’s knowledge and skills. ... tist’s intention so that a work is considered art if it is done by someone as a representation, for the purpose of attracting an aesthetic response from the audience. Hence, in creating art, the artist does not only want to provoke or please audience but also want to communicate something and the artwork would not only be perceived by the senses (Hermanson, pp. 2-3). The criteria also include the quality of the work, which means that it should be closely associated with the idea of skill wherein there is technical competence as well as traditionally associated with the idea of beauty. It is about form or the way the elements of the work is put together, or content which usually answers what it depicts or describe (p 5). A work is considered as an art if there is response from the audience (p 6). These criteria are also included in various theories of arts. The art theories include the mimetic, expressive, aesthetic and institutional art. Mimetic art theory is considered as the most basic theoretical principle because it is simply the imitation, mimicry or representation of nature. Coined from the Greek word â€Å"mime† which means â€Å"imitation† or to copy reality (Mr Hermanson, p 14; Spiegel, P1), this theory of art was established by Plato and Aristotle suggesting that all artistic creation is a form of imitation and the artist is the â€Å"imitator.† In the case of painting, subject should exist in reality and should be a type created by God in order to perceive the representation of the ideal type. Hence, a painting is supposed to look just like the real thing or recognizable, whatever it is portraying or resemblance of the model (Berleant, p.167). Aristotle further detailed that art is the imitation of an action of life. Hence, he theorized that art is the