When she was two years old, Aelita Andre, now four, created paintings so sophisticated and beautiful, they fooled an art dealer, who thought they’d been done by an adult and wanted to represent her. Since then, Andre has gained worldwide fame, and her own website and dealer.

Seeing her gallery of paintings makes us think that some adult had her hand in at least the naming and marketing of them, and possibly guiding their making. (What kid would call something “Coral Nebula”? Is the perfectly split image below really the work of even an extraordinarily gifted 4-year-old?) But there seems no doubt from this video that this little girl is seriously into painting, following all kinds of ideas, and her own sensuality along as she works on canvases. Watching her work is mesmerizing; smooth complex riffs in which she seems to take great pleasure.

Looking at the room Andre is painting them in, and her access to lavish volumes of paint and materials, makes us wonder what would happen if every kid were given that kind of environment, and encouragement, to pour gobs of paint and place beads and buttons and powders. What would we make if WE had that?

Aelita Andre painting Yellow Thinking Man
Aelita Andre/Yellow Thinking Man

Aelita Andre painting Man in the Scarf
Aelita Andre/Man in the Scarf

Video link here.

via Neatorama

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4 replies on “aelita andre: what if you gave a child their own art studio?

  1. Wow – true inspiration – for BIG kids too! She seems to be in another world during the creative process – lovely.

  2. Amazing. Her committment and involvement are beautiful to watch. I am happy for her that she was born into an environment where the adult(s) around her supported her with the canvases and materials to do this joyful,extraordinary work. P.S., I do hope these paints are non-toxic!

  3. Wonderful to see a child’s creativity indulged, but I hope someone has taken the responsibility to educate the child (and the parents) of the potential long-term (and potentially lethal!) hazards of the materials being used.

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