Capturing Van Gogh — at Age 6

It’s all about the energy!

(Pic #1) “The Starry Night” / colored pencil on paper / By Mickey Goldman, 2021.

(Pic #2) “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh,  / oil on canvas / 1889.

Nothing gives me greater joy than to see a child express herself creatively in an original way. So often young students are steered toward drawing a perfect replica of their subject. For some reason, early on they are encouraged to make sure the tree on their page looks exactly like the one they are looking at. But what emerges with this approach — is a duplicate — a copy — a basic photo reproduction of something that already exists.

(Pic #3) Artist Mickey Goldman, age 6

But guess what: the child who captures “the essence” of her subject — not the literal translation — is actually creating original art —  and more important; original thought. My niece Jamie’s daughter Mickey, who just turned 6, accomplished this while immersing herself in the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Her Mom says she’s a huge fan of the Dutch master, and likes to color in his high energy style. (You can see her spirited interpretation in Pic #1.) Without “copying” his strokes, she captures the feeling of the original with her own dynamic movements and marks.

I’ve heard from many executives I work with that they were told in 2nd or 3rd grade that their drawing looked nothing like their intention. One was even told by a teacher that he should give up art-making all together. Are you kidding me? The bottom line for me is: Let them play. Let them explore. Let them be themselves. This kind of freedom can only lead to fresh discoveries about the world around them, and enrich the lives of rest of us.