Artistic prodigy or twisted hoax?

I've noticed that people here are pretty darn good at spotting hoaxes. I found a video while browsing with StumbleUpon (I'm not going to get any work done ever again) and found this video of a three year-old who, as the video claims, can make pictures that most grown people I've met couldn't do (and using fingerpaint, no less!) Here is a link:

Zach the amazing finger painter

So what do you think? Is the kid a some kind of genius, or are his parents playing a joke on us?

ROFL! I just found StumbleUpon as well. That little button will forever be calling my name as I'm sweating at 2am desperately trying to finish my work . . .

As for that child, it doesn't look like a hoax at first glance, but if you look at the points the bottom poster brought up, then it could quite easily be one. When he holds it up the shine is totally equal along the whole surface, even the bits that haven't been painted on. Paint of course has a different texture to paper, so the only way to have an equal shine would be to coat it in a protecting varnish or have the paper laminated.

"oh wow... i hope when i have children of my own they have a good talent at an early age too."

:shk:
At least it doesn't at all look like the kid has autism, but then I'm not medically qualified. After all, autism manifests itself before the age of 3, according to the WHO. The definite symptoms aren't known, but I'm pretty sure the kid pointed at his toy, and most autistic children don't understand the concept of pointing.

There was a documentary some years back about a child who made incredible abstract paintings that were selling like hot cakes. The child's father was also a painter.

Psychologists were skeptical because unlike other prodigies the child showed no interest in his work after it was completed and could answer no questions regarding the creative process. They were also skeptical because children his age are almost always only capable of objective art, even when they are prodigies and when cameras were installed to capture his painting process, he produced nothing that could compare to the works attributed to him when cameras were not present.

Here, you can see that the child states what he is going to draw before he starts and why. He is also seen to use the action figure as a model for his painting and since the video is lapsed-time, we can see virtually the whole process unfold before our eyes and the finished product and while highly stylized, it is an objective work.

One can never rule out a hoax by a clever, determined hoaxer, but I would proffer that there is insufficient evidence here to conclude that the child did not produce the work in question.

Based on this video, I'd say he's the real deal.


[edit on 2007/6/10 by GradyPhilpott]