My Kid Could Paint That

My latest for Pajiba:

The fact remains that even allowing for a distinction between the Old Masters and the modern movements, and allowing for vigorous argument about the relative merit of methods and their impact on viewers, the widely aired notion that "my kid could paint that" is, almost every time, hogwash. Admittedly, there are exceptions, but the best of modern art is — at least — visually determined in a way so that even what looks initially chaotic gives way to some sign of organizing intelligence. The story of Marla Olmstead nicely illustrates the point.