Akiane Kramarik

[PatriciaP]

Akiane's mother is a painter, Akiane's paintings look just like her mother's (same style), and where painting is concerned, the style is rather "hack", or typical of people who eschew formal training or do not paint often. Her mother has prohibited Akiane from ever painting on camera, and no one has ever seen her paint a painting besides her parents. In response to critics calling her a fake, her mother released a heavily doctored video, basically stop motion, of Akiane working on a painting. It was immediately dismissed as a fraud.

She's a fake, her parents have been using her for attention since she was a small child.

Any time you hear any parent claiming their child performs by way of miraculous divine intervention, it's surely a fake. When you hear real parents talking about how their kids got so talented at the violin or ended up on the Olympic team, they will tell you it was merely a result of long hours of practice and hard work.

 

[varit]

....When you hear real parents talking about how their kids got so talented at the violin or ended up on the Olympic team, they will tell you it was merely a result of long hours of practice and hard work.

the real answer is that
AND above average TALENT at it
AND possibly great teachers too.
AND anybody they were reliant on, for support, being supportive

 

[exhaledeeply]

Have none of you guys bothered to actually look at her website?

There is a "from start to finish" video of her painting "Wonder". Um, watch it? Then comment. That might help.

Now, does this mean that she really was visited by God, or whatever she claims? No. Parents could still be exploiting her amazing talents for money. But I'm pretty confident that she is in fact the one painting the art.

 

[candigirl]

I think she is 100% authentic. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith.

 

[Anachronous Rex]

I think she is 100% authentic. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith.

Give me even one good reason why.

 

[godseesall]

I hate to burst anyone's bubble but Akiane is simply a marketed commodity by her parents. Media hype and trickery do not equal truth. I am an expert in the art world internationally who deals with every major museum and collector that exists. We deal in millions of dollars worth of art every year. i can tell you with 100% certainty that Akiane and her art are not considered anything more than a trick for the uneducated public. There is no independent art expert who will validate that her art has sold for the vast amounts the family claims and there is no reputable auction house that has handled any of Akiane's art. The family has made claims publicly that one of Akiane's paintings would be auctioned by Christies for a million dollars to assist children in poverty. No such auction happened because her art has no value in the art world. Commercially, it may be worth a few hundred dollars at best. There has been no independently verified charitable donation or effort achieved by Akiane either. That should be very concerning to all who think she's sent by God. At this time there is only one independently verifiable living art prodigy artist in existence. Her name is Amanda Dunbar. Unlike Akiane, Amanda Dunbar has transitioned like Picasso into educating herself through reputable universities, honing her skills and growing as an artist. She has also donated over a million dollars (verified by tax records) to various childrens and artists causes. It appears that Akaine's parents know enough about Amanda Dunbar to try and emulate her career, however they are only gleaning the parts that they think will make them quick cash. Akaine is 18 now and an adult who must make serious decisions for her artistic future. If she continues the hyped path she is on it will be disastrous.

 

[kuminkoski]

To supply the other side of this debate I would say the following. This young lady, in spite of your religious beliefs, clearly paints these works of art. You can go to her website and there is an actual video of her painting from begining to end.

In response to the post that said she is defying god by making graven images or idols...you only submitted an incomplete quote of the bible. The full quote of the bible shows that God commands that we do not create and then worship those images.

And God spake all these words, saying,
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them

 

[australopithecus]

Let me guess, this is going to be just another hit-and-run post to add to the pile.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

...
Do you think that her family patrols the interwebz doing bit and pieces of politcal adjustments automatically?

 

[letrompe]

excuse me for joining the conversation a bit late..

the videos on her website actually prove she isn't a prodigy. just watch a minute or two of it. not only does she use the thumb/pencil method (which is a beginning artists tool, or for people who can't relay correct proportions - not to mention it's a taught method, not something you just magically pick up) but she's constantly looking off screen at her reference. what kind of holy artist prodigy would need either of these, especially one with vivid imagination, and visions from god? also, the fact that she sits while painting (4-5 hours EVERY DAY) tells me she doesn't do it often. look at her posture in the video - you can't tell me after 10 years of painting she wouldn't realize that standing at an easel would be more comfortable for her back. hell, she's sitting in a damn lawn chair.

i have no doubt that she has some form of talent, but it isn't self taught, and it's definitely no gift from god. which points me to her Prince of Peace painting. there's no bigger tell than that of the white, handsome, long haired, well kempt jesus. there's no factual information as to what he might have looked like, but there are enough facts to refute the above: http://www.differentspirit.org/

 

[es mer]

In response to the post that said she is defying god by making graven images or idols...you only submitted an incomplete quote of the bible. The full quote of the bible shows that God commands that we do not create and then worship those images.

And God spake all these words, saying,
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them

that's right, and look on her site, next to paint is the poem refferings to this paint, click on the paint prince of peace, you see the poem reffering to it? :
"...Today I want to paint God's face. IT'S NOT TOO LATE"
her words: "Jesus is love, GOD and only one way to GOD"

BTW what does it mean: "not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them"
what does mean TO SERVE? other gods and serve to them
synonyms: worship, worship, idolize, worship, praise

 

[WYEFT]

I just found out about Akiane Kramarik. I have looked at every part of her website. I have read the published book about her.

I am a rational atheist, but recognise, from the cognitive studies done, that human disposition to belief in the supernatural has a genetic component. I have degrees in Linguistics, Education, English, and Classics. I say this not to show off, but to demonstrate that I have interest and research experience in how humans perceive, process, and create. I am currently doing a PhD on evolutionary literary analysis, with a sideline in religion as evolved adaptation (yes, yes, or spandrel) so I'm interested in what selective advantage for individuals and groups there might be in both Akiane's actions, and in the belief many apparently need to have in her ability.

As a person who also had precocious ability in art and poetry as a child, and as the parent of a 12 year old high-functioning Asperger's child, I am also interested in the 'exceptionality' of the cognitive mechanisms behind Akiane's expressions and self-belief. I have read discussion on several sites about her ability as an artist, much of it intensely skeptical. This is what I think:

1. She is not a particularly gifted artist (despite some comments on discussion sites), she is a highly focussed, obsessive even, and naturally observant religiously motivated person, perhaps or probably on the autism spectrum. Yes, with decent training she might become a better artist.

2. Assuming that at least some elements of the parental descriptions of her in the book are correct, her peculiarities and idiosyncratic aversions certainly mirror those of those of children on the autism spectrum, who are also sometimes inclined to forms of religiosity.

3. She should be considered not as an artist, but as a visionary who happens to express herself through painting. While technically precocious, she is clearly not artistic per se. Early technical ability in the autistic child does not always progress past a certain level. Self-believing visionaries are ubiquitous, universal, diachronic, and, given human social conditions arising from cognitive disposition, inevitable.

4. Her poetry is no different from or better than that of any other extremely sensitive, intelligent, reflective child of comparable age. Children on the autism spectrum are often advanced in terms of inner-life development, while finding it difficult to communicate in the same manner as other 'neuro-typicals'.

5. I don't think, from the available evidence, that anyone else apart from herself necessarily painted her pictures, as is claimed in several discussions. The paintings are exactly what I would expect, thematically and in achievement, from someone with her condition. They are not that outstanding. Ditto the poems.

6. I think she almost certainly speaks with God as she claims, in terms of her own understanding of her experience, and I am pretty sure an MRI of her brain at those times would identify that she is having an empirically evidenced cognitive peak or religious experience. That does not entail the existence of an external deity, and I do not believe there is one, personally. (We'll just have to wait and see whether those without the disposition to belief leave more children.)

7. While it is not impossible that her parents are exploiting her situation for financial gain, it is more likely that they are genuinely swept up in her situation; see the Wikipedia article on 'folie a plusiers' or contagious delusion. Her mother wrote in the book (which I do recommend you read if you are interested in this matter) that they rationally evaluated whether to believe in God based on their child's behaviour, and on the pros and cons of believing. Their approach, if genuine, is not unreasonable, and is a valid (and historically evidenced) philosophical position to take. Consider yourself how you would deal 24/7 with having a child such as this.

I write all this not because I 'believe' Akiane sees God, or that she has important messages to share with us, or even that she is especially exceptional. This site appears to be supporting rational discussion, and I think the phenomenon that she is can be understood quite adequately from a rational explanatory position, taking into account recent and ongoing work on religiosity as evolved disposition, and the behaviour of children with high-functioning autistic spectrum conditions. WYEFT stands for 'What's Your Evidence For That', and I suspect a knee-jerk or compulsive scepticism as much as I deplore uncritical belief. The evolved propensity of the social herd to be swept up in emotionally-fuelled beliefs that are, when present in individuals, defined by the medical psychiatric profession as delusions, is a matter worth investigating, because potentially we can all suffer the consequences of that. (Humans are so strange sometimes!)

This is what I think all this is going on with Akiane Kramarik. Thanks for your time. xxx.

 

[questioneverything]

Here is my list of red flags on the whole Akiane thing:

1. Her mother is also an artist, with a similar style to Akiane's.

2. Her mother writes in her book that the family was very, very poor, living in a shack and struggling for money in the beginning. (Desperate times......)

3. They exploited Akiane's artistic abilities since she was a small child, at one point their only income being the money Akiane made from giving other kids sketching lessons.

4. They have 3 other children, and each of them are equally as "gifted," and called a "prodigy," in their poetry and artwork. I can understand it happening once, but all 4 of your children? Aren't prodigies supposed to be rare? And what are the odds of them all living in the same place and time, belonging to the same parents?

5. If Akiane is receiving profound images of heaven, creation, other dimensions, and the quantum world, wouldn't they be like nothing mankind has ever seen? And yet her paintings bear a strong resemblance to most New Age art I've seen (i.e. Josephine Wall, the artwork in Doreen Virtue's "oracle cards").

6. If you read what Akiane allegedly said about God, and her poetry... there's no way a child could have said or written any of that. Really...

7. It's one thing to be a gifted child artist. There are many of those, but they don't often reach fame and fortune. But to claim visions and voices from God influenced the art? That the child is seeing and hearing God and painting the results? That is sure to sell!!!

8. ***This is the big kicker: *** I saw Akiane, now 18, on Katie Couric's talkshow (yes, I'm from the U.S.) the other day, and Akiane said God has been telling her for some time now that the visions are going to stop, and "to be prepared not to receive anymore". This could influence her art, even make it stop, and she's not sure what she'll do when that time comes. *Gasp!* Oh no! It's all gonna magically go away now that she's 18! ... Or possibly, is she through with the facade, with her parents exploiting and making outrageous claims about her work? They've already made their millions after all, and the inspired artwork of an 18 or 20-something is nowhere near as amazing (and sellable) as that of an 8 or 10 year old.

My conclusion? I think she is a gifted artist, but she is probably helped out by her mom, and the God stuff is delusion or hogwash, invented by the parents in order to exploit her and lift themselves out of poverty.

-----
Sapere Audi (Think for yourself)