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PICTURE OF THE WEEK: Art Smarts

Have you ever wondered how artists craft great paintings and amazing works of art? While superior intelligence and creativity can make someone a great artist, it appears that disabilities can also help create excellent painters.

The inability to see like other people may have made Rembrandt a brilliant artist. Rembrandt’s portraits earned him fame, and he has long been considered a master of Western art. However, researchers have found that his eyes were not aligned. His left eye pointed away from his nose, which means that he did not see in 3-D. In his eyes, the world looked flat like a painting.

Rembrandt’s lack of depth perception did not prevent him from creating 600 paintings and 2,000 drawings. His disability may have helped him paint. Many artists struggle to paint the 3-D world on a flat surface, so they close one eye while they are sketching. Rembrandt’s visual disability helped make him a unique and gifted painter.

--Written by Katheryn Troyer

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