Why North West's Painting Is Raising Eyebrows

While all children are special little angels and gifts from above and all that, somehow celebrity kids are even more special, or so they would have you believe. As in Lake Wobegon, all the children in Hollywood are above average and in fact extremely gifted, each and every one of them. Well, we certainly would expect no less from a next-gen Kardashian, and according to mom Kim, 7-year-old North West does not disappoint. KK recently shared an Instagram story (via Page Six) that featured a painting of a mountain, a lake, some flowers, and a few trees — you know, pretty typical Days Inn kind of stuff — and claimed that "my little artist North" had painted it.

Humm, really? While the painting's no Picasso, nor even a Bob Ross masterpiece, it's still well above the level of what hangs in most second-grade classrooms. Are we really to believe that North, heir to a dynasty of reality TV stars famous for being famous, is really some kind of budding artistic genius? Sorry, Kim, but while it's cool to be proud of your progeny and all, many fans remain unconvinced that North actually painted that motel art with her own little hands.

Twitter users were quick to spot some phony-looking things about the painting. One tweet made the observation that North West may not have been responsible for anything other than the signature, saying, "Kim Kardashian's child did not paint this. You can even see the photo shop signature," adding, "And even if you didn't, it's Kim K so you have to take everything she says with a heavy spoonful of salt."

"I have worked with kids every single day for 4 years and i will tell you right now, North did not paint that picture," another skeptic added. 

Several other social media users were of the opinion that even if little North technically produced the painting, it is no indicative of budding genius. Instead, her artwork really stands as more of a testimonial to how high-end children's art tutors operate. One former baby Bob Ross tweeted: "Hahaha I had a private art teacher growing up as well and 'painted' similar ones. They basically tell you exactly how to do it and help you every step of the way. The end result impresses the parent's friends mostly."

But despite all of the nay-sayers, a TikTok video seems to claim otherwise — and the person who made it has proof. 

"I actually can't believe right now that I am being put in the position where I am probably one of the only people in the world who has evidence to prove that Kim is not lying, but here you go," the young woman started the clip.

The clip was posted by a young woman who claimed that her mom was the one who provided North with her private painting lessons, and said that she helps all her students produce similar masterpieces. The TikToker even supplied photo evidence of herself, at age 7, holding a nearly identical painting that she'd just produced. She explained that her mom has been teaching private art lessons for 30 years and revealed: "Everyone that comes through her classes goes through this exact same painting when they're starting out."

As soon as Kim Kardashian heard the disbelief about North West's artistic ability, she took to her Instagram story to defend her daughter.

"My daughter and her best friend have been taking a serious oil painting class where their talents and creativity are being encouraged and nurtured," she explained, as per BuzzFeed. "North worked incredibly hard on her painting which took several weeks to complete. As a proud mom, I wanted to share her work with everyone."

"I'm seeing op-ed pieces in the media and social media from grown adults breaking down whether or not my child actually painted this," she continued. "How dare you see children doing awesome things and then try to accuse them of NOT being awesome?! Please stop embarrassing yourselves with the negativity and allow every child to be GREAT!!!"

Tracy Romulus, a woman Page Six calls KK's "best friend," was quick to defend North's honor. She spoke of the "serious art class" her daughter Ryan takes along with North, claiming that while they do follow a curriculum, "the works are original, starting from a blank canvas and each child's interpretation." Here's a 2019 photo of Ryan's painting of the same scene.