Art and accuracy: the drawing ability of idiot-savants

The accuracy and the artistic merit of drawings produced by graphically gifted idiot-savants and by artistically able normal children were investigated in various conditions. Drawings had to be executed when a three- or two-dimensional model of the scene to be drawn was in view, or when it had to be remembered or drawn from another viewpoint. It was found that overall accuracy was better for the normal than for the mentally handicapped subjects. In contrast, ratings for artistic merit did not differentiate the groups. It is concluded that while the accuracy of drawings may be related to intelligence, the artistic quality of the graphic production is not.