Mort Künstler by M. Stephen Doherty - Part 2

Mort’s father, Tom, a man with strong interests in sports,
politics, and art, had ideas about his son’s future even before
Mort was born. He referred to his future offspring as an
“experiment” and speculated that he could “create” a certain
type of personality by molding and influencing his child from
the moment of birth. He was determined to make his son into
both artist and athlete, an unusual combination even today.
Whether it was nature or nurture, Tom’s dreams for his son
came true.
Tom Künstler gave his son art supplies and drawing lessons
before he even started school. “My father was an amateur artist
and a very clever man,” Mort recalls. “He had a beautiful
way of guiding me rather than forcing me to like the things
he wanted me to appreciate. He would set up still lifes and say
to me, ‘Put down what you see,’ and I would draw everything
in front of me.”