After Catriona Gray’s success at Miss Universe 2018, all social media content concerning her blew up. Included in that grouping would be an old album from Filipino Portrait Artists Guild, Inc. of a live portrait session with the then-Bb. Pilipinas.
Image: Filipino Portrait Artists Guild, Inc.Â
Unfortunately, the reason this album went viral on Facebook was due to people making fun of the sketches. Several comments on individual photos were made only to point out flaws or criticize the attempt of the artists. Majority of the “reactions” to the photos were those of the ‘laughing face’.
Image: Filipino Portrait Artists Guild, Inc.Â
Facebook users caught wind of this and took a strong stance against it. One netizen, Ma Ra, posted a Facebook status that talks about the intricacies of an on-the-spot portrait session and how we shouldn’t expect perfection from these works. It explains that the sessions usually come with time pressure since the artists only have 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete the portrait. So it’s not fair to compare it with works of other people who have had extra time to polish their works and erase their mistakes.
The post also makes a strong point for why we shouldn’t make fun of artists at all. It says that regardless of circumstances of the session, artists devote their time and effort into their works and that is something worth celebrating in itself. Whether these artists are just starting out or are already well-experienced, it’s simply bad practice to devalue someone’s work.
You can read the whole Facebook post here:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=139497853721399&id=100029835546418
Where do you stand on this issue? Let us know in the comments!Â
