The Big Painting Challenge

I love these kind of programmes Azie , Along with Portrait and Landscape Artist of the year they are , for me , the most interesting things on TV at the moment . I loathe the other competition type programmes like The Voice and the Celebrity dancing type ones so don`t watch them and wouldn`t comment on a thread relating to them .

It's the most boring thing on telly at the moment.

I thought it was a bit tiresome that they followed so closely the formula of the GB Bake Off right down to that silly pause before they announce the name of the person leaving that week.

I felt sorry for Lesley, what she did was perfectly acceptable and it was interesting to see the tutor, Pascal looking so shocked. I think he's rather good and I learnt from his tips and insights.

As to the winner! Unbelievable. It reminded me of our eldest taking GCSE art where she quickly learnt that a project labelled for instance, speed, had better not contain any images of anything remotely 'speedy' because that would be much too mundane!!

The word pretentious came to mind for me. Surely it's quite destructive for the participants, there are far too many assessors and judges, it made me want to substitute the word 'art' in the maxim 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'!

Interesting comments. I actually liked the 'worst picture'. To me it looked like the disappearance of a dream as you wake....

But her still life was awful, after the instructions were that it was supposed to actually resemble the objects!
It would be better if TWO people went out the first week, if it has to be done so competitively!

Painting from an iPad is pointless when the model is in front of you

Is any one watching Portrait Painter of the Year on Sky Arts? I'm a bit bemused because most of them seem to be photographing the model on their I Pads and working from the photograph! What's the point of having a model?

It's all so subjective isn't it, even for experienced artists.

We were talking about it in my art class today. Our tutor didn't like the programme at all and there were various views from her and others in the class as to the judges' opinions. I didn't particularly like the bedroom in mid air painted by the lady who was eliminated from the competition - but my tutor and several of the others thought the painting was accomplished and interesting.

I too think it's a mistake to start eliminating people at such an early stage.

I think this series is going to be better than the first one as the presenters are much less irritating. I think it's probably a bad idea to have someone going home in the first week. It would be better if they gave them all that week to settle into the competition and then see how they go from there.

Didn't like the girl with the hairy bedroom, and her still life was a disaster. The mentors are good and their comments are usually right. The point about Van Gogh's wonky perspective is that he knew perfectly well what it should look like but changed it to suit himself.

I love programmes like this and thought it was interesting to see their different interpretations. I used to paint and keep meaning to take it up again. One problem though, - I was absolutely useless at it!

I thought it was interesting too.The worst picture ( the one that the public liked best) was probably because it was so abstract and just two colours that they could see that hanging on a wall at home, whereas the other pictures were of a bedroom ( which they didn't like and couldn't imagine buying.) Had it been a more appealing subject, I suspect nobody would have liked hers.

I thought it was interesting. Don't paint myself, so appreciate the efforts of others. Enjoyed the comments made by the mentors, life is after all about listening and learning, and I think people's own characteristics will show themselves later on.

I did enjoy it, because it is great to see people doing something they love and to learn about different techniques. I did not see to the end so do not know who went out - I am very bored with that recurring them in programmes anyway.

I agree that the work that we saw that they produced at home was very good indeed. But there is no harm in branching out, developing and learning new things.

The time constraints don't seem too bad didn't I hear six hours for the second challenge or was I dreaming

I didn't particularly enjoy this either although I was looking forward to it. It doesn't help that they are under time constraints of course, but I agree with BlueBelle that it needs to be their interpretation and the didn't seem to be a lot going on. Worrying too much about getting the technicalities right is stifling. I don't like the idea of having judges and a public panel either. I hope this is going to get better.

Personally I think there is a difference between showing them methods, to encouraging them to change, surely art is about how YOU interpretate something not necessarily about the 'correct' way of doing it If so most impressionists and modern artists wouldn't exist The perspective in some of Van Gogh s paintings were very suspect ( indeed the chair itself) The lady who was sent home was trying to be too contained and too correct and lost any semblance of personality coming through yet the pictures they showed that she'd done at home were full of character

I enjoyed it and actually learned some useful tips . I don`t see the point of letting them just get on with it , surely the point is for them to develop as artists . As an amateur artist myself I can understand that you can get `stuck` in your comfort zone of only producing work of a certain type or subject , I think all of them will improve as the weeks go on . I disliked the hairy picture too , could not understand why it came first but maybe it looked better `in the flesh`.

I was then going to start a thread about this so thanks Tired
I was looking forward to this but tend to agree with what you are saying The lady that went out had produced some lovely work, at home, as had the one who got the perspective all wrong sorry names don't trip off my tongue
I liked Alan's interpretation of the still life but his bed was awful I thought Jennifer's abstract hairy picture was a bit sick making and how that was the most popular with the public is beyond me I though the optometrist was good
It will be interesting to see how it developes