Tonight’s portrait artist of the year…

DrWatson Why all the SHOUTING in CAPITAL LETTERS? You can make a point without it, I'm sure we'll all understand!!

I've watched all the episodes so far, so I think I'm entitled to my OPINION. I'm not an artist but I appreciate a wide variety of art, particularly Van Gogh, Picasso and Lichtenstein, who all have their own individual styles.

I didn't like the portrait of the ballet dancer because I thought it was ugly. I'm not ANGRY about it, I just didn't think it was a worthy winner.

I haven’t watched this, but this discussion has piqued my interest. I don’t watch this because I’m not really interested in portraiture (other than for it’s historical value) although I am interested in art generally.

It’s so subjective, isn’t it? I am a bit surprised that someone can dismiss Picasso as dreadful. I was looking at some etchings by him this week. He was a very accomplished print maker, and I find a lot of his work very powerful. I don’t need him to paint a person who looks exactly like a person. I know he can do this - it’s what he did do early on in his career.

But those pictures often lack emotion for me. I’m not very interested in pictures that are simply a good likeness - I like art that makes me feel something. It doesn’t have to be representational for me. But I understand that for others it does.

I disliked the winning portrait, in fact I didn't much like any of the three chosen portraits. I went to the Picasso museum in Malaga recently and had my impression of Picasso confirmed. I hoped there would be more early works that showed his talent as an artist but no they were mostly vile misogynistic paintings of women reduced to teeth, breasts and a vagina or vacuous Madonna types. He clearly was obsessed with women but hated them. I like some modern art and I try to be open minded but he was a hideous man. I still enjoy PAOTY though, lots of talented artists and well worth watching even if the winning artist doesn't appeal.

I have watched this series right from the beginning.Ihave come to the conclusion that the best portraits rarely win. The judges need a shakeup,they consistently choose the weirdest likenesses.It must be so dispiriting for the really good artists who never even make it on the programme,when much worse artists always do.

Maybee70 What a load of twaddle.

Sorry that was aimed at DRWATSON

It is frustrating when in the course of the same programme the judges say that one of the pictures has failed to get a likeness and then chooses as the winner a painting that bears no resemblance at all to the sitter ... nor indeed any other human.
They should apply the likeness test to all the paintings, not just to some.

Luckygirl13 that is so true. They constantly comment about likeness whilst the artists are completing their pictures.

Thing is a portrait is a likeness, and should also have elements of the models character. Did that one have it? No.
He was a handsome ,strong, graceful man. That portrait showed none of that. Quite the opposite. And the gaul to ask him to do another pose….just for her. You would never ever do that at an art school.

I am a bit late with this one. I love this program but the judges are just getting worse. One week they had a lady paint on metal and it looked like they look so real but judges chose are really weird one. I won't forget a few years ago when it was Sir Lenny Henry and I was not keen on the that one. I think the judges ought to take a break and have some others.

Can anyone dig out a picture to comment on? Generally I dont need my portraits to be visually representational, it's what it conveys over all about the person that matters.

I also agree it's OK to use a mix of photos and the person in front of you in situations like this. It doesnt necessarily mean you get a "flat" portrait at all, it's a "point of reference" that can be helpful.

On my Art BA/MA we didnt use photos, but it was a small, quiet room where we could fully concentrate on the subject.

And some students chose to use grids and left bits in as part of the picture. It depends what you are trying to say.

She got into the last three again last night, with her cartoonish painting of Mary Berry. Honestly.!!!

I've just caught up on the programme today. I liked the one on aluminium board, but one of the finalists was very wooden.

gall

Wyllow3. Have you not noticed that some of the contestants hardly raise their head to look at the model. The boy who does the drawing has his nose about 2 inches from his work, and he never looks up. He is drawing from his phone.

Having watched the semi final it seems to me that the judges might have regretted some of their choices. There were some very disappointing portraits but I think the best 3 went through to the final.

All electronic devices should be banned. End of.

JamesandJon33

*Wyllow3*. Have you not noticed that some of the contestants hardly raise their head to look at the model. The boy who does the drawing has his nose about 2 inches from his work, and he never looks up. He is drawing from his phone.

I definitely dont approve of that. Its not just lazy, its missing the point altogether.

Despite not knowing much about art, much to my surprise, I picked the winning three.

MollyNew

Having watched the semi final it seems to me that the judges might have regretted some of their choices. There were some very disappointing portraits but I think the best 3 went through to the final.

Thankfully the best three got through At least two of the others were dire! And yet I thought that standard, in general, had been pretty good this year. It’s just that the judges seemed determined to choose the worst ones. I feel sorry for the sitters having to try to say nice things about revolting caricatures of themselves.

I sat and watched it this afternoon and yes, I also think the best three went through. Sadly some of the artists had a bad day at the office, but it happens. I do a bit of portraiture, I do it very badly, have a pretty rubbish technique but I do at least try to ensure my painting is recognisable as the subject. Some today, definitely missed the mark.

One of the finalists showed her painting on instagram after she’d spent an extra hour and a half on it and it’s lovely ( it’s the one that was a great painting of the dog but Mary’s face looked a bit unfinished). I’ll try to find a way of showing it on here.

This is it…

I think they commented that the dog was a better likeness than MB!