I just saw a full episode of his show. The fuck? I’m not a painter but I’ve seen my mom paint all my life.

This motherfucker just did in 15 minutes what would take her weeks. Like???

And he did it while talking, in clean fucking strokes. So fucking fast. I saw a literal masterpiece being created in fifteen minutes from nothing. From nothing. It was a blank fucking canvas, man.

I knew of Bob Ross, but I’d never actually seen him paint. Goddamn. How did actual artists react to him? Like, how do you not feel just thoroughly outclassed.

All while this mofo is saying how easy all that he’s doing is while I know for a fact how hard it is. Like, is he just gaslighting everyone?

  • Frivolous_Beatnik [comrade/them, any]
    ·
    22 hours ago

    reinforcing realism as the only way of creating art

    I see this as the big problem. I don't think there is anything wrong with not seeking to significantly advance one's personal artistic skill or vision beyond a plateau, but Ross did contribute to the current orthodoxy of photorealism being the highest aspiration of an artist. Unintentionally of course, but the compound effect is there. As a hobbyist artist, I often struggle with trying to escape this mindset thanks to the prevailing cultural pressure that comes from corporate and profit driven motives to create, but I can't personally fault a Bob Ross type for enjoying remaining in certain niches (he certainly had more technical skill than I, so I figure I shouldn't judge on that aspect at least.)

    some asshole wearing a Bob Ross shirt walks into your class and says "Picasso paints like shit."

    Not every artist has the dedication or inclination to create works like Michelangelo or Picasso and that's alright IMO, but we hate to see something like this happen lol