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It's easier for most people to focus on the negative than the positive. That's why someone can have a great day overall but one negative interaction and that's all they remember. Guess that's human nature. 🤷♀
It’s insane right? Dude collectively has around 40 million followers, people absolutely love his content for its wholesomeness, his network is probably fucking nuts, and yet he STILL has the balls to have a meltdown because he read a hardly harmful article about him whereas the worst thing the writer said was that a hand he painted looked like a rotisserie chicken. [Edit] I stand corrected, it’s apparently around 50 MILLION.
I think being unimpressed hurts them more than not liking it. They could at least say "oh you're just a hater" then, they're ready for that. Being unimpressed just deflates them and it's totally unexpected.
Art critic - "You're very technically skilled, I just prefer personally prefer art with some spice to it. You're a good, talented person, I can see you going far!" Devon - "HE'S HARRASSING AND GATEKEEPING ME"
Exactly. When Ben said "Despite being the most famous artist right, now no one I know has heard of him" I don't think he was throwing shade. I think it was him saying that its a remarkable phenomenon for an artist to become famous when the art world is unaware of him. Devon is highly skilled at painting but there are many people out there who have mastered photorealism. There is a formula to it (hence him teaching tutorials online) which is why it's not very noticeable to the art world. Art involves creating some unique and full of feeling - being able to replicate reality is impressive, but lacks raw creativity.
Claiming harassment and gatekeeping when Devon actually harassed him with the pissed off message and constant tags, not to mention straight up sending his followers on him when he told them to go to his page for the follow he supposedly wanted is beyond nasty. I can't believe this guy has a platform off of his supposed good vibes; anyone with such a hateful reaction like that has got to be faking those "vibes"
I think the fact that an actual art critic tried multiple times to get into his exhibit and then gave him an honest and gentle critique is a massive compliment from the art community. Like you said it’s the opposite of gatekeepy. The fact that Devon missed that intention shows how little experience he has really. He is more influencer than professional artist unfortunately
Exactly. Unfortunately, many internet personalities thrive on drama as part of keeping themselves trending; and many artists nowadays face so much unnecessary bs that they've taken to demonizing any and all criticism. The result is internet personalities that are oversensitive and constantly looking to energize their community by manufacturing antagonists for them to dog-pile on.
@gen_li7725 I wouldn’t call it gentle. It was underhandedly harsh. He basically accused Rodriquez of being a rip-off of his art teacher. That’s tearing down everything he does and saying he has no creativity.
devon defense squad out in force, hope y'all don't choke on the boot you're fellating. ♥ my man the critic was absolutely gracious and inclusive, devon is so pathetically thinskinned not to see that. having millions of people who do enjoy his work and losing his shit at literally one person saying "there is merit here, but this is not for me" like bro. BRO. but yeah, devon is not creative. he has huge technical skill, no doubt, but art is interpreting and using your own voice and the man has nothing to say.
art major here. i used to paint realistically until one of my professors told me it was a waste of my time because i should’ve just submitted a photograph instead. in the moment, absolutely devastating. cried in the bathroom lol. but retrospectively so helpful for my overall trajectory. when sticking to a reference photo 100%, it’s not uniquely your own artistic voice anymore. take liberties!
that was how I felt about his art. I lived his story and his "quick way" of drawing a realistic picture. I then thought his art was very boring. It was like looking at photographs.
ps..I could see him working on painting murals. Nothing more. It is not like seeing the picture "scream" which has an effect on a person and it is something you think about over and over.
I had the same exact experience and guess what happened? I began to develop my own style and a more expressive painterly style and people really like it. I now illustrate children’s books for a living 😀
@@patrickmcpartland1398 You have a bit of a literacy problem, so allow me to help you. The original commenter is not saying that Devon is not good enough for art school, or that he needs to go to art school. He's saying that part of going to school for art is critique, and this professional critic was more gracious than any art school teacher would ever have the time of day to be.
It's really wild how Devon keeps complaining about being gatekept, when getting a professional review in a traditional art publication is the opposite of gatekeeping, it's him being included in the same critical conversation as "traditional" artists.
Getting a critique by any publication with the kind of art world visibility that Artnet has would be life-changing, even if the article isn't super-glowing. Ben Davis acknowledged that he has talent, it just isn't the type of work he prefers. That's totally valid and if Devon would spend less time being a brat and more time taking some of the content of the review to heart, D'Angelo wouldn't have made this video and we wouldn't be having this discourse about this guy having an unwarranted fit.
Hes basically made it in life from humble beginnings. All that hardwork, clout and money yet the light criticism was just too much . Weird that he reacted this badly to it
Yaaa, I mean considering he picked the only art "style" you can really teach and seems to have focused on technical skills more than anything else, I can't say I'm surprised. Most of us do art because we love it and it shows in our work. It just feels a little soulless. His attitude is really disappointing too.
The "What if he was your son" comment hit me. My dad was brutally honest with all my work, both art and writing. I KNEW I could count on him to tell me if it was bad. That was a HUGE help to my growth as a writer and artist. I needed that. And when I did something he liked, if felt much better knowing that it came from a place of honesty.
He taught you how to take constructive criticism.. it really isn’t‘personal’.. it’s about the work - so if u can detach n learn to take in the insights, you will grow.. guaranteed!
I've seen the video of the Dad on the floor laughing at how badly his kid drew his Mom, while the Mom tries to reassure the kid that the drawing is okay. And I can't decide if that's teaching the kid to accept constructive criticism, or enough emotional trauma to quit art altogether. "Everyone needs my criticism!" often turns into "I get to fart in your face and you need to be grateful!" God knows I've had those kind of moments. You can critique my art, but I get to label your critique as stupid as fuck in return.
I disagree. It is not to say that being honest is bad, but at the end of the day, the criticism was HIS opinion, regardless of what the art looked liked. UNLESS it was objectively bad.
@@DarkMatter2525 wow I didn’t expect to find you in the comments! While I ah ent been watching your content lately to avoid thinking about stressful things, I watched your content religiously, pun intended, years ago and found it really entertaining. If this is actually you of course and not a fan using your title and profile. If it is it’s still nice to see another fan around lol
The amount of almost tearing up and powering through talking with the proffesors whos ripping through your artwork is a required thing for every art student.
He went to the High School of Art & Design in NYC, that school taught Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs and many comic book artists from DC. I recently graduated from there as a film major, and I will say many people skip out on college or more formal training because the school teaches us that we are better than everyone else. Many of his paintings he did in high school are up in the hallways and are arguably very, very good work for a high schooler; however, it seems like his work hasn't evolved much since then. Do with that what you will I guess.
I would just like to add, of course, he is talented; however, I would've liked to see something less formulaic than painting in a photographic style, which is something he has been doing since his departure from the graffiti scene and more of something that provokes thought using his insane talent. It's mind-boggling to me that he is this sensitive to criticism even now, but it doesn't surprise me, given my experience at his former high school. I kinda sounded like I was hating for a second, so I thought I would clarify.
@@MrAmazingAwesomeness based on my mediocre googling skills: the average US art critic annually make about less than 1/4 of a doctor's, just over half as much than an average lawyer - and also over half as much than a hedge fund manager's LOWEST salary. Art critics do, however, make almost as much as a manager at McDonald's, it seems. Do correct me if I'm wrong though :)
Why is it always the influencers who make being a 'good person' and 'positive vibes' part of their character and platform end up being some of the most vile individuals? Like how can you sit there and be like 'KYS... anyways love and light guys, don't let the haters win. Oh and don't forget to send death threats to everyone who disagrees with me.' Like the cognitive dissonance to not see that as hypocritical is actually scary.
This is also the most toxic people in real life actually. It’s so important for them to be good on social media when they are absolute idiots in real life.
Haha this guy Devon came after me because my buddy and I talked a bit of shit about him on our podcast, maybe 10 minutes of a 2 hour show. Mostly about how the videos are obviously staged. He went off on us! Not only that but he made it a point to DM us both every time his career hit some new milestone and how he was dunking on us haters. We eventually both had to block him.
@@ughustI agree. Completely insecure to the point that I would feel sorry for him if he didn't act like a sociopath stalking people and hoping millions of people bully others on his behalf.
as an art history major, i can tell you the critic was just such a nice guy, his critique was great and nice, most art critics are nasty when talking about non traditional artists like Devon (edit: for those confused i mean non traditional artist about the way he uses internet to promote his art. if i say he’s not a traditional artist, i mean it with having in mind the way art spheres work and the gatekeeping. he’s a very traditional artist when talking about his art work)
Lol same, I also studied art history and the dude was downright cordial. I have read some absolutely devastating critiques and this was nowhere near any of those. I think I’ve probably meaner in essays that I’ve written.
yeah i just channeled a crit session from _literally_ 20 years ago and started to go off, like his art is not his sketches, they're technically brilliant but utterly artless. d'angelo nailed it, he paints like an iphone takes photos. his art, or his "content" or whatever is entirely in the moment he creates with the drawing. just get a little portable photo printer and save everyone some time since you're already faking the moment and faking the entire like, "just trying to brighten someone's day" asp- ah goddammit i just did it again
Yes... I'm an art student, and it seems to be an international sport for art teachers to say the nastiest things about your works everytime. It's very discouraging. This critic was nice compared to this, I would feel better about my work if more teachers criticized my work like this. Like it was a great critic
He lost me when he decided to use his 50 million followers as free labor to harass someone he doesn't like. Never like this sort of cult personality who treats their fans like their free personal army.
Thanks D’Angelo! As a colleague and friend of Ben’s, I was shocked that such a gentle review garnered Swiftie level attacks, and that Devon’s representation of UTA was cheering him on behind the scenes. It’s obscene and thin-skinned. This is a fantastic run-down. Appreciate you!!
The artist could have spun this into gold by painting an actual “rotisserie chicken hand” and gifted it to the art critic or sold copies of that. My elementary school gave marks on categories such as “takes criticism well”, a category I used to get negatives on because I would cry when criticized. But I grew up and developed into a realistic, emotionally mature adult. Devon, you should have used this as an example to your followers of how to handle criticism of all kinds in life. 💕🐝💕
The hand immediately reminded me of Mad magazine. It's giving Al Jaffee. But, without the humor and originality, it manages to be more a lot more dull.
if i received that criticism on my art, i'd go "dang u right, thanks for the input" then paint a rotisserie chicken and title it "the hand." then probably obsess over getting my hands to look better on my own 💀
You mentioned that the art critic treated him just like every other artist. I personally believe that the art critic was incredibly gentle due to the artists lack of experience with profesional critiques. I think any other artist would have gotten more "non positive" comments. Homie got the kid gloves and still couldn't take it.
@@cheeseboogar and they still spent a couple of weeks trying to devour him… luckily for him the average attention span won’t let most people focus their aggravation any longer… 🙄
Honestly, I think his art style kind of reflects his aversion to criticism - by making it so photo-realistic he’s kind of taking away a lot of the aspects of art that are subjective. If I drew something so well it looks like a photo, it’s going to generate a lot more basic, positive responses than if it was something more stylized. Hopefully I’m making sense here.
Yeah, completely. He can't understand anyone criticizing his work because since it's realistic then it's good right? He can only comprehend "neutral" appreciation of his work, like is it technically well drawn or not. He has no actual artistic intention.
It's the difference between a Monet and a cat photo on Facebook. If the most you get from an audience is "aw, that's nice", you're doing something wrong as an artist. Unless you're a commercial illustrator you want your audience to experience something deeper than "nice work". He's technically skilled when it comes to perceiving details, establishing proportions and then applying that to paper, but so are literally millions of art students all around the world. He's just doing what all students do, but he's delivering it to an audience who don't know better on a social media platform designed to build an audience of those young people. If you showed his audience the painting by James Harrington featured in this video they wouldn't understand it, because it doesn't look "accurate" or it's not of a famous person, or the artist isn't famous on TikTok.
Yeah, it also doesn't help that most people aren't really versed in art, technique, and critique, so they see a painting and think, that looks real, so it's impressive. Which, sure, photo realism is impressive, but other styles are also, or more, impressive. These are often the same people who look at anything that isn't realism and say "my child could draw that" or something similar. So he naturally draws in the people who don't look critically at art. (and to be clear, it's fine if you prefer realism, or if you don't know much about art or art critique, you can just like something because you think it looks cool or pretty or impressive, you don't have to critically examine everything all the time, but then you also need to let people who do look at art critically do their job)
That makes perfect sense. He’s covering any aspect of potential style up with photorealism. If it’s a perfect rendition, it’s reduced to “is it technically done well or not?” and there’s no room for anything else.
I actually went to highschool with Devon and we had the same AP illustration class for junior and senior year. He was seen as someone who had a lot of skill and no one ever really critiqued him. This weirdly brings back a memory of having one conversation with him and he was saying something to the effect of being confident and conceited are the same thing and couldn’t be convinced otherwise. I never spoke to him again after. This video is an interesting trip down memory lane but doesn’t surprise me about Devon. Side Note: Drawing people on the subway was a consistent class assignment Mr. Harrington gave us. I love how he took that idea and ran with it…Mr. Harrington would also stress how the hands are second to the face when it comes to expression and focus points in a painting so I’m surprised he didnt finish the hand. AP illustration 101
I went to A&D back in the day and STRUGGLED with hands! After a while I just hid them behind the model in the illustration lol (I was a fashion illustration major). Did you have Mr. Pakter? I wonder if he's still around.
Very interesting because in my high school I had art with a girl who did equally good realism and she was so hard on herself I spoke to her once about how lucky she was and she just went on about how she wished she could think up of ideas instead of working from reference. Same skills but entirely different mindsets
'idk how to explain this to you, Devon, but, Ben has a job.' took me out 😂😂😂😂😂 Big up Ben for being an art critic without sitting on a high horse and writing insufferably. 🎉
I honestly wouldn’t have been upset if he went harder at his paintings-his art, and what’s interesting about it, is the whole social media aspect. The paintings themselves (not the art itself, since that would include the videos) is skillful but uninteresting.
Or backing up, or lashing out in response to the hate and vitriol. He’s aware of the changing times esp in relation to his field, trying to encourage others to take seriously artists who gained their fame unconventionally, and had the maturity not to respond emotionally to the slander and ignorance, instead responding levelheadedly and looking beyond the tantrum to the changing culture overall. Those captions from the artist was seriously embarrassing to read, especially knowing the worst criticism he got was that his series is “strikingly similar” to his mentor’s who did it more expressively, and that one hand looked kind of rotisserie chicken-like, which, as someone who draws hands like a spiders legs, I couldn’t help but to agree with.
If anything, Ben didn't 'gatekeep' him out of the traditional art scene, he took the exhibition seriously and treated the artist as equal to any other by choosing to honestly review him and discuss his pieces and the context in which they exist
Quite literally the opposite of gatekeeping. And on top of that he did so in a manner that a father would playfully wrestle with their teenage son -- with the kid gloves on not going full-strength. Devon still managed to have an emotional breakdown.
exactly! i feel like gatekeeping is one of those words that has been taken beyond its original meaning, but it’s literally a term used in journalism to describe the decisions reporters and editors have to make about what stories to cover. in having a review written about him, devon is specifically NOT being gatekept here! this publication clearly decided his exhibition was newsworthy enough to warrant criticism! devon should have been proud of himself but here he is…
Two things: one, I guarantee this dude dropped out of art school because he hated crit sessions. And two, this just proves to me that success as an artist is 90% PR and Marketing and 10% skill. He created feel good content and it blew up on social media, but without it he would have been relegated to obscurity along with thousands of other artists who specialize in photo realism.
Tbf success in art has always been like that, and when you've reached that point your art can even stagnate and even drop in quality and people would still buy it (i'm looking at you Sakimi-chan)
Well, to be fair, even in art school you learn that outside of skill, for making a career out of it, you have to be very good at marketing and market your work.
If you want to validate your opinion more look up "most expensive art sold". In my opinion, it's all crap. Art is subjective, but a blue square being sold for millions is wild to me.
Absolutely. I was just ab to come here to say that I didn’t know how he was in art school and he’s not familiar with critiques. You have to learn as an artist how to take constructive criticism and get better or you’re not built for this work lol
As an amateur writer, I've been told in critiques that: a plot point, or indeed an entire plot, didn't make sense; characters were unlikable; I needed to study more geography; I should read some specific work; I was executing a trope badly; my wording was confusing; I misused an analogy; so many bad scene transitions; incorrect tenses; run-on sentences; inserting personal opinion as meta-narrative; etc. The list goes on. IF you have to respond, the *only* thing you should say to criticism is, "Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. I appreciate your feedback, and I'll take your suggestions into consideration." That's it. That's all.
This reminds me of how Gabbie Hannah reacted to a poetry review Rachel Oates did of her poetry book. This is what happens when entitled influencers go into traditional art spaces. The review by Ben was so nice, Devon’s reaction to it was beyond childish, embarrassing and disgusting.
“I hope i taught you that today” is INSANE. That man’s ego is off the charts, honestly so gross. Seems like even with 7 million followers, money, and fame still doesn’t ‘cure’ someone from being a loser. Jesus
I think a lot of folks who become influencers are very insecure and do it to seek validation tbh oh and no social skills. that's why they have to spend all their time farming clout on social media
That was an EXTREMELY MILD criticism, and he completely flew off the handle. Having skin that thin and wanting to be taken seriously as an artist is kind of ridiculous
Agree. Being an 'influencer' artist is basically having a bunch of yes-men constantly showering you with praise. Any critique is seen as 'hate' and immediately shut down by fans. I always say popularity and fame amplifies a person's true nature. If someone's naturally grounded and humble, those qualities will be tested and usually, strengthened. If they're self-absorbed and entitled, fame will make that 100x worse.
Seriously 😂 my art teacher from middleschool was waaaay more harsh than this critic and my highschool art class had critiques with more sass and spice than the one devon got thrown around
My uncle is an art critic and curator at The Met (going to skip saying what division aside from it being painting so his name is protected, but he's given private tours of his exhibitions to heads of state, Madonna, and even Michael Jackson back in the day), and good lord... if he was the one to write an article on this guy, I promise it would be far more scathing than this. Honestly the most surprising thing is not an influencer acting childish, it's that an art critique was so damn neutral and kind to the artist behind the work. Everyone has their preferences, but at the end of the day, the people working in the art industry are doing it because they love art, not to burn young artists at the stake. The toughest critiques that still uplift the artist are also usually aimed at the people art critics genuinely want to see improve and believe that they can. We NEED criticism in this world. People need to stop acting like a critique is hating on something, because if you keep pushing that agenda, you are going to have to swallow a lot of mediocrity down the road.
This guy is showing this is all about his inability to deal with his own feelings. Like, he's never learned proper coping mechanisms or he's just narcissistic. I'm leaning towards the latter because I think his behavior is sociopathic. Who wants millions of people attacking someone over critique that wasn't even bad?
@@Nikybeez He definitely won't make it as a real world artist with that attitude. I'm genuinely surprised that he wasn't coached more by his management... or maybe he just didn't care or listen. He either needs to stick to his niche of just making quick art videos online or seriously grow a pair. The art world isn't easy, and if he acted this way over one mild review, he will never be able to scale up. The more critics that see your work, the higher the chances that someone will write an actually bad review. If you can't take suggestions or constructive criticism, it's just not the industry for you. And it's always sad to see people with large followings sic their followers on someone like a bunch of attack dogs.
@@maryinsanfrancisco I suppose, to that end, throwing the tantrum to end all tantrums to get that review more noticed is a very generous way to look at what happened. I mean, it's not what happened, the dude threw a giant baby tantrum, but you COULD say he was just amplifying his recognition by pushing a narrative. Interesting.
for a moment there i thought it was the review author that made that post because of the words LOL. but then i reailzed it was the artist who had fully misread what was going on
It's not even shocking to me at this point, lol. It's always the so-called "nicest" people who end up being the meanest losers who will make your life hell. They will also sick their followers (aka their ass kissers) to harass and stalk you if you dare to call them out on their cruelty. 😑
“..love will always outshine hate..” says the guy whose legions of followers, apparently with his blessing, engaged in a campaign of hate against a guy for doing his job. Dude, what? “I hope I taught you that today”? Nope, swing and a miss bud.
I’m in a college class that’s teaching us how to write criticism and this is THE nicest critique I have seen so far. I’ve never seen a critic that went out of their way to clarify “he seems like a nice guy.” Kudos to him for doing that but he did not have to! Rodrigo you are so lucky
you have classes in the US that teaches you how to write criticism? dang, that's good (/gen). What's it like? I have a journalism and communications degree and never learnt that except some basic negotiation skills.
@@SisselSasha I'm sure that they're referring to a college course or private school. Every truly useful class I've ever taken has been one I had to pay for (even community college costs about $1,500 per class not including books). Public schools here don't teach *basic* skills and it's caused so much damage to our society. Trust me our educational system is nothing to envy.
@@annjepsen1621 ooooh yeah totally I don’t envy the US public school system, especially before college. The only thing I kinda envied is the possibility to choose your classes depending on ability and also the fact that I feel creative stuff is more… accepted and encouraged in the US than in my country (France). And also the focus on extracurricular activities like clubs and sports! But at least one advantage is that even for private schools/colleges in the US there’s a lot of choice (given the fact that you have the money for it, which is another problem in itself) whereas here you have to go to Paris or really really good (expensive) schools (limited selection) thus have really good grades to get a degree different from your peers. Don’t get me wrong free college is great -even though some buildings are super old, decrepit, moldy and students shouldn’t be studying in such an environment- I’m glad so many people can get masters’ degrees; but then the problem is that there’s too many people with degrees but no corresponding job. Then degrees don’t mean anything anymore; but I mean it’s also an issue in the US but with debt included so we’re still faring better I suppose. Sorry for the rant lol but yeah there’s pros and cons in both systems but you’re right free college for all is still amazingly better than paying $1,500/class imo. I’m sorry. Come to France it’s nice and we love American people you’ll be popular? /j *Edit:* I’m so sorry for the stupidly long rant I’m really passionate about education 😭
@@SisselSasha i don't know if this is the case for the original comment, but it might be a college art class, as I have a friend that majored in visual art and quite a few of her classes had learning how to write critiques baked into them as an essential part of the curriculum.
@@sydmm-ui8hm it’s super interesting, so your friend was in college art class but she also learnt how to write critiques, not just how to deal with them? So it’s like her college taught her how to create art but also how to view others’ (and her own!) artwork critically. That’s a great teaching method, both for future artists and future art critics- essentially be in each others’ shoes. I hope she learnt some useful stuff and classes were interesting! Some schools should take notes lol
As a young adult trying to get into art, this writer was incredible at being both supportive, but fair in his critiques of the work. Part of why it took me so long to even try getting into art was because I was (and still kind of am) afraid of the critic culture around art. This dude felt like a breath of fresh air and I would be honoured to recieve such a kindly worded critique with actual insight into what you should do to improve. If every art critic was like him I would've started learning art YEARS ago. I cannot believe this dude's reaction to such a kind-hearted and generally positive critique of his work???? Definitely a reveal of true character in my opinion. I hope that one day he, too, looks back on this incident and cringes.
Exactly my thoughts! As an artists, I'd be honored to get reviewed by someone as thoughtful and polite as Ben Davis. The reaction doesn't make sense anywhere outside the world of social media, and I would argue that it's too babyish and cringey even judged by social media "celebrities" etiquette. It's just immature and absolutely disproportionate to what's been said in the article.
Agreed tho I will say, as an artist who likes drawing for fun, I would be incredibly irritated to receive unasked for criticism, but as far as that goes, this dude definitely tried to be nice about it and he didn’t deserve the response Rodriguez gave, and really if ur gonna make an exhibit ur basically giving permission to critique, people need to learn to block and ignore fr
I highly recommend the book How to Write About Contemporary Art even if you yourself don't end up writing about art. That will give you a good idea of what's written in earnest and what's just fluff.
@@MayvaAva Yeah, really feel what you said about an exhibition basically being permission to critique. I don't understand artists who desperately want to show off their work to other people but don't want to hear what other people think about it. They just use people as compliment machines instead of as people who have their individual thoughts and reactions to work.
@MayvaAva Idk as long as the complaint is a genuine criticism and not just a misunderstanding of what you're going for I think it can be helpful, bashing intentional parts of someone's style is goofy but simple things like shadow and shading corrections, colors, and non style related proportions are useful
I am an art dealer / cultural producer in this "rarified world," and I am all about working with young people and keeping it all transparent and very very real. Let me tell you 1) the art market is desperate for good work by underrepresented groups. This is the least gate-keepy time in contemporary art history, by miles and miles. 2) I think Ben Davis was really talking about social media and para-social engagement as engines of culture, and that is incredibly smart and brave to take on. This was a great bit of content. Thanks!
The truth is the difference between TikTok artists and actual fine artists is that TikTok artists are constantly validated by their influx of views and followers and are basically in a bubble. The fine art world on the other hand is cut throat and brutal. If he wanted to break into fine art like that he’d have to go through the process of critiques, networking, rejection etc. and he’d have a thicker skin. But he’s a social media influencer first.
This 1000%. This whole tantrum is really emblematic of “not living in the real world.” I cannot think of any profession that does not get critiqued. Of course art is slightly different because they are critiqued publicly, but I’m pretty sure everyone, regardless of their job, has a supervisor, a licensing board, benefactors, just somebody that they answer to where their work gets feedback.
@@Usagi393 Even if they're on their own and self-promoting, they still often have to apply or compete with other artists to get into a gallery or exhibition. Some artists are invited via networking, but usually starting out, artists already get feedback just trying to get a foot in the door!
It’s crazy to me because I’m an artist but foremost a musician and it’s the exact same in the music sphere. So many people who are on social media delusional or nepo babies in their bubbles only getting positive engagement, they don’t understand how to handle any kind of criticism and grow from it they consider anything other than praise to be hate. This black and white thinking is prevalent in probably all creative fields because they take their art so personally. I don’t know how these people make it this far without having the critical thinking to differentiate constructive criticism from hate but you’re exactly right, those are skills you develop and learn through university or through working, it’s an entirely different sphere online
additionally, social media artists (and other creators) often receive more unfounded hate than legitimate criticism, which helps feed into the idea that anyone who comments anything but overwhelming praise on their work couldn't possibly have legitimate criticism
@@laurencarlson1235don’t worry about that comment, it’s a new comment trend people do to get likes and attention. it’s not serious, I’ve seen like a thousand other comments exactly like this lol
As an artist, this critic went about this art nicely. Also, i didn't even know "the subway artist's" name until this video. What a toxic example for a starving artist turned successful. Breaks my heart.
“Love will always outshine hate. I hope I taught you that lesson.” Ah yes, the overwhelming love of death threats and getting one fired. Really showed him what love is.
@canislupus4655 He was referring to the live he spreads with his art. I’ve seen his videos and I know the reason why he has so many followers us because he makes people feel good. That’s how he spreads love. This art critic tried to tear all that down with his long article about how Devon’s art isn’t original and not that good. That’s hate. Ben is a typical hater operating under the guise of being an art critic.
@@kuno6443 It’s great that he spreads love through his videos. But that does not mean he hasn’t spread hate has well. The two are not mutually exclusive. Even IF Ben was being hateful Devon did not respond appropriately. But considering the responses you’ve left on other comments I don’t think you care about that. I’m happy Devon has brought you joy but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t in the wrong here.
I'm so tired of people immediately calling everybody with an opinion "hater", then preaching about spreading love while actively sending their fanbase to harrass somebody. It's also still ironic that any time something like this happens, the fanbase thinks that somebody's simple opinion is somehow way worse than telling somebody to literally kill themself.
I find it so interesting how it's no longer acceptable to enjoy something while also having critiques. You have to just accept even the flaws as the best thing ever. It's disrespectful to both the fans and the creators.
I am an illustrator who follows almost exclusively artists on social media, and I’ve never heard of him. People constantly forget that what’s happening online is not what’s happening in real life. I’ve also never heard of an artist with such unbearably thin skin. that was the MOST innocuous critique of an artist I’ve ever heard, it was barely a critique at all. It’s always an opinion, but photorealistic art is not for everyone, especially an art critic that spends his days looking at far more unique and expressive and I’m sorry but probably more creative artists. I think deep down Rodriguez knows this, and has a massive chip on his shoulder about it. Dude, you did what the majority of artists can’t do, make money and get acclaim. Laugh your way to the bank and don’t blow up your career over the kindest critic who has crossed your path.
What’s funny is, he strikes me as the kind of artist for whom the vast majority of followers are not artists themselves. I, as an artist, do not see the appeal of his work. When I look for artists to follow, I look for fun and intriguing styles and techniques, things that involve actual creativity, things that I don’t really see in Devon’s work. With him, the whole appeal is the “drawing people on subways and surprising them with the finished picture”, not the actual art itself. His work is geared towards dopamine hits, not the admiration of something thought provoking and/or beautiful
Photorealistic art is amazing the first time you come across it, but it quickly starts to lose its appeal if there's nothing more meaningful behind it. I guess the framing of his videos adds the "something more" with the story of the random subway encounter -- but that story isn't going to be for everyone, either.
I was on deviantart like 12 years ago and let me tell you the criticism I got on there from other kids and teens was a million times more scathing than this critique. Crazy how insecure he is about such a tame article
Yup. K am not a fan of photorealistic work either, I've always found it more as a skill demonstration than true expression. The logical path would be to master photorealism and then start experimenting instead of getting stuck on it. But then the type of art I make is not everybody's cuppa either. And you just deal with it, i stead of doing what that dude did.
bro I remember him as the guy who gave Robert De Niro a drawing… he reacted rather neutrally and Devon’s fans called him grumpy and a rotten old man, or giving reasons why he might’ve react that way (like ‘oh old people can get surprised when they see how people see them’ or ‘he has mental issues’) that was when I realized him and his fans are really cringe. as a gen z, I think people these days believe that they deserve the world. but in reality people react differently to things (especially those of the silent generation) and people don’t owe you praise.
As an artist, I try my best to take criticism as constructive and not as someone bashing me for the sake of it. I'm no where near this persons level, and I can understand taking pride in your work. However, sending your audience to attack someone who did their job by lightly critiquing your work is absurd
So many artists smell their own farts and have a ego problem. I do art and stuff. A little bit of everything. I've met too many people who act like their gods. It's weird.
It seems like people are getting worse and worse with separating what they do from who they are, so when their work gets critiqued it feels like a personal attack. Which is a wild way to live, imagine if, for example, restaurants didn't take any feedback into account when evaluating their businesses.
I’m no expert but this is why everyone needs a healthy dose of pessimism. Not enough to beat yourself down, but the right amount to avoid impossibly high expectations that will inevitably be let down.
@@Narangarath I mean. Hans Christen Anderson did lay face down on the floor for a while after his work was torn into Artists have always been a sensitive sort. However we should go back to melodramatic responses of laying face down on the floor for a while instead of sending people to harass a person online
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 For sure the relationships between some artists and critics have always been contentious and artists can be ludicrously dramatic divas, but I don't think it's ever been really thought of as typical (stereotypes aren't exactly the gospel truth) or particularly appropriate behavior. That's why you know about Anderson having a temper tantrum all this time later, it was noteworthy because people thought the behavior was ridiculous.
I think Devon even having an exhibition was a mistake. I don’t personally find his art or account super interesting but I can appreciate the form of his videos. The art is not the picture, but the act of drawing the picture, handing it to the subject and capturing their reaction. I’s uncomfortable, superficial and awkward, this clean cut format that lacks genuine creativity that is where the artistic value is- A piece on the easy consumption and production of art within the lense of social media. Remove the camera and the video and you lose the art… hence why the exhibition imo didn’t work. Shame about the whole issue, he had real potential.
That dudes high school art teacher deserves more cred. That subway painting was phenomenal. Its wild that that dude isn’t the one getting the shows and having to live off of a teachers salary while a student who bit his style gets to be financially set for life because of his objectively well done, but also milk toast feel good portraits. Especially going out of his way to fake the interaction and film it from different angles, print out the photo, edit it into the video and STILL have people think it’s an amazing unsolicited act of kindness. Devon the type of guy to throw a tantrum over getting “sorry’d” in a game of Sorry.
This is so sweet to hear from a stranger considering ive been thinking of the same thing for the past 4 years. I went to Hs of Art And Design as well and Mr.Harrington was also my teacher. It always made me upset to see a white haired man lecturing teenagers to hand in their paintings haha. I learned from the best. I wish him the best, i hope he gets the recognition he deserves from this!
Definitely insecurity and/or trauma. I say that as someone who probably would react like that because of insecurity and trauma. Thankfully I'm enough in therapy I'd learn to lose my shit in silence lmao. But in my case at least, it's a "out of control" issue. If I think I'm shit, myself already that's fine. If someone I don't know and have zero control over their perception of me thinks I'm shit (even if I don't think ben ever did here), I feel I've got to do something about it. Either plead with them, gain their affection, go on the defense/offense, overjustify myself. Lots of weird coping reaction that will always make things worse than just leaving it alone x). Dude needs the self-awareness to realize he hasn't coped with some shit tho, because people's perception of you and your art being out of your control and potentially "unfair" is literally unavoidable as an artist especially at his scale of public attention.
Ben is a Art critic. Since he’s an art critic I expected more criticism but he barely criticized it. He probably went to bed and had a good sleep that night and then woke to a new day and people telling him to kill himself for saying a hand on a drawing looked weird.
It wasn't even that the hand looked weird necessarily, but how central and eye catching that hand was 😂 He's right that it's super prominent and draws the eye, it was totally fair to point that out imo
As a multimedia artist, Ben is 10x nicer than some of the professors I had. My Branding professor looked at the presentation I’ve worked on for 3 days (all nighter) and told me to just drop out of his classes because I do not belong there. And I only had the courage to stop my tears during consultations before I bawled my eyes out back to my dormitory. But that consultation pushed me harder to prove my professor he was wrong and look who passed his class and told me he was proud to witness my finals :D This artist guy’s (I forgot his name) technical skills are splendid but his openness to criticism sucks, and that takes half of who you are as an artist. He needs to grow a pair because if he’s working in the industry, his “peace and love, and no hate” won’t save his ass from years of gut-wrenching critiques. Because there are more brutal people than Ben and this article certainly isn’t the last thing he’ll hear about his work. I also find it ironic he labeled out Ben’s critique as “hate” when he had his followers send threatening bs to the guy. Like bffr.
Imagine making it clear that someone has SHATTERED your self-image with their opinion, and then having the nerve to say that they’re just a guy with an opinion that doesn’t matter. 😂
Great take D’Angelo. I think that Devon’s reaction shows his lack of experience in the art world. From the start at art school we’re prepared to be critiqued on every piece of work. Constantly RECEIVING criticism and GIVING our peers criticism in order to grow artistically and accept different perspectives with a cool head. Devon should definitely grow some tougher skin if he wants to be taken seriously by his peers. No artist is above critique.
@Naptural85 Agreed, 100%. Also lol I know this isn't the point of your comment but I'm a fan of yours and had no idea you went to art school! Makes sense though given the quality of your projects.
Yes, this!! I do think he will learn to have thicker skin. This is the exact type of reaction the most talented people in class would have in their first year art criticism segment. After a while you get used to it and appreciate it
EDIT: @notville_ edited their comment to copy and paste mine directly like some weirdo. no i dont know why. yes this is my comment i made hours after theirs, their comment said something different originally. Yeah in online spaces art critique is usually in poor taste considering random people on the internet might not have a lot of information and will give poor advice unsolicited, but in art school you learn how to give and receive critique. I only ever took art classes as electives but for museum studies we went to art galleries and exhibitions and had to critique those as well both as art installations and also the art in it at times. When you get big enough to get an exhibition, you are going to get the attention of art critics who are trained and skillful in their critique. In fact for many artists getting a prominent art critic to talk about their work seriously like this is a huge honor and a great learning opportunity and he raised a lot of good points Devon could use to develop his art more, and was actually very mild and kind. It was basically just "I want to see more variety and exploration from Devon" which is a lukewarm critique but Devon is acting like someone poured boiling water on him.
I'm thoroughly convinced that people who have these sorts of kneejerk reactions online (and sometimes in real life too, unfortunately): 1. Cannot read or analyze as well as they think they can 2. Are not emotionally mature to handle criticism 3. Are choosing to be ignorant and just want to react and complain for clout
I'm confused, did Devon really think his "art" exceeded anything than being a nice gimmick? Why did he create a flashy TikTok brand if not to make up for what his drawings are lacking. Does success really brainwash you that much that you even forget about your own intentions?
I like how ben focused on the behavior of the artist as opposed to personally atttacking him. One can debate character, but one cannot debate behavior.
I cannot think of something more validating of your art as a serious critique on an art publication. If that happened to me, I'd consider that I made it.
The wild part is that i feel like the article was largely positive. It had only good things to say about him personally, it said he was a talented technical painter, and this one is a bit more neutral but he said that the colors are very close to reality which maybe isnt very hard im not a painter i just know im bad with matching colors im not sure but i think the only negative things he said were about the hand and how the portraits were hyper realistic
It just goes to show he's more social media minded than he is art-centric, which seems to be typical of content creators his age these days. His lack of grace, humility, and maturity, as displayed in his response to Ben's critique, may cost him future endorsements and opportunities to showcase his talent because his fragile ego, lack of self control, and built mentality, which isn't welcome in the greater art space he's seeking to be part of. I hope he apologizes and grows up.
@@melaninmoxiellc963I hope he can grow emotionally, but I doubt it. At 27, his brain is fully formed. He is likely fully addicted to the likes and positive comments he gets on social media, and (I could be wrong, I don't know the guy) it seems that nothing else matters to him but the money.
Yeah, Devon really blew it as far as being taken seriously in the art world. Having that kind of meltdown that results in you encouraging your large online following to attack someone for mild critism not only looks bad but will also make other people not want to work with you in the future. Plus it shows that you're probably not going to grow as an artist.
A lot of us in my beginner art class bashed on ourselves because it didn't look "realistic" our professor told us not to strive for this realism because if we wanted an exact replica then we should just take a photo
And your professor is right. Hyper-realism has its place, but what differentiates it from a photograph should be something other than “I drew it”. Maybe it’s made out of an unconventional material that’s meaningful to the artwork, maybe the subject you chose is unique and has a story, maybe you captured something incredible like, idk, a car crash where one car is midair or something. Like, what makes good art is obviously subjective, and “it’s just pretty” *is* a valid reason to like/create artwork, but that’s not what these galleries are looking for and not what artists should strive for.
@@ellingtonfeint13 I think hyper realistic art is done because the artist really really enjoys the process to get there The slow careful planning, building up layer by layer. Etc. Almost like a meditation
Having the ability to replicate a picture is great, it’s amazing. Putting your own twist or creating something from scratch with your own style is amazing too. I think both are very valuable and I’m glad we have a wide spectrum of artists. It irks me that many artists bash hyper realism (I don’t do hyper realism myself). Cuz by that logic then, if I could just take a picture of something, I could just do a painterly portrait with AI… Art, especially painting, doesn’t exist to fill in a need. Drawing/painting is about visual expression, whether it is through strokes,lines, colors, subject matter, all of the above, etc
@@alliu6562 I don't see where you get to tell artists what they "should" strive for. If they want to strive for something that's just pretty, that's their right. They don't get to demand a spot in an art gallery that's geared toward something completely different, but they can create art for themselves and for clients who have the same sensibilities.
Unfortunately social media has led influencers to believe that they are the center of the universe and dont live in the real world with its regular professional setbacks.
The fact that Devon managed to get this big without ever being torn a new one proves he's been very sheltered in the art world. Criticism is many people's very first hurdle, and it's not a hurdle that goes away! Neither in art OR in real life. Criticism helps us reflect and improve through another person's perspective - and how valuable is that? Someone took time out of their day to write a review of something that's not necessarily their cup of tea, and they remained NICE about it. What a blessing that is! Criticism can really really suck to deal with if you've never been taught how to cope. When I was a very insecure and depressed 17 y/o, I applied for art school and their assessment destroyed me. It was unnecessarily harsh with NO words on how to improve. It wasn't until years later in college that I was taught how to healthily deal with criticism - a safe environment really helped me take the lessons to heart. As overly harsh as the art school assessment was, I am grateful for it. I know now not to stick my own self worth onto everything I create - I have a much better relationship with my creations now. They're not WHO I am or what I'm worth - art is a skill I wish to cultivate simply for myself, not to sell. I happily ask my friends if they've spotted anything worth improving on, and appreciate to the moon and back when they spot something. And as gentle and kind as my friends are, the art critic in the video was even GENTLER smh
I think you probably dodged a bullet with the art school then. A good artistic commuity seeks to build people up even if they can't find many positives about what they're critiquing. The goal is to help you keep improving, not destroy your love for the whole field. Glad you didn't give up.
I would argue that he isn’t even in the art world. It seems to me that he’s more like an influencer who has artistic talent than an artist in the contemporary art world. The main piece is the performance of finding someone, drawing them and getting that “wow!” Factor in TikToks. That whole process is his art, not the actual drawings themselves. When you put this into perspective, it makes so much more sense as to why the exhibit doesn’t work super well without knowing about his TikToks. If I saw the show and never saw his TikToks, I’d have similar criticism about him trying to grow into his voice as an artist rather than photo realism. The art world is tiny, and this whole debacle was also covered on the Art Angle ( an art net podcast), I wouldn’t be surprised if this negatively impacts him heavily in contemporary art circles. Art Net is huge after all.
Which on top of that the exhibit includes those TikToks as part of his introduction video, proving that without the actual art (the TikToks), he doesn’t have much that he’s saying.
I think learning about how to handle critiques are so important. Being able to identify critique that’s hateful Vs helpful is essential. We did the same thing in creative music classes at uni. It was hard to hear people tearing my work apart but I’d listen to the advice I was given, and took the parts that genuinely helped vs the critique that wasn’t helpful and just opinionated. Being able to understand the different between helpful and hateful critique is so important otherwise you’re just a lil bitch that cries about every piece of critique with no critical thinking and be offended over everything never improving yourself, I know because uni taught me how, before that I probably would’ve cried like this dude did all over the internet as well because I wouldn’t understand the difference. I think it’s an extremely important critical thinking skill that’s overlooked in schools.
"You're a man with an opinion, nothing more than that." His job title is "art critic" literally another term for that is "man with an opinion." And he never claimed to be anything more than that! Lol
Almost half way through. I can really see how this set up to play out. His art is extremely literal, which will impress people who aren't artisticly inclined. Nobody is going to see his work and think, well I could do that, like you get with a Jackson pollock or something really abstract, or a banana taped to a wall. But technical skill alone isn't going to impress an art critic. And if he listened to his fans too much, he could be taken by surprise over a level of criticism he isn't used to, possibly to the point of thinking it's a personal attack. On to the second half
Devon’s reaction reminds me of a quote I saw about social media: Bad comments will have you thinking you are much worse than you are; good comments will have you thinking you are much better than you are. He is firmly the latter
Damn, not even Devon is beyond public tantrums due to criticism. Art is subjective, not everyone will find your art to be amazing, and that’s fine. It doesn’t mean your art ISN’T amazing. Take it from from someone who has literally drawn since they were 4 years old.
Exactly. I heard it and it just seems like the critic just prefers paintings that, while being realistic, still can clearly be delineated as paint. That's just a preference. He acknowledges the technical skill. He didn't just bash him for an entire article did he? Did I miss the entire point?
I’m sure a 4 year old would be much more open to criticism thank Devon, when my siblings would say my Star Wars drawings weren’t right I just asked why and wanted to make em better cause I loved drawing clone troopers and didn’t understand what wasn’t right about it, so the criticism helped.
@@Abbywise32You didn’t miss the entire point, DEVON missed the entire point. There was hardly criticism if you ask me, he just said that his style was impressive, but lacked a bit of personality (which it is imo). Ben wasn’t calling Devon or his art trash, he simply said that he wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as Devon’s fan base. And mind you, this guy is an actual art critic, his job is to critique art, critique doesn’t equal bashing someone’s creativity/creations (which he didn’t even do), he just gave his honest opinion and it should’ve been left at that.
I used to be in the same art friend circle with Devon about 5 years ago. When I just moved to NY to start art school, I had a show in a small Vegan restaurant in East Village. First night we met as a group, we happened to be nearby and decided to stop by to look at my paintings, I also mostly do realistic portraits. As soon as we walked out, he pulled me aside and started lecturing me that HE is the future of art, not me, best young artist, listed all the publications that talked about him, etc. I was like mmm ok nice to meet you too? He could just say “cool paintings” or nothing at all and go on with the night, but instead needed to say all that. It was very out of nowhere and embarrassing for everyone. He also had a private instagram account where he would talk shit about his clients and followers, acting beyond disrespectful and leaking their info. I won’t go into details here, it was too bad. If Devon sees this, he’d think I’m a jealous hater, I’m fine with that. I’d rather have a smaller following but earn it with honest work and staying in touch with reality, not by staging my work process and personality. What happened with this article is not surprising me at all lol
After reading your comment, I had to go check your art, and it is much more interesting than devon rodriguez! I especially love ''Dawn of youth'' and ''Sacrifice''. Keep on painting!
@@jarmtl oh wow thank you so much!♥️ It means a lot :) To be fair I don't think his work is bad, he's indeed skilled and hardworking. But it rather just turned into “content” at this point, so art people in NY don't really take him seriously. If he can't take a critic he probably doesn't want to be a part of the serious art world himself lol, there's no gatekeeping. Bigger problem for me is the fake personality and messages he sends to younger artists, it's for some reason personal to me and I knew for year's that things are off with him, so I'm glad true colors are starting to show
I just want to point out that the artwork Devon produces is not by any means some kind of revolutionary thing. Millions of art students across the world are able to make photorealistic stuff. Of course it takes a lot of technical skills to make stuff like this, but it's not the only thing that gives art value. he's acting sooo entitled and important when it's really not that big of a deal and so many people can do what he does and better. this man needs to be seriously humbled LOL
@christinelee4960 And that’s probably why Ben wanted to poke holes in Devon’s fan base by showing them how mediocre Devon is. Ben is probably pissed off for all those struggling artists out there whose talent far outshines Devon. He basically set out to ruin Devon’s social media following with this critique. If that’s not something to get pissed off over, idk what is.
hyperrealism is a hard genre to critique because it’s so technically challenging, but there is something to be said about the shallow virality behind these pieces and how the same realistic portrait with no other subject matter can be kind of boring and lifeless. it’s well painted sure, but there’s no real visual interest in the subject matter. adding on the fact that devon rodriguez seemingly only cares about his social media presence and acts so childish in response to critique lowers the sophistication of his work even more. he is the reason content creation-focused artists don’t get taken as seriously, which is a shame because there are so many great artists trying to make their living online.
Especially hyperrealism in a conventional medium imo. It's obviously a very hard skill, and I understand that, but I'm much less impressed by someone who can do a hyperrealistic drawing in pencil than I am by someone who can do it in ketchup or pennies or whatever, because they're actually coming up with their own methods whereas humanity has spent hundreds of years figuring out how to do it with a pencil. Also yeah, if you're going to do hyperrealistic art and it is genuinely hyperrealistic, my brain will not give you a lot of points for that and will just move on to critiquing the piece like I would a photo, because that's essentially what it is now. Honestly kind of feels like really hard Lego. It's objectively impressive if you can put a whole death star set together in an hour, and that's super cool, but you were just following instructions. I'm much more interested in the guy that can look at a pile of loose bricks and see a fish tank.
@@jessemiller4953what this guy paints isn’t even hyper-realism, it’s just basic realism. Hyper realism is beyond copy pasting reality (that’s why they call it “hyper” realism).
As an artist, I can't begin to tell you how vital decent constructive criticism is for growing in one's craft. What Ben wrote was honest, deliberate, and fair, not a PR puff piece but not a scathing diatribe either. I would be _ecstatic_ to have received the review Devon did for his work, as it recognizes his skill while also pointing out areas that he could potentially improve upon if wanting to continue to show artwork long-term with gallery representation or juried exhibitions. He needs to recognize that the art world is not TikTok, that the echo chamber he has embedded himself in does not extend past the algorithm that favors feel-good content like his, and that not everyone is going to be amazed by yet another realistic representational artist when the field of art is already saturated with them. This is why expression, emotionality, and intent are so vital to creating work because those are things that make people remember your work long after viral internet fame wears off. I hope that Devon eventually learns from this massive mistake and learns humility himself, as his background and personal history are very inspirational and I like to see people from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in a field that is notoriously difficult to succeed in without money and/or personal connections. From his behavior, I unfortunately not see that happening soon.
I am a writer, and while I haven't been published I have written stories that have been featured online before and feedback/ criticism are essential to me writing a good story. Of course I disagree with some of the feedback I've gotten. I have looked at it through their lens and I can see their point.
I think you nailed, as did the author of the critique. Looking at the images in the gallery my first thought was 'wow, this guy has good technical skill' and my last thought was also 'wow, this guy has good technical skill'. When I think of art exhibitions that I've loved its always those with interesting ideas and variety in creative decisions; all of his works in this one seemed extremely similar to each other and to other photorealistic artists I have seen. I probably would've been underwhelmed if I lined up to see it in person (I live in Australia so that never would have happened anyway lol). To me, his individual works do not feel interesting or important, and I think the critique that his art itself is not the impetus of his viral popularity is very well placed. Even amongst those who paint photorealism there are those with more technical capability than him who haven't seen even a fraction of the success, because the way they present their art is not optimised to feed the appetites of social media.
Yes! I was going to say that as an artist I would have adored such good critique! There’s so much he can take away and work on and expand on! I had some god awful critiques when I was doing my illustration degree (Like one tutor, when asked if they had any critiques/thoughts on some pieces I was doing, all pencil and ink on tracing paper, told me that It’d be quicker to do photography….). I’d love to see this ball of ego experience one of them.
As an art student I’ve genuinely said “meaner” thing to friends about their work and visa versa. Would be interesting to see his geographical viewer analytics because i live outside of America and avidly keep up with art news and the first time I even heard of him was from this article
*Calling him the most famous artist in the world us beyond ridiculous. People who use tik tok need to learn that most humans in the world actually don't!*
And as we all know, you can only see a TikTok video if you are yourself a TikTok user. You can't send them to people who don't use it, you can't write articles about someone on TikTok that people who don't use TikTok can read, and people most certainly can't make videos about TikTok users and their antics on other platforms. Absolutely ridiculous to think that you could ever call someone "the most famous" just because there's a high chance that he is the most seen artist at this moment.
@@Avendesoradude I'm pretty sure Picasso or even Warhol are a million times more famous than this guy. not a good defense. I and many other people in the comments have never heard about this guy
@@alexkiddo5855 I'm sorry for not specifically calling out that we're talking about alive people, but that felt pretty fucking obvious to me considering the nature of the actual article that were commenting on. I do think it's really fucking funny that you're using your own anecdotal ignorance as some kind of proof that this guy isn't actually a meme seen arou d the globe.
There are rich people that started out poor, like for example the golden voice guy who remained humble and kind hearted and then there's whatever the hell Devon is.
It’s disappointing that Devon won’t just own what he does. He doesn’t want to see himself as a technically talented artist who makes digestible art themed entertainment for the masses. His story of an underdog who came out on top is very inspiring and widely relatable. Realism is easily understood by the everyday viewer who hasn’t studied art. I don’t need to have studied art to know that his work looks like it’s subjects. The videos are uplifting and brighten people’s day. He’s figured out how to bring art and positivity to a large audience and I think that’s great. I don’t get why he acts like he reinvented the wheel. His commitment to seeing himself as a misunderstood outsider to the art industry is more pretentious than anything in Ben’s review.
Exactly. And in the artworks there's nothing unconventional at all. Just technically good photographic figurative pieces of everyday scenes of life. The unconventional image comes from the social media promotion and his personal story. Nothing wrong with it.
I totally understand what the art critic is saying. when i was at delgado community collage my art teacher had this assignment where we had to recreate Asian folklore into art and mine was on tsukuyomi and her brothers and i thought i had captured what i thought it meant to me. so when she critiqued my artwork i got butthurt and it took me years to understand that what she meant. she told me "its not bad but its lacking creativity or emotion to sell the piece" she just wanted me to push more to give the painting a soul. so i understand how he feels but with time hopefully he can grow from this.
good for you to be able to grow and understand the constructive criticism, its not easy to put down your ego for that. while maybe his's already so inflated by everyone around him, that's why the reaction is so bad....
this video really solidified why i like the stuff you do. you often criticise people but you're so positive and even-handed about it. it's just such a breath of fresh air. instead of a token ''dont harrass this guy'' you really do try to big up somebody's strengths before you tactfully talk about what they've done wrong. i'm so sick of haters and mob mentality man, thank you for being so cool and anti binary when it comes to discussing a person's whole output, something that took years of their life or is really meaningful to them. you're really the antidote.
His reaction is why people outside of the social media employment realm can’t stand influencers because the follower count creates huge egotistical humans who think they are untouchable.
There are adult humans living totally normal lives who don’t care if you have amassed a following nor does it equal any worth outside of those regularly consume social media. They are just regular people however there ego tells them differently. As fast as the wave of popularity came it will go. This guys response is very immature and self absorbed he is the most important person in his own world. Social media at this level is beyond toxic
The funny part is, Ben Davis is probably more famous than him. He’s a hugely revered contemporary art critic who’s created a lot of theories and terms that are foundational to contemporary art analysis
Devon is a fad. His social media presence will die in a few years, and he will be forgotten. Ben Davis will still have a career, and his influence will be as strong as ever.
Social media fame DOES NEVER translate to some sort of expertise in real life. There may have been artistes who were famous already before jumping on the social media bandwagon (like Kim Junggi) but there is almost no one who gained fame on social media and then went on to become iconic in their respective field.
Before literally every critique we did in art class, the teachers spent like five minutes deeply explaining that we shouldn't take critique personal. As hard as it is, someone "attacking" or just not showering your work the praise you think it deserves, isn't a personal slight. I wish more artists would learn that. And also, some of your biggest critics can make you produce your best works. Nothing truly worth praising comes from an echo chamber filled with applause.
That's so true. Critical comments really helped me develop my writing and storytelling skills. Especially when some big names in the community would spend their time in the comment section pointing what they liked about my work and what can be improved - priceless!
It is very popular now to brag about not going to art school and I can agree that art school has valid critics but I remember one of my teachers telling the class that a thick skin is one of the most important things you can gain in art school. As he joked, you need to say “do you want fries with that?” with a smile; if you want to continue creating art. This was a long time ago, now you can find multiple sources of income as an artist but the tough skin helps maintain the ego and high self esteem necessary to create. Art is not solely created to be exhibited on Mom’s refrigerator. Your take on this story was refreshing.
I didnt see pictures of devons first exhibition until watching this but seeing it warrants ben's critique. it's a little on the nose no? the subway seats, the white brick walls, the realistic portraits on the subway (which look like painted screenshots from one of his tiktok/ig videos). it feels like an influencer exhibition point blank. devote of emotion and expression. fantastic to look at, you can tell devon is talented, the work is just.....stagnant. tough to see devon react this way. if he grows from this i cant believe the self cringe he'll have to endure in the future looking back. i can definitely say ive been there too tho
I think he needs to incorporate more of the context his tiktok videos has in his art pieces that are removed from it. If his messaging is "spreading joy through showing someone/something mundane, can be a source of inspiration and beauty" he should actually show people reacting with joy and being inspired by mundane things in his art not just depicting what he thinks is and expecting people to react the same way as they do watching his full tiktoks when he removed an entire step from it. While it'd be repetitive I genuinely do think his art would emote better if he'd draw stills from his own videos of people's reaction to seeing the portraits.
@@ArturGlass.Che could've alternately made the pieces more interactive in forms such as augmented reality, "immersive exhibits" or animation, where they are presented in an enhanced format that speaks to the one that he built his fame on
Bachelor of fine art here. Got to be honest ive seen a lot of skilled artists give up because of critique. It's kinda common for people to be raised thinking good art is just technically good but it has always been more than that.
Responding to a critic is notoriously the worst thing you can do for your career. It's a shame no one advised him on that. Or maybe they did and his ego just got too big to want to listen.
I'm about to go into my honours year in visual arts, he's literally LIVING. THE. DREAM. At this point in my career, a critic NOTICING me enough to write a review, positive or negative, would be HUGE. I'd be framing it, even if it was scathingly negative, because that means I've made it. I wouldn't be shocked if this tanks any professional art world prospects he may have in the future and he's stuck going down the purely influencer route - and I doubt it'll last long if he continues to react to any form of critique like that. It's a shame because his work is genuinely beautiful but the critic was right, it really resembles those hyper-realistic drawings everyone sees on Pinterest but doesn't think about for more than 2 seconds. It doesn't say anything about him as an artist besides that he's very talented.
It's basically shooting him in the foot that he has no formal education in art. As someone studying creative writing, I know criticism is a eky element to mprovement. He treats it like a personal attack when he was supposed to take advice into consideration if he wants to and improve areas of his work. The creative spheres are no place for someone who can not take criticism. They will sooner or later be cushed if they can't adapt to take criticism. No one creatie will ever please every person on the planet with their creative works.
Yeah, youd figure hed realize that. Like no matter what the critic said, he made a public critque of your work which put your name out there in circles other then teeny bops on tiktok.
Hm… I would like to see ur artwork, because the way your comment was somewhat straightforward!! Maybe your art is amazing just like your words. Do you perhaps have insta? (Sorry, my tiny grammar attitude seems to be really enjoying this lol)
It would be great if we could also take away "gaslighting", "narcissist" and "borderline" from the same people until they learn how to use them responsibly
heyyy thanks for watching (and happy halloween) :D! Sign up for an account at grammarly.com/wallace10 and if you want access to extra features, get 20% off Grammarly Premium!
💜
P
Babe! Are you just wearing a random jacket or are you Cher from Clueless for Halloween? Cos this is the most lowkey flex ever. 🥺😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
i love grammar,
Happy Halloween everyone 🎃
Cracks me up when someone with millions upon millions of admirers loses their shit when one single person is unimpressed.
Ego is a funny thing 🤔
It's easier for most people to focus on the negative than the positive. That's why someone can have a great day overall but one negative interaction and that's all they remember. Guess that's human nature. 🤷♀
It’s insane right? Dude collectively has around 40 million followers, people absolutely love his content for its wholesomeness, his network is probably fucking nuts, and yet he STILL has the balls to have a meltdown because he read a hardly harmful article about him whereas the worst thing the writer said was that a hand he painted looked like a rotisserie chicken.
[Edit] I stand corrected, it’s apparently around 50 MILLION.
Same thing happend with sza
I think being unimpressed hurts them more than not liking it. They could at least say "oh you're just a hater" then, they're ready for that. Being unimpressed just deflates them and it's totally unexpected.
Art critic - "You're very technically skilled, I just prefer personally prefer art with some spice to it. You're a good, talented person, I can see you going far!"
Devon - "HE'S HARRASSING AND GATEKEEPING ME"
Such a crybaby
I'm honestly surprised I didn't see the word GASLIGHTING somewhere in his childish responses.
Exactly. When Ben said "Despite being the most famous artist right, now no one I know has heard of him" I don't think he was throwing shade. I think it was him saying that its a remarkable phenomenon for an artist to become famous when the art world is unaware of him.
Devon is highly skilled at painting but there are many people out there who have mastered photorealism. There is a formula to it (hence him teaching tutorials online) which is why it's not very noticeable to the art world. Art involves creating some unique and full of feeling - being able to replicate reality is impressive, but lacks raw creativity.
In a nutshell
Claiming harassment and gatekeeping when Devon actually harassed him with the pissed off message and constant tags, not to mention straight up sending his followers on him when he told them to go to his page for the follow he supposedly wanted is beyond nasty. I can't believe this guy has a platform off of his supposed good vibes; anyone with such a hateful reaction like that has got to be faking those "vibes"
I think the fact that an actual art critic tried multiple times to get into his exhibit and then gave him an honest and gentle critique is a massive compliment from the art community. Like you said it’s the opposite of gatekeepy. The fact that Devon missed that intention shows how little experience he has really. He is more influencer than professional artist unfortunately
is this a reflection of experience or character? cause im starting to question if devon himself even read the article
Wow I agree with both of you.
Exactly. Unfortunately, many internet personalities thrive on drama as part of keeping themselves trending; and many artists nowadays face so much unnecessary bs that they've taken to demonizing any and all criticism. The result is internet personalities that are oversensitive and constantly looking to energize their community by manufacturing antagonists for them to dog-pile on.
@gen_li7725 I wouldn’t call it gentle. It was underhandedly harsh. He basically accused Rodriquez of being a rip-off of his art teacher. That’s tearing down everything he does and saying he has no creativity.
devon defense squad out in force, hope y'all don't choke on the boot you're fellating. ♥ my man the critic was absolutely gracious and inclusive, devon is so pathetically thinskinned not to see that. having millions of people who do enjoy his work and losing his shit at literally one person saying "there is merit here, but this is not for me" like bro. BRO. but yeah, devon is not creative. he has huge technical skill, no doubt, but art is interpreting and using your own voice and the man has nothing to say.
art major here. i used to paint realistically until one of my professors told me it was a waste of my time because i should’ve just submitted a photograph instead. in the moment, absolutely devastating. cried in the bathroom lol. but retrospectively so helpful for my overall trajectory. when sticking to a reference photo 100%, it’s not uniquely your own artistic voice anymore. take liberties!
that was how I felt about his art. I lived his story and his "quick way" of drawing a realistic picture. I then thought his art was very boring. It was like looking at photographs.
ps..I could see him working on painting murals. Nothing more. It is not like seeing the picture "scream" which has an effect on a person and it is something you think about over and over.
Exactly
I had the same exact experience and guess what happened? I began to develop my own style and a more expressive painterly style and people really like it. I now illustrate children’s books for a living 😀
art major here ..blerpy blerp blerp@@Dan-xx5jq
as someone who’s majored in illustration, ben was very polite and courteous. devon would NEVER survive the average art school critique lol
As an art major myself I second that dude needs a reality check
As an art major, yup, those art professors can be brutal, Ben was so soft on him
Right? If he heard the stuff my old professors said, he'd lose his damn mind. And I'm a better artist for it!!
Oh no a successful artist couldn't go back to art school and do well! Whatever will he doooooooooo
@@patrickmcpartland1398 You have a bit of a literacy problem, so allow me to help you.
The original commenter is not saying that Devon is not good enough for art school, or that he needs to go to art school. He's saying that part of going to school for art is critique, and this professional critic was more gracious than any art school teacher would ever have the time of day to be.
It's really wild how Devon keeps complaining about being gatekept, when getting a professional review in a traditional art publication is the opposite of gatekeeping, it's him being included in the same critical conversation as "traditional" artists.
Yes exactly! He’s finally being included, but instead he’s hyper sensitive to anything negative of his brand.
That sums it up.
Getting a critique by any publication with the kind of art world visibility that Artnet has would be life-changing, even if the article isn't super-glowing. Ben Davis acknowledged that he has talent, it just isn't the type of work he prefers. That's totally valid and if Devon would spend less time being a brat and more time taking some of the content of the review to heart, D'Angelo wouldn't have made this video and we wouldn't be having this discourse about this guy having an unwarranted fit.
Hes basically made it in life from humble beginnings. All that hardwork, clout and money yet the light criticism was just too much . Weird that he reacted this badly to it
D Angelo is gay 🤡😂😂
Dude doesn't want to be an artist, he wants to be famous.
Exactly
Well, he's infamous in the art world now.
The man had a personal session with the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, how much more famous do you want to be!? It’s crazy.
Yaaa, I mean considering he picked the only art "style" you can really teach and seems to have focused on technical skills more than anything else, I can't say I'm surprised. Most of us do art because we love it and it shows in our work. It just feels a little soulless. His attitude is really disappointing too.
his bio says everything you need to know, “most followed visual artist in the world” come on lol
The "What if he was your son" comment hit me. My dad was brutally honest with all my work, both art and writing. I KNEW I could count on him to tell me if it was bad. That was a HUGE help to my growth as a writer and artist. I needed that. And when I did something he liked, if felt much better knowing that it came from a place of honesty.
He taught you how to take constructive criticism.. it really isn’t‘personal’.. it’s about the work - so if u can detach n learn to take in the insights, you will grow.. guaranteed!
I've seen the video of the Dad on the floor laughing at how badly his kid drew his Mom, while the Mom tries to reassure the kid that the drawing is okay. And I can't decide if that's teaching the kid to accept constructive criticism, or enough emotional trauma to quit art altogether.
"Everyone needs my criticism!" often turns into "I get to fart in your face and you need to be grateful!" God knows I've had those kind of moments. You can critique my art, but I get to label your critique as stupid as fuck in return.
I disagree. It is not to say that being honest is bad, but at the end of the day, the criticism was HIS opinion, regardless of what the art looked liked. UNLESS it was objectively bad.
@@DarkMatter2525 wow I didn’t expect to find you in the comments! While I ah ent been watching your content lately to avoid thinking about stressful things, I watched your content religiously, pun intended, years ago and found it really entertaining. If this is actually you of course and not a fan using your title and profile. If it is it’s still nice to see another fan around lol
@@bluegirl278it's verified(checkmark) and you can also follow the link to if it's him.
As a former Pratt Institute student, it’s obvious he didn’t go to art school. There’s a critique EVERY WEEK. 🙄🤦🏾♀️
Thought the same thing 😂
The amount of almost tearing up and powering through talking with the proffesors whos ripping through your artwork is a required thing for every art student.
He went to the High School of Art & Design in NYC, that school taught Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs and many comic book artists from DC. I recently graduated from there as a film major, and I will say many people skip out on college or more formal training because the school teaches us that we are better than everyone else. Many of his paintings he did in high school are up in the hallways and are arguably very, very good work for a high schooler; however, it seems like his work hasn't evolved much since then. Do with that what you will I guess.
bro i get ripped apart and get my projects thrown back at me every single time LOL imagine if i started acting like him
I would just like to add, of course, he is talented; however, I would've liked to see something less formulaic than painting in a photographic style, which is something he has been doing since his departure from the graffiti scene and more of something that provokes thought using his insane talent. It's mind-boggling to me that he is this sensitive to criticism even now, but it doesn't surprise me, given my experience at his former high school. I kinda sounded like I was hating for a second, so I thought I would clarify.
Objectively “some women will do anything for money” is a funny thing to say to an art critic’s wife
oh yes. "i hope i never get desperate enough to marry an ART CRITIC! oh to sink so low!!!1" lmao
Lmao like for real. How much do they think art critics make?
Richest jobs:
1. Hedge fund manager
2. Lawyer
3. Art Critic
4. Doctor
@@MrAmazingAwesomeness based on my mediocre googling skills: the average US art critic annually make about less than 1/4 of a doctor's, just over half as much than an average lawyer - and also over half as much than a hedge fund manager's LOWEST salary.
Art critics do, however, make almost as much as a manager at McDonald's, it seems. Do correct me if I'm wrong though :)
@@neila128i think they were being sarcastic lol, but definitely interesting information you pulled
Why is it always the influencers who make being a 'good person' and 'positive vibes' part of their character and platform end up being some of the most vile individuals? Like how can you sit there and be like 'KYS... anyways love and light guys, don't let the haters win. Oh and don't forget to send death threats to everyone who disagrees with me.' Like the cognitive dissonance to not see that as hypocritical is actually scary.
For real
This is also the most toxic people in real life actually. It’s so important for them to be good on social media when they are absolute idiots in real life.
because it's a facade
@@worstusernameintheworld9871THIS
@@worstusernameintheworld9871exactly, actual good people don't need to exhaustingly prove or show off that they're "good people"
Haha this guy Devon came after me because my buddy and I talked a bit of shit about him on our podcast, maybe 10 minutes of a 2 hour show. Mostly about how the videos are obviously staged. He went off on us! Not only that but he made it a point to DM us both every time his career hit some new milestone and how he was dunking on us haters. We eventually both had to block him.
That's deranged. Followers don't always mean much. If all his channels were to disappear what would his ego fall back on?
what an insecure dude lol
Oh god that's so pathetic 😂
Real dan nainan type beat
@@ughustI agree. Completely insecure to the point that I would feel sorry for him if he didn't act like a sociopath stalking people and hoping millions of people bully others on his behalf.
as an art history major, i can tell you the critic was just such a nice guy, his critique was great and nice, most art critics are nasty when talking about non traditional artists like Devon
(edit: for those confused i mean non traditional artist about the way he uses internet to promote his art. if i say he’s not a traditional artist, i mean it with having in mind the way art spheres work and the gatekeeping. he’s a very traditional artist when talking about his art work)
Photo major here. He would’ve been decimated during a critque day 😅
Lol same, I also studied art history and the dude was downright cordial. I have read some absolutely devastating critiques and this was nowhere near any of those.
I think I’ve probably meaner in essays that I’ve written.
yeah i just channeled a crit session from _literally_ 20 years ago and started to go off, like his art is not his sketches, they're technically brilliant but utterly artless. d'angelo nailed it, he paints like an iphone takes photos. his art, or his "content" or whatever is entirely in the moment he creates with the drawing. just get a little portable photo printer and save everyone some time since you're already faking the moment and faking the entire like, "just trying to brighten someone's day" asp- ah goddammit i just did it again
Yes... I'm an art student, and it seems to be an international sport for art teachers to say the nastiest things about your works everytime. It's very discouraging. This critic was nice compared to this, I would feel better about my work if more teachers criticized my work like this. Like it was a great critic
@@user-wi5lf2xd2h yeah it was not uncommon for people to cry in our crit sessions, and that was actually mostly from other students 🙃
He lost me when he decided to use his 50 million followers as free labor to harass someone he doesn't like. Never like this sort of cult personality who treats their fans like their free personal army.
There seems to be a lot of just that in the air currently smh
He sent them after the critic's wife and family, too.
Yeah that sucks you know but it is what it is.
@@Lili-ey1nd BTS don't post the names of critics who doesn't like their music and tell the ARMY to go attack people tf you mean.
@@Lili-ey1ndBTS NEVER send their fans to harass someone. So your comparison is invalid in this situation.
Thanks D’Angelo! As a colleague and friend of Ben’s, I was shocked that such a gentle review garnered Swiftie level attacks, and that Devon’s representation of UTA was cheering him on behind the scenes. It’s obscene and thin-skinned. This is a fantastic run-down. Appreciate you!!
i hope you show him all of the comments in support of him! no one deserves to be attacked like this, especially not for doing their job.
So you attack another artist who has zero to do with this? What is wrong with you?!
@@sw7833 can't tell if this is a joke.
having the UTA send out a response in lieu gave me second hand embarassment... shame on them
“Swiftie level” that’s a genius descriptor
The artist could have spun this into gold by painting an actual “rotisserie chicken hand” and gifted it to the art critic or sold copies of that. My elementary school gave marks on categories such as “takes criticism well”, a category I used to get negatives on because I would cry when criticized. But I grew up and developed into a realistic, emotionally mature adult. Devon, you should have used this as an example to your followers of how to handle criticism of all kinds in life. 💕🐝💕
That's great, but he's proved he has no ability to roll with the punches
That would have been amazing. Great take😂
The hand immediately reminded me of Mad magazine. It's giving Al Jaffee. But, without the humor and originality, it manages to be more a lot more dull.
if i received that criticism on my art, i'd go "dang u right, thanks for the input" then paint a rotisserie chicken and title it "the hand." then probably obsess over getting my hands to look better on my own 💀
You mentioned that the art critic treated him just like every other artist. I personally believe that the art critic was incredibly gentle due to the artists lack of experience with profesional critiques. I think any other artist would have gotten more "non positive" comments. Homie got the kid gloves and still couldn't take it.
You have no right to talk succubi peasant 🤡
i was gonna say 😅😅 he treated him BETTER than traditional artists
Also was being careful and not too critical because of his 30 million tiktok followers
@@cheeseboogar and they still spent a couple of weeks trying to devour him… luckily for him the average attention span won’t let most people focus their aggravation any longer… 🙄
yes i totally agree. it’s very gentle.
Honestly, I think his art style kind of reflects his aversion to criticism - by making it so photo-realistic he’s kind of taking away a lot of the aspects of art that are subjective. If I drew something so well it looks like a photo, it’s going to generate a lot more basic, positive responses than if it was something more stylized. Hopefully I’m making sense here.
Totally
Yeah, completely. He can't understand anyone criticizing his work because since it's realistic then it's good right? He can only comprehend "neutral" appreciation of his work, like is it technically well drawn or not. He has no actual artistic intention.
It's the difference between a Monet and a cat photo on Facebook.
If the most you get from an audience is "aw, that's nice", you're doing something wrong as an artist. Unless you're a commercial illustrator you want your audience to experience something deeper than "nice work".
He's technically skilled when it comes to perceiving details, establishing proportions and then applying that to paper, but so are literally millions of art students all around the world. He's just doing what all students do, but he's delivering it to an audience who don't know better on a social media platform designed to build an audience of those young people.
If you showed his audience the painting by James Harrington featured in this video they wouldn't understand it, because it doesn't look "accurate" or it's not of a famous person, or the artist isn't famous on TikTok.
Yeah, it also doesn't help that most people aren't really versed in art, technique, and critique, so they see a painting and think, that looks real, so it's impressive. Which, sure, photo realism is impressive, but other styles are also, or more, impressive. These are often the same people who look at anything that isn't realism and say "my child could draw that" or something similar. So he naturally draws in the people who don't look critically at art.
(and to be clear, it's fine if you prefer realism, or if you don't know much about art or art critique, you can just like something because you think it looks cool or pretty or impressive, you don't have to critically examine everything all the time, but then you also need to let people who do look at art critically do their job)
That makes perfect sense. He’s covering any aspect of potential style up with photorealism. If it’s a perfect rendition, it’s reduced to “is it technically done well or not?” and there’s no room for anything else.
I actually went to highschool with Devon and we had the same AP illustration class for junior and senior year. He was seen as someone who had a lot of skill and no one ever really critiqued him. This weirdly brings back a memory of having one conversation with him and he was saying something to the effect of being confident and conceited are the same thing and couldn’t be convinced otherwise. I never spoke to him again after. This video is an interesting trip down memory lane but doesn’t surprise me about Devon.
Side Note: Drawing people on the subway was a consistent class assignment Mr. Harrington gave us. I love how he took that idea and ran with it…Mr. Harrington would also stress how the hands are second to the face when it comes to expression and focus points in a painting so I’m surprised he didnt finish the hand. AP illustration 101
I went to A&D back in the day and STRUGGLED with hands! After a while I just hid them behind the model in the illustration lol (I was a fashion illustration major). Did you have Mr. Pakter? I wonder if he's still around.
as soon as you said Mr. Harrington I automatically recognized where you went lol
Very interesting because in my high school I had art with a girl who did equally good realism and she was so hard on herself I spoke to her once about how lucky she was and she just went on about how she wished she could think up of ideas instead of working from reference. Same skills but entirely different mindsets
Hey A&D peeps! I was two years ahead of you and remember Mr. Harringtons classes discussing their subway art assignments!
He’s clearly stuck in high school and suffers from arrested development.
'idk how to explain this to you, Devon, but, Ben has a job.' took me out 😂😂😂😂😂
Big up Ben for being an art critic without sitting on a high horse and writing insufferably. 🎉
I honestly wouldn’t have been upset if he went harder at his paintings-his art, and what’s interesting about it, is the whole social media aspect. The paintings themselves (not the art itself, since that would include the videos) is skillful but uninteresting.
Or backing up, or lashing out in response to the hate and vitriol. He’s aware of the changing times esp in relation to his field, trying to encourage others to take seriously artists who gained their fame unconventionally, and had the maturity not to respond emotionally to the slander and ignorance, instead responding levelheadedly and looking beyond the tantrum to the changing culture overall.
Those captions from the artist was seriously embarrassing to read, especially knowing the worst criticism he got was that his series is “strikingly similar” to his mentor’s who did it more expressively, and that one hand looked kind of rotisserie chicken-like, which, as someone who draws hands like a spiders legs, I couldn’t help but to agree with.
If anything, Ben didn't 'gatekeep' him out of the traditional art scene, he took the exhibition seriously and treated the artist as equal to any other by choosing to honestly review him and discuss his pieces and the context in which they exist
💯
Quite literally the opposite of gatekeeping. And on top of that he did so in a manner that a father would playfully wrestle with their teenage son -- with the kid gloves on not going full-strength. Devon still managed to have an emotional breakdown.
exactly! i feel like gatekeeping is one of those words that has been taken beyond its original meaning, but it’s literally a term used in journalism to describe the decisions reporters and editors have to make about what stories to cover. in having a review written about him, devon is specifically NOT being gatekept here! this publication clearly decided his exhibition was newsworthy enough to warrant criticism! devon should have been proud of himself but here he is…
Yeah, lol. Considering how sometimes art critiques are very elitist, Ben is actually a nice guy.
Well said
Two things: one, I guarantee this dude dropped out of art school because he hated crit sessions. And two, this just proves to me that success as an artist is 90% PR and Marketing and 10% skill. He created feel good content and it blew up on social media, but without it he would have been relegated to obscurity along with thousands of other artists who specialize in photo realism.
Tbf success in art has always been like that, and when you've reached that point your art can even stagnate and even drop in quality and people would still buy it (i'm looking at you Sakimi-chan)
Well, to be fair, even in art school you learn that outside of skill, for making a career out of it, you have to be very good at marketing and market your work.
If you want to validate your opinion more look up "most expensive art sold". In my opinion, it's all crap. Art is subjective, but a blue square being sold for millions is wild to me.
Absolutely. I was just ab to come here to say that I didn’t know how he was in art school and he’s not familiar with critiques. You have to learn as an artist how to take constructive criticism and get better or you’re not built for this work lol
Marketing and CONNECTIONS. Have one or the other, but if you have both you're like 100% guaranteed to sell for good money
As an amateur writer, I've been told in critiques that: a plot point, or indeed an entire plot, didn't make sense; characters were unlikable; I needed to study more geography; I should read some specific work; I was executing a trope badly; my wording was confusing; I misused an analogy; so many bad scene transitions; incorrect tenses; run-on sentences; inserting personal opinion as meta-narrative; etc. The list goes on.
IF you have to respond, the *only* thing you should say to criticism is, "Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. I appreciate your feedback, and I'll take your suggestions into consideration." That's it. That's all.
I love this comment
This reminds me of how Gabbie Hannah reacted to a poetry review Rachel Oates did of her poetry book. This is what happens when entitled influencers go into traditional art spaces. The review by Ben was so nice, Devon’s reaction to it was beyond childish, embarrassing and disgusting.
“I hope i taught you that today” is INSANE. That man’s ego is off the charts, honestly so gross. Seems like even with 7 million followers, money, and fame still doesn’t ‘cure’ someone from being a loser. Jesus
right like i still dont understand what lesson was supposed to be learned by being like "LOL the haters can not stop me, followers, get his ass"
@@WaferTots I’m realizing how prevalent this is. Some people can’t handle a little clout lol
Also he is pretending like that man even cares for followers. Its insane how delusional some tiktokers are.
I think a lot of folks who become influencers are very insecure and do it to seek validation tbh
oh and no social skills. that's why they have to spend all their time farming clout on social media
Yeah they just become losers with money
That was an EXTREMELY MILD criticism, and he completely flew off the handle. Having skin that thin and wanting to be taken seriously as an artist is kind of ridiculous
Social media in a nutshell
Agree. Being an 'influencer' artist is basically having a bunch of yes-men constantly showering you with praise. Any critique is seen as 'hate' and immediately shut down by fans. I always say popularity and fame amplifies a person's true nature. If someone's naturally grounded and humble, those qualities will be tested and usually, strengthened. If they're self-absorbed and entitled, fame will make that 100x worse.
no kidding, he should adopt Picasso's pleasant way with dealing with criticism
🙄🙄🙄
Seriously 😂 my art teacher from middleschool was waaaay more harsh than this critic and my highschool art class had critiques with more sass and spice than the one devon got thrown around
My uncle is an art critic and curator at The Met (going to skip saying what division aside from it being painting so his name is protected, but he's given private tours of his exhibitions to heads of state, Madonna, and even Michael Jackson back in the day), and good lord... if he was the one to write an article on this guy, I promise it would be far more scathing than this. Honestly the most surprising thing is not an influencer acting childish, it's that an art critique was so damn neutral and kind to the artist behind the work. Everyone has their preferences, but at the end of the day, the people working in the art industry are doing it because they love art, not to burn young artists at the stake. The toughest critiques that still uplift the artist are also usually aimed at the people art critics genuinely want to see improve and believe that they can. We NEED criticism in this world. People need to stop acting like a critique is hating on something, because if you keep pushing that agenda, you are going to have to swallow a lot of mediocrity down the road.
Sure he is
@@theandrogynousmisogynist this is really not a far-fetched story lmao
The world is so excited to click like and subscribe to the hint of mediocrity these days. It's disturbing what entertains people.
This guy is showing this is all about his inability to deal with his own feelings. Like, he's never learned proper coping mechanisms or he's just narcissistic. I'm leaning towards the latter because I think his behavior is sociopathic. Who wants millions of people attacking someone over critique that wasn't even bad?
@@Nikybeez He definitely won't make it as a real world artist with that attitude. I'm genuinely surprised that he wasn't coached more by his management... or maybe he just didn't care or listen. He either needs to stick to his niche of just making quick art videos online or seriously grow a pair. The art world isn't easy, and if he acted this way over one mild review, he will never be able to scale up. The more critics that see your work, the higher the chances that someone will write an actually bad review. If you can't take suggestions or constructive criticism, it's just not the industry for you. And it's always sad to see people with large followings sic their followers on someone like a bunch of attack dogs.
That comment of his saying "Love will always outshine blablabla" so horrendously condescending and haughty...
Isn't an art critics going to your art show, writing an honest review and publishing it like?? Literally how you know you've made it in the art world?
Getting the establishment to even notice your work is a big deal. Criticism isn't the worst thing, being unnoticed is.
@@maryinsanfrancisco I suppose, to that end, throwing the tantrum to end all tantrums to get that review more noticed is a very generous way to look at what happened. I mean, it's not what happened, the dude threw a giant baby tantrum, but you COULD say he was just amplifying his recognition by pushing a narrative. Interesting.
The "love will always outshine being a hater" after sending his legions of followers to send someone death threats and insults is hilarious ngl
for a moment there i thought it was the review author that made that post because of the words LOL. but then i reailzed it was the artist who had fully misread what was going on
It's not even shocking to me at this point, lol. It's always the so-called "nicest" people who end up being the meanest losers who will make your life hell. They will also sick their followers (aka their ass kissers) to harass and stalk you if you dare to call them out on their cruelty. 😑
“..love will always outshine hate..” says the guy whose legions of followers, apparently with his blessing, engaged in a campaign of hate against a guy for doing his job. Dude, what? “I hope I taught you that today”? Nope, swing and a miss bud.
Sadly his cult of normie art appreciators are oblivious with this reality
The fact that the first line in his Insta bio is, "Most followed visual artist in the world" says so much about how seriously he takes art
I’m in a college class that’s teaching us how to write criticism and this is THE nicest critique I have seen so far. I’ve never seen a critic that went out of their way to clarify “he seems like a nice guy.” Kudos to him for doing that but he did not have to! Rodrigo you are so lucky
you have classes in the US that teaches you how to write criticism? dang, that's good (/gen). What's it like?
I have a journalism and communications degree and never learnt that except some basic negotiation skills.
@@SisselSasha I'm sure that they're referring to a college course or private school. Every truly useful class I've ever taken has been one I had to pay for (even community college costs about $1,500 per class not including books). Public schools here don't teach *basic* skills and it's caused so much damage to our society. Trust me our educational system is nothing to envy.
@@annjepsen1621 ooooh yeah totally I don’t envy the US public school system, especially before college. The only thing I kinda envied is the possibility to choose your classes depending on ability and also the fact that I feel creative stuff is more… accepted and encouraged in the US than in my country (France). And also the focus on extracurricular activities like clubs and sports!
But at least one advantage is that even for private schools/colleges in the US there’s a lot of choice (given the fact that you have the money for it, which is another problem in itself) whereas here you have to go to Paris or really really good (expensive) schools (limited selection) thus have really good grades to get a degree different from your peers. Don’t get me wrong free college is great -even though some buildings are super old, decrepit, moldy and students shouldn’t be studying in such an environment- I’m glad so many people can get masters’ degrees; but then the problem is that there’s too many people with degrees but no corresponding job. Then degrees don’t mean anything anymore; but I mean it’s also an issue in the US but with debt included so we’re still faring better I suppose.
Sorry for the rant lol but yeah there’s pros and cons in both systems but you’re right free college for all is still amazingly better than paying $1,500/class imo. I’m sorry.
Come to France it’s nice and we love American people you’ll be popular? /j
*Edit:* I’m so sorry for the stupidly long rant I’m really passionate about education 😭
@@SisselSasha i don't know if this is the case for the original comment, but it might be a college art class, as I have a friend that majored in visual art and quite a few of her classes had learning how to write critiques baked into them as an essential part of the curriculum.
@@sydmm-ui8hm it’s super interesting, so your friend was in college art class but she also learnt how to write critiques, not just how to deal with them? So it’s like her college taught her how to create art but also how to view others’ (and her own!) artwork critically. That’s a great teaching method, both for future artists and future art critics- essentially be in each others’ shoes. I hope she learnt some useful stuff and classes were interesting!
Some schools should take notes lol
As a young adult trying to get into art, this writer was incredible at being both supportive, but fair in his critiques of the work. Part of why it took me so long to even try getting into art was because I was (and still kind of am) afraid of the critic culture around art. This dude felt like a breath of fresh air and I would be honoured to recieve such a kindly worded critique with actual insight into what you should do to improve. If every art critic was like him I would've started learning art YEARS ago. I cannot believe this dude's reaction to such a kind-hearted and generally positive critique of his work???? Definitely a reveal of true character in my opinion. I hope that one day he, too, looks back on this incident and cringes.
Exactly my thoughts! As an artists, I'd be honored to get reviewed by someone as thoughtful and polite as Ben Davis. The reaction doesn't make sense anywhere outside the world of social media, and I would argue that it's too babyish and cringey even judged by social media "celebrities" etiquette. It's just immature and absolutely disproportionate to what's been said in the article.
Agreed tho I will say, as an artist who likes drawing for fun, I would be incredibly irritated to receive unasked for criticism, but as far as that goes, this dude definitely tried to be nice about it and he didn’t deserve the response Rodriguez gave, and really if ur gonna make an exhibit ur basically giving permission to critique, people need to learn to block and ignore fr
I highly recommend the book How to Write About Contemporary Art even if you yourself don't end up writing about art. That will give you a good idea of what's written in earnest and what's just fluff.
@@MayvaAva Yeah, really feel what you said about an exhibition basically being permission to critique. I don't understand artists who desperately want to show off their work to other people but don't want to hear what other people think about it. They just use people as compliment machines instead of as people who have their individual thoughts and reactions to work.
@MayvaAva Idk as long as the complaint is a genuine criticism and not just a misunderstanding of what you're going for I think it can be helpful, bashing intentional parts of someone's style is goofy but simple things like shadow and shading corrections, colors, and non style related proportions are useful
I am an art dealer / cultural producer in this "rarified world," and I am all about working with young people and keeping it all transparent and very very real. Let me tell you 1) the art market is desperate for good work by underrepresented groups. This is the least gate-keepy time in contemporary art history, by miles and miles. 2) I think Ben Davis was really talking about social media and para-social engagement as engines of culture, and that is incredibly smart and brave to take on. This was a great bit of content. Thanks!
That gives me hope as an artist for my future. Can I ask how y'all even find artists?
How delusional you need to be to think that an art critic is jealous of you
The truth is the difference between TikTok artists and actual fine artists is that TikTok artists are constantly validated by their influx of views and followers and are basically in a bubble. The fine art world on the other hand is cut throat and brutal. If he wanted to break into fine art like that he’d have to go through the process of critiques, networking, rejection etc. and he’d have a thicker skin. But he’s a social media influencer first.
This 1000%. This whole tantrum is really emblematic of “not living in the real world.” I cannot think of any profession that does not get critiqued. Of course art is slightly different because they are critiqued publicly, but I’m pretty sure everyone, regardless of their job, has a supervisor, a licensing board, benefactors, just somebody that they answer to where their work gets feedback.
@@Usagi393 Even if they're on their own and self-promoting, they still often have to apply or compete with other artists to get into a gallery or exhibition. Some artists are invited via networking, but usually starting out, artists already get feedback just trying to get a foot in the door!
It’s crazy to me because I’m an artist but foremost a musician and it’s the exact same in the music sphere. So many people who are on social media delusional or nepo babies in their bubbles only getting positive engagement, they don’t understand how to handle any kind of criticism and grow from it they consider anything other than praise to be hate. This black and white thinking is prevalent in probably all creative fields because they take their art so personally. I don’t know how these people make it this far without having the critical thinking to differentiate constructive criticism from hate but you’re exactly right, those are skills you develop and learn through university or through working, it’s an entirely different sphere online
in my art school we basically had a whole week learning HOW to handle criticism 😅😅
additionally, social media artists (and other creators) often receive more unfounded hate than legitimate criticism, which helps feed into the idea that anyone who comments anything but overwhelming praise on their work couldn't possibly have legitimate criticism
Ben Davis is so intelligent with well thought-out analysis and replies. It’s awful that someone doing their job got dragged for no reason.
seriously? you said you would be eating dinner with your family and now your here commenting on this random youtube video? were over!
What?!😂
@@socanordstrom973 I think you have the wrong person 😅
@@laurencarlson1235don’t worry about that comment, it’s a new comment trend people do to get likes and attention. it’s not serious, I’ve seen like a thousand other comments exactly like this lol
@@hadesisbaby is it a bot comment or a meme? Do you know?
As an artist, this critic went about this art nicely. Also, i didn't even know "the subway artist's" name until this video.
What a toxic example for a starving artist turned successful.
Breaks my heart.
“Love will always outshine hate. I hope I taught you that lesson.”
Ah yes, the overwhelming love of death threats and getting one fired. Really showed him what love is.
@canislupus4655 He was referring to the live he spreads with his art. I’ve seen his videos and I know the reason why he has so many followers us because he makes people feel good. That’s how he spreads love. This art critic tried to tear all that down with his long article about how Devon’s art isn’t original and not that good. That’s hate. Ben is a typical hater operating under the guise of being an art critic.
@@kuno6443 It’s great that he spreads love through his videos. But that does not mean he hasn’t spread hate has well. The two are not mutually exclusive. Even IF Ben was being hateful Devon did not respond appropriately.
But considering the responses you’ve left on other comments I don’t think you care about that. I’m happy Devon has brought you joy but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t in the wrong here.
I'm so tired of people immediately calling everybody with an opinion "hater", then preaching about spreading love while actively sending their fanbase to harrass somebody.
It's also still ironic that any time something like this happens, the fanbase thinks that somebody's simple opinion is somehow way worse than telling somebody to literally kill themself.
Literally bro
toxic positivity
I find it so interesting how it's no longer acceptable to enjoy something while also having critiques. You have to just accept even the flaws as the best thing ever. It's disrespectful to both the fans and the creators.
@maryfrancess93 ^^^^ The whole movement of "let people enjoy things" has ruined a lot of people's mindsets
@@marir.s3620 I find this so fascinating, on like a social and intellectual level.
I am an illustrator who follows almost exclusively artists on social media, and I’ve never heard of him. People constantly forget that what’s happening online is not what’s happening in real life. I’ve also never heard of an artist with such unbearably thin skin. that was the MOST innocuous critique of an artist I’ve ever heard, it was barely a critique at all. It’s always an opinion, but photorealistic art is not for everyone, especially an art critic that spends his days looking at far more unique and expressive and I’m sorry but probably more creative artists. I think deep down Rodriguez knows this, and has a massive chip on his shoulder about it. Dude, you did what the majority of artists can’t do, make money and get acclaim. Laugh your way to the bank and don’t blow up your career over the kindest critic who has crossed your path.
What’s funny is, he strikes me as the kind of artist for whom the vast majority of followers are not artists themselves. I, as an artist, do not see the appeal of his work. When I look for artists to follow, I look for fun and intriguing styles and techniques, things that involve actual creativity, things that I don’t really see in Devon’s work. With him, the whole appeal is the “drawing people on subways and surprising them with the finished picture”, not the actual art itself. His work is geared towards dopamine hits, not the admiration of something thought provoking and/or beautiful
Photorealistic art is amazing the first time you come across it, but it quickly starts to lose its appeal if there's nothing more meaningful behind it. I guess the framing of his videos adds the "something more" with the story of the random subway encounter -- but that story isn't going to be for everyone, either.
I was on deviantart like 12 years ago and let me tell you the criticism I got on there from other kids and teens was a million times more scathing than this critique. Crazy how insecure he is about such a tame article
I genuinely didn’t even know him by the “guy who draws people on the subway” moniker. I legitimately never knew he existed, so honestly… IRRELEVANT.
Yup. K am not a fan of photorealistic work either, I've always found it more as a skill demonstration than true expression. The logical path would be to master photorealism and then start experimenting instead of getting stuck on it. But then the type of art I make is not everybody's cuppa either. And you just deal with it, i stead of doing what that dude did.
I have never been an actual fan of an art critic before, but there's a first time for everything.
bro I remember him as the guy who gave Robert De Niro a drawing… he reacted rather neutrally and Devon’s fans called him grumpy and a rotten old man, or giving reasons why he might’ve react that way (like ‘oh old people can get surprised when they see how people see them’ or ‘he has mental issues’)
that was when I realized him and his fans are really cringe. as a gen z, I think people these days believe that they deserve the world. but in reality people react differently to things (especially those of the silent generation) and people don’t owe you praise.
This got me wondering if Robert deNiro is actually a long time appreciator of art. He seems to know his stuff and might have specific taste
As an artist, I try my best to take criticism as constructive and not as someone bashing me for the sake of it. I'm no where near this persons level, and I can understand taking pride in your work. However, sending your audience to attack someone who did their job by lightly critiquing your work is absurd
So many artists smell their own farts and have a ego problem. I do art and stuff. A little bit of everything. I've met too many people who act like their gods. It's weird.
It seems like people are getting worse and worse with separating what they do from who they are, so when their work gets critiqued it feels like a personal attack. Which is a wild way to live, imagine if, for example, restaurants didn't take any feedback into account when evaluating their businesses.
I’m no expert but this is why everyone needs a healthy dose of pessimism. Not enough to beat yourself down, but the right amount to avoid impossibly high expectations that will inevitably be let down.
@@Narangarath I mean. Hans Christen Anderson did lay face down on the floor for a while after his work was torn into
Artists have always been a sensitive sort. However we should go back to melodramatic responses of laying face down on the floor for a while instead of sending people to harass a person online
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 For sure the relationships between some artists and critics have always been contentious and artists can be ludicrously dramatic divas, but I don't think it's ever been really thought of as typical (stereotypes aren't exactly the gospel truth) or particularly appropriate behavior. That's why you know about Anderson having a temper tantrum all this time later, it was noteworthy because people thought the behavior was ridiculous.
I think Devon even having an exhibition was a mistake. I don’t personally find his art or account super interesting but I can appreciate the form of his videos. The art is not the picture, but the act of drawing the picture, handing it to the subject and capturing their reaction. I’s uncomfortable, superficial and awkward, this clean cut format that lacks genuine creativity that is where the artistic value is- A piece on the easy consumption and production of art within the lense of social media.
Remove the camera and the video and you lose the art… hence why the exhibition imo didn’t work.
Shame about the whole issue, he had real potential.
I was about to type out the same essay 😂
Bingo
You’re so right-Devon’s art is about the performance, and without it, he’s giving Ryan Higa’s iPod human
Yeah, performance art for him, would probably make a killing
it shouldve been an exhibition with each tiktok with their respective drawing next to it
That dudes high school art teacher deserves more cred. That subway painting was phenomenal. Its wild that that dude isn’t the one getting the shows and having to live off of a teachers salary while a student who bit his style gets to be financially set for life because of his objectively well done, but also milk toast feel good portraits. Especially going out of his way to fake the interaction and film it from different angles, print out the photo, edit it into the video and STILL have people think it’s an amazing unsolicited act of kindness.
Devon the type of guy to throw a tantrum over getting “sorry’d” in a game of Sorry.
This is so sweet to hear from a stranger considering ive been thinking of the same thing for the past 4 years. I went to Hs of Art And Design as well and Mr.Harrington was also my teacher. It always made me upset to see a white haired man lecturing teenagers to hand in their paintings haha. I learned from the best. I wish him the best, i hope he gets the recognition he deserves from this!
@@cynicaluto3887 that’s so cool, thanks for sharing!
It is actually the OPPOSITE of gatekeeping to write a whole article about someone's work, giving it a chance
Dude, if my art got critiqued by an actual art critic I would be OVERJOYED, I cannot comprehend this reaction.
Definitely insecurity and/or trauma. I say that as someone who probably would react like that because of insecurity and trauma. Thankfully I'm enough in therapy I'd learn to lose my shit in silence lmao.
But in my case at least, it's a "out of control" issue. If I think I'm shit, myself already that's fine. If someone I don't know and have zero control over their perception of me thinks I'm shit (even if I don't think ben ever did here), I feel I've got to do something about it. Either plead with them, gain their affection, go on the defense/offense, overjustify myself. Lots of weird coping reaction that will always make things worse than just leaving it alone x).
Dude needs the self-awareness to realize he hasn't coped with some shit tho, because people's perception of you and your art being out of your control and potentially "unfair" is literally unavoidable as an artist especially at his scale of public attention.
Ben is a Art critic. Since he’s an art critic I expected more criticism but he barely criticized it. He probably went to bed and had a good sleep that night and then woke to a new day and people telling him to kill himself for saying a hand on a drawing looked weird.
It wasn't even that the hand looked weird necessarily, but how central and eye catching that hand was 😂 He's right that it's super prominent and draws the eye, it was totally fair to point that out imo
As a multimedia artist, Ben is 10x nicer than some of the professors I had. My Branding professor looked at the presentation I’ve worked on for 3 days (all nighter) and told me to just drop out of his classes because I do not belong there. And I only had the courage to stop my tears during consultations before I bawled my eyes out back to my dormitory. But that consultation pushed me harder to prove my professor he was wrong and look who passed his class and told me he was proud to witness my finals :D
This artist guy’s (I forgot his name) technical skills are splendid but his openness to criticism sucks, and that takes half of who you are as an artist. He needs to grow a pair because if he’s working in the industry, his “peace and love, and no hate” won’t save his ass from years of gut-wrenching critiques. Because there are more brutal people than Ben and this article certainly isn’t the last thing he’ll hear about his work.
I also find it ironic he labeled out Ben’s critique as “hate” when he had his followers send threatening bs to the guy. Like bffr.
I like how nowadays if you say you don't like something on the internet, you're automatically JEALOUS of this or that person's success.
Imagine making it clear that someone has SHATTERED your self-image with their opinion, and then having the nerve to say that they’re just a guy with an opinion that doesn’t matter. 😂
I didn’t even think of that! He made sooo many posts about it. My guy, his opinion clearly mattered and affected you, tf you mean? 😂
@@plainjane4177like "I galloped my horse to you for 3 days straight to say how indifferent I am to what you say" 😅
OK yes this is the enormous irony in all of it, very well said
yeaaahh this guy could never make it in the fine art space 😭😭😭😭😭😭 ben was so gentle with him
Its the "my enemy is weak when I need my ego fed, and powerful when I need to garner sympathy" schtick that narcissists use so often.
Great take D’Angelo. I think that Devon’s reaction shows his lack of experience in the art world. From the start at art school we’re prepared to be critiqued on every piece of work. Constantly RECEIVING criticism and GIVING our peers criticism in order to grow artistically and accept different perspectives with a cool head. Devon should definitely grow some tougher skin if he wants to be taken seriously by his peers. No artist is above critique.
@Naptural85 Agreed, 100%. Also lol I know this isn't the point of your comment but I'm a fan of yours and had no idea you went to art school! Makes sense though given the quality of your projects.
Yes, this!! I do think he will learn to have thicker skin. This is the exact type of reaction the most talented people in class would have in their first year art criticism segment. After a while you get used to it and appreciate it
on point!
FR, I used to be shy and sensitive AF when I started school, but giving and taking critique really helped me mature artistically and socially
EDIT: @notville_ edited their comment to copy and paste mine directly like some weirdo. no i dont know why. yes this is my comment i made hours after theirs, their comment said something different originally.
Yeah in online spaces art critique is usually in poor taste considering random people on the internet might not have a lot of information and will give poor advice unsolicited, but in art school you learn how to give and receive critique. I only ever took art classes as electives but for museum studies we went to art galleries and exhibitions and had to critique those as well both as art installations and also the art in it at times. When you get big enough to get an exhibition, you are going to get the attention of art critics who are trained and skillful in their critique. In fact for many artists getting a prominent art critic to talk about their work seriously like this is a huge honor and a great learning opportunity and he raised a lot of good points Devon could use to develop his art more, and was actually very mild and kind. It was basically just "I want to see more variety and exploration from Devon" which is a lukewarm critique but Devon is acting like someone poured boiling water on him.
I'm thoroughly convinced that people who have these sorts of kneejerk reactions online (and sometimes in real life too, unfortunately):
1. Cannot read or analyze as well as they think they can
2. Are not emotionally mature to handle criticism
3. Are choosing to be ignorant and just want to react and complain for clout
I'm confused, did Devon really think his "art" exceeded anything than being a nice gimmick? Why did he create a flashy TikTok brand if not to make up for what his drawings are lacking. Does success really brainwash you that much that you even forget about your own intentions?
d’angelo thank you for the disclaimer i am now still unprepared for the internet drama we have to look at today
me too 😭
me too 😭
@@dario2648bro has no comment☠
I still don’t know what to expect 😢
It's not as bad guys, like yeah it's kinda cringe but I think he's covered worse subject matters
Ben on Friday: "He seems like a genuine nice guy :)"
Ben on Saturday: "Welp, he just proved me wrong."
I don’t get it
He just made the rookie mistake of taking a criticism of the work as a personal attack.
I like how ben focused on the behavior of the artist as opposed to personally atttacking him. One can debate character, but one cannot debate behavior.
I cannot think of something more validating of your art as a serious critique on an art publication. If that happened to me, I'd consider that I made it.
The wild part is that i feel like the article was largely positive. It had only good things to say about him personally, it said he was a talented technical painter, and this one is a bit more neutral but he said that the colors are very close to reality which maybe isnt very hard im not a painter i just know im bad with matching colors im not sure but i think the only negative things he said were about the hand and how the portraits were hyper realistic
It just goes to show he's more social media minded than he is art-centric, which seems to be typical of content creators his age these days. His lack of grace, humility, and maturity, as displayed in his response to Ben's critique, may cost him future endorsements and opportunities to showcase his talent because his fragile ego, lack of self control, and built mentality, which isn't welcome in the greater art space he's seeking to be part of. I hope he apologizes and grows up.
@@melaninmoxiellc963I hope he can grow emotionally, but I doubt it. At 27, his brain is fully formed. He is likely fully addicted to the likes and positive comments he gets on social media, and (I could be wrong, I don't know the guy) it seems that nothing else matters to him but the money.
Yeah, Devon really blew it as far as being taken seriously in the art world. Having that kind of meltdown that results in you encouraging your large online following to attack someone for mild critism not only looks bad but will also make other people not want to work with you in the future. Plus it shows that you're probably not going to grow as an artist.
A lot of us in my beginner art class bashed on ourselves because it didn't look "realistic" our professor told us not to strive for this realism because if we wanted an exact replica then we should just take a photo
And your professor is right. Hyper-realism has its place, but what differentiates it from a photograph should be something other than “I drew it”. Maybe it’s made out of an unconventional material that’s meaningful to the artwork, maybe the subject you chose is unique and has a story, maybe you captured something incredible like, idk, a car crash where one car is midair or something. Like, what makes good art is obviously subjective, and “it’s just pretty” *is* a valid reason to like/create artwork, but that’s not what these galleries are looking for and not what artists should strive for.
That's why I never really liked hyper-realistic art, I don't see the point.
@@ellingtonfeint13 I think hyper realistic art is done because the artist really really enjoys the process to get there
The slow careful planning, building up layer by layer. Etc. Almost like a meditation
Having the ability to replicate a picture is great, it’s amazing. Putting your own twist or creating something from scratch with your own style is amazing too. I think both are very valuable and I’m glad we have a wide spectrum of artists.
It irks me that many artists bash hyper realism (I don’t do hyper realism myself). Cuz by that logic then, if I could just take a picture of something, I could just do a painterly portrait with AI… Art, especially painting, doesn’t exist to fill in a need. Drawing/painting is about visual expression, whether it is through strokes,lines, colors, subject matter, all of the above, etc
@@alliu6562 I don't see where you get to tell artists what they "should" strive for. If they want to strive for something that's just pretty, that's their right. They don't get to demand a spot in an art gallery that's geared toward something completely different, but they can create art for themselves and for clients who have the same sensibilities.
wow, that is one hell of a fragile ego.
Unfortunately social media has led influencers to believe that they are the center of the universe and dont live in the real world with its regular professional setbacks.
The fact that Devon managed to get this big without ever being torn a new one proves he's been very sheltered in the art world. Criticism is many people's very first hurdle, and it's not a hurdle that goes away! Neither in art OR in real life. Criticism helps us reflect and improve through another person's perspective - and how valuable is that? Someone took time out of their day to write a review of something that's not necessarily their cup of tea, and they remained NICE about it. What a blessing that is!
Criticism can really really suck to deal with if you've never been taught how to cope. When I was a very insecure and depressed 17 y/o, I applied for art school and their assessment destroyed me. It was unnecessarily harsh with NO words on how to improve. It wasn't until years later in college that I was taught how to healthily deal with criticism - a safe environment really helped me take the lessons to heart. As overly harsh as the art school assessment was, I am grateful for it. I know now not to stick my own self worth onto everything I create - I have a much better relationship with my creations now. They're not WHO I am or what I'm worth - art is a skill I wish to cultivate simply for myself, not to sell. I happily ask my friends if they've spotted anything worth improving on, and appreciate to the moon and back when they spot something. And as gentle and kind as my friends are, the art critic in the video was even GENTLER smh
I think you probably dodged a bullet with the art school then. A good artistic commuity seeks to build people up even if they can't find many positives about what they're critiquing. The goal is to help you keep improving, not destroy your love for the whole field. Glad you didn't give up.
I would argue that he isn’t even in the art world. It seems to me that he’s more like an influencer who has artistic talent than an artist in the contemporary art world. The main piece is the performance of finding someone, drawing them and getting that “wow!” Factor in TikToks. That whole process is his art, not the actual drawings themselves. When you put this into perspective, it makes so much more sense as to why the exhibit doesn’t work super well without knowing about his TikToks. If I saw the show and never saw his TikToks, I’d have similar criticism about him trying to grow into his voice as an artist rather than photo realism. The art world is tiny, and this whole debacle was also covered on the Art Angle ( an art net podcast), I wouldn’t be surprised if this negatively impacts him heavily in contemporary art circles. Art Net is huge after all.
Which on top of that the exhibit includes those TikToks as part of his introduction video, proving that without the actual art (the TikToks), he doesn’t have much that he’s saying.
L + Ratio + Didn't Ask + Sneako better 🤡😂😂
I think learning about how to handle critiques are so important. Being able to identify critique that’s hateful Vs helpful is essential. We did the same thing in creative music classes at uni. It was hard to hear people tearing my work apart but I’d listen to the advice I was given, and took the parts that genuinely helped vs the critique that wasn’t helpful and just opinionated. Being able to understand the different between helpful and hateful critique is so important otherwise you’re just a lil bitch that cries about every piece of critique with no critical thinking and be offended over everything never improving yourself, I know because uni taught me how, before that I probably would’ve cried like this dude did all over the internet as well because I wouldn’t understand the difference. I think it’s an extremely important critical thinking skill that’s overlooked in schools.
"You're a man with an opinion, nothing more than that."
His job title is "art critic" literally another term for that is "man with an opinion." And he never claimed to be anything more than that! Lol
Almost half way through. I can really see how this set up to play out. His art is extremely literal, which will impress people who aren't artisticly inclined. Nobody is going to see his work and think, well I could do that, like you get with a Jackson pollock or something really abstract, or a banana taped to a wall. But technical skill alone isn't going to impress an art critic. And if he listened to his fans too much, he could be taken by surprise over a level of criticism he isn't used to, possibly to the point of thinking it's a personal attack.
On to the second half
Yup, just about that
As I have seen mentioned, the guy is a human camera, and I personally agree, I don't see much creativity in his work.
Devon’s reaction reminds me of a quote I saw about social media: Bad comments will have you thinking you are much worse than you are; good comments will have you thinking you are much better than you are. He is firmly the latter
Damn, not even Devon is beyond public tantrums due to criticism. Art is subjective, not everyone will find your art to be amazing, and that’s fine. It doesn’t mean your art ISN’T amazing. Take it from from someone who has literally drawn since they were 4 years old.
Exactly.
I heard it and it just seems like the critic just prefers paintings that, while being realistic, still can clearly be delineated as paint.
That's just a preference.
He acknowledges the technical skill.
He didn't just bash him for an entire article did he?
Did I miss the entire point?
I’m sure a 4 year old would be much more open to criticism thank Devon, when my siblings would say my Star Wars drawings weren’t right I just asked why and wanted to make em better cause I loved drawing clone troopers and didn’t understand what wasn’t right about it, so the criticism helped.
@@Abbywise32You didn’t miss the entire point, DEVON missed the entire point. There was hardly criticism if you ask me, he just said that his style was impressive, but lacked a bit of personality (which it is imo). Ben wasn’t calling Devon or his art trash, he simply said that he wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as Devon’s fan base. And mind you, this guy is an actual art critic, his job is to critique art, critique doesn’t equal bashing someone’s creativity/creations (which he didn’t even do), he just gave his honest opinion and it should’ve been left at that.
@@bubbus5183And that mindset IMMEDIATELY makes you a more mature artist than Devon. I’m glad we share that sentiment about learning from our flaws.
Is it really subjective? I thought art itself was objective or did someone trick me? 😭😔😔
I used to be in the same art friend circle with Devon about 5 years ago. When I just moved to NY to start art school, I had a show in a small Vegan restaurant in East Village. First night we met as a group, we happened to be nearby and decided to stop by to look at my paintings, I also mostly do realistic portraits. As soon as we walked out, he pulled me aside and started lecturing me that HE is the future of art, not me, best young artist, listed all the publications that talked about him, etc. I was like mmm ok nice to meet you too? He could just say “cool paintings” or nothing at all and go on with the night, but instead needed to say all that. It was very out of nowhere and embarrassing for everyone.
He also had a private instagram account where he would talk shit about his clients and followers, acting beyond disrespectful and leaking their info. I won’t go into details here, it was too bad.
If Devon sees this, he’d think I’m a jealous hater, I’m fine with that. I’d rather have a smaller following but earn it with honest work and staying in touch with reality, not by staging my work process and personality. What happened with this article is not surprising me at all lol
After reading your comment, I had to go check your art, and it is much more interesting than devon rodriguez! I especially love ''Dawn of youth'' and ''Sacrifice''. Keep on painting!
@@jarmtl oh wow thank you so much!♥️ It means a lot :) To be fair I don't think his work is bad, he's indeed skilled and hardworking. But it rather just turned into “content” at this point, so art people in NY don't really take him seriously. If he can't take a critic he probably doesn't want to be a part of the serious art world himself lol, there's no gatekeeping. Bigger problem for me is the fake personality and messages he sends to younger artists, it's for some reason personal to me and I knew for year's that things are off with him, so I'm glad true colors are starting to show
Checked your paintings and it looks really good keep up the work 👍
Oh wow, Devon isn't much of a nice guy is he? I just saw your CZcams short and I already think your art has more personality than his.
wow, you hate to see those people succeed. or "succeed" in this case. Can I support you some how?
It's the lack of the education system when people lack such basic comprehension skills to get mad at anything that they can't comprehend.
I just want to point out that the artwork Devon produces is not by any means some kind of revolutionary thing. Millions of art students across the world are able to make photorealistic stuff. Of course it takes a lot of technical skills to make stuff like this, but it's not the only thing that gives art value. he's acting sooo entitled and important when it's really not that big of a deal and so many people can do what he does and better. this man needs to be seriously humbled LOL
His real unique talent is his social media marketing know how lmao
He reminds me of those stands at parks where you can get a big-headed caricature of yourself
Only he goes more proper proportion route.
@christinelee4960 And that’s probably why Ben wanted to poke holes in Devon’s fan base by showing them how mediocre Devon is. Ben is probably pissed off for all those struggling artists out there whose talent far outshines Devon. He basically set out to ruin Devon’s social media following with this critique. If that’s not something to get pissed off over, idk what is.
hyperrealism is a hard genre to critique because it’s so technically challenging, but there is something to be said about the shallow virality behind these pieces and how the same realistic portrait with no other subject matter can be kind of boring and lifeless. it’s well painted sure, but there’s no real visual interest in the subject matter. adding on the fact that devon rodriguez seemingly only cares about his social media presence and acts so childish in response to critique lowers the sophistication of his work even more. he is the reason content creation-focused artists don’t get taken as seriously, which is a shame because there are so many great artists trying to make their living online.
if you want to check out some really interesting art being shown online i recommend andrew cadima, scumchoir, aniniwan
Especially hyperrealism in a conventional medium imo. It's obviously a very hard skill, and I understand that, but I'm much less impressed by someone who can do a hyperrealistic drawing in pencil than I am by someone who can do it in ketchup or pennies or whatever, because they're actually coming up with their own methods whereas humanity has spent hundreds of years figuring out how to do it with a pencil.
Also yeah, if you're going to do hyperrealistic art and it is genuinely hyperrealistic, my brain will not give you a lot of points for that and will just move on to critiquing the piece like I would a photo, because that's essentially what it is now. Honestly kind of feels like really hard Lego. It's objectively impressive if you can put a whole death star set together in an hour, and that's super cool, but you were just following instructions. I'm much more interested in the guy that can look at a pile of loose bricks and see a fish tank.
I tend to think of hyper realism as technically challenging but the artist isn't making a lot of artistic choices. They're just copy/pasting reality.
@@jessemiller4953what this guy paints isn’t even hyper-realism, it’s just basic realism. Hyper realism is beyond copy pasting reality (that’s why they call it “hyper” realism).
@jessemiller4953 it then comes down to how you would judge a photograph....... Judge subject, lighting and composition.......
As an artist, I can't begin to tell you how vital decent constructive criticism is for growing in one's craft. What Ben wrote was honest, deliberate, and fair, not a PR puff piece but not a scathing diatribe either. I would be _ecstatic_ to have received the review Devon did for his work, as it recognizes his skill while also pointing out areas that he could potentially improve upon if wanting to continue to show artwork long-term with gallery representation or juried exhibitions. He needs to recognize that the art world is not TikTok, that the echo chamber he has embedded himself in does not extend past the algorithm that favors feel-good content like his, and that not everyone is going to be amazed by yet another realistic representational artist when the field of art is already saturated with them. This is why expression, emotionality, and intent are so vital to creating work because those are things that make people remember your work long after viral internet fame wears off. I hope that Devon eventually learns from this massive mistake and learns humility himself, as his background and personal history are very inspirational and I like to see people from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in a field that is notoriously difficult to succeed in without money and/or personal connections. From his behavior, I unfortunately not see that happening soon.
I am a writer, and while I haven't been published I have written stories that have been featured online before and feedback/ criticism are essential to me writing a good story. Of course I disagree with some of the feedback I've gotten. I have looked at it through their lens and I can see their point.
I think you nailed, as did the author of the critique. Looking at the images in the gallery my first thought was 'wow, this guy has good technical skill' and my last thought was also 'wow, this guy has good technical skill'. When I think of art exhibitions that I've loved its always those with interesting ideas and variety in creative decisions; all of his works in this one seemed extremely similar to each other and to other photorealistic artists I have seen. I probably would've been underwhelmed if I lined up to see it in person (I live in Australia so that never would have happened anyway lol).
To me, his individual works do not feel interesting or important, and I think the critique that his art itself is not the impetus of his viral popularity is very well placed. Even amongst those who paint photorealism there are those with more technical capability than him who haven't seen even a fraction of the success, because the way they present their art is not optimised to feed the appetites of social media.
As a pretentious CZcams commenter...
@@brendanwilliams8235according to my calculations 🤓
Yes! I was going to say that as an artist I would have adored such good critique! There’s so much he can take away and work on and expand on!
I had some god awful critiques when I was doing my illustration degree (Like one tutor, when asked if they had any critiques/thoughts on some pieces I was doing, all pencil and ink on tracing paper, told me that It’d be quicker to do photography….). I’d love to see this ball of ego experience one of them.
As an art student I’ve genuinely said “meaner” thing to friends about their work and visa versa.
Would be interesting to see his geographical viewer analytics because i live outside of America and avidly keep up with art news and the first time I even heard of him was from this article
This is the kindest art critic I have ever seen
*Calling him the most famous artist in the world us beyond ridiculous. People who use tik tok need to learn that most humans in the world actually don't!*
And as we all know, you can only see a TikTok video if you are yourself a TikTok user. You can't send them to people who don't use it, you can't write articles about someone on TikTok that people who don't use TikTok can read, and people most certainly can't make videos about TikTok users and their antics on other platforms. Absolutely ridiculous to think that you could ever call someone "the most famous" just because there's a high chance that he is the most seen artist at this moment.
@@Avendesora LMFAOOOO
@@Avendesoradude I'm pretty sure Picasso or even Warhol are a million times more famous than this guy. not a good defense. I and many other people in the comments have never heard about this guy
@@alexkiddo5855 I'm sorry for not specifically calling out that we're talking about alive people, but that felt pretty fucking obvious to me considering the nature of the actual article that were commenting on. I do think it's really fucking funny that you're using your own anecdotal ignorance as some kind of proof that this guy isn't actually a meme seen arou d the globe.
@@Avendesora If people are familiar with your content and not your name you're absolutely not famous
There are rich people that started out poor, like for example the golden voice guy who remained humble and kind hearted and then there's whatever the hell Devon is.
“Accept both compliments and criticism. It takes both sun and rain for a flower to grow." -Marek Kośniowski 🌸
It’s disappointing that Devon won’t just own what he does. He doesn’t want to see himself as a technically talented artist who makes digestible art themed entertainment for the masses. His story of an underdog who came out on top is very inspiring and widely relatable. Realism is easily understood by the everyday viewer who hasn’t studied art. I don’t need to have studied art to know that his work looks like it’s subjects. The videos are uplifting and brighten people’s day. He’s figured out how to bring art and positivity to a large audience and I think that’s great. I don’t get why he acts like he reinvented the wheel. His commitment to seeing himself as a misunderstood outsider to the art industry is more pretentious than anything in Ben’s review.
This
Exactly. And in the artworks there's nothing unconventional at all. Just technically good photographic figurative pieces of everyday scenes of life. The unconventional image comes from the social media promotion and his personal story. Nothing wrong with it.
Wish I could like this comment twice
I totally understand what the art critic is saying. when i was at delgado community collage my art teacher had this assignment where we had to recreate Asian folklore into art and mine was on tsukuyomi and her brothers and i thought i had captured what i thought it meant to me. so when she critiqued my artwork i got butthurt and it took me years to understand that what she meant. she told me "its not bad but its lacking creativity or emotion to sell the piece" she just wanted me to push more to give the painting a soul. so i understand how he feels but with time hopefully he can grow from this.
good for you to be able to grow and understand the constructive criticism, its not easy to put down your ego for that. while maybe his's already so inflated by everyone around him, that's why the reaction is so bad....
DCC….in New Orleans?? 😃
YES SIR@@hellaSwankkyToo
Went there 2016-2018@@hellaSwankkyToo
this video really solidified why i like the stuff you do. you often criticise people but you're so positive and even-handed about it. it's just such a breath of fresh air. instead of a token ''dont harrass this guy'' you really do try to big up somebody's strengths before you tactfully talk about what they've done wrong. i'm so sick of haters and mob mentality man, thank you for being so cool and anti binary when it comes to discussing a person's whole output, something that took years of their life or is really meaningful to them. you're really the antidote.
His reaction is why people outside of the social media employment realm can’t stand influencers because the follower count creates huge egotistical humans who think they are untouchable.
There are adult humans living totally normal lives who don’t care if you have amassed a following nor does it equal any worth outside of those regularly consume social media. They are just regular people however there ego tells them differently. As fast as the wave of popularity came it will go. This guys response is very immature and self absorbed he is the most important person in his own world.
Social media at this level is beyond toxic
The funny part is, Ben Davis is probably more famous than him. He’s a hugely revered contemporary art critic who’s created a lot of theories and terms that are foundational to contemporary art analysis
thank for the info bc this is amazing
Not famous, but more influential in a way that is concretely contributing something, rather than just on the views/fame hamster wheel.
Devon is a fad. His social media presence will die in a few years, and he will be forgotten.
Ben Davis will still have a career, and his influence will be as strong as ever.
Social media fame DOES NEVER translate to some sort of expertise in real life. There may have been artistes who were famous already before jumping on the social media bandwagon (like Kim Junggi) but there is almost no one who gained fame on social media and then went on to become iconic in their respective field.
@srm2900 Then why did he feel the need to go after an artist from TikTok and CZcams? Jealous of all that ad revenue? 😒
Before literally every critique we did in art class, the teachers spent like five minutes deeply explaining that we shouldn't take critique personal. As hard as it is, someone "attacking" or just not showering your work the praise you think it deserves, isn't a personal slight. I wish more artists would learn that.
And also, some of your biggest critics can make you produce your best works. Nothing truly worth praising comes from an echo chamber filled with applause.
That's so true. Critical comments really helped me develop my writing and storytelling skills. Especially when some big names in the community would spend their time in the comment section pointing what they liked about my work and what can be improved - priceless!
Sneako is better than D'Angelo
@@GordonSZNbro nobodys gonna argue with ur weak bait 😭😭😭
It is very popular now to brag about not going to art school and I can agree that art school has valid critics but I remember one of my teachers telling the class that a thick skin is one of the most important things you can gain in art school. As he joked, you need to say “do you want fries with that?” with a smile; if you want to continue creating art. This was a long time ago, now you can find multiple sources of income as an artist but the tough skin helps maintain the ego and high self esteem necessary to create. Art is not solely created to be exhibited on Mom’s refrigerator. Your take on this story was refreshing.
I didnt see pictures of devons first exhibition until watching this but seeing it warrants ben's critique. it's a little on the nose no? the subway seats, the white brick walls, the realistic portraits on the subway (which look like painted screenshots from one of his tiktok/ig videos). it feels like an influencer exhibition point blank. devote of emotion and expression. fantastic to look at, you can tell devon is talented, the work is just.....stagnant. tough to see devon react this way. if he grows from this i cant believe the self cringe he'll have to endure in the future looking back. i can definitely say ive been there too tho
reading Ben Davis' words was such a refreshing reminder of what it's like to not be completely terminally online all the time
it just makes you realise that terminally online people ARE actually insane and not rational or sensible at all.
I'm sorry but as impressive his work is on a technical level, it is still gimmicky and uninspired as hell. The art critic was way too nice about it.
I think he needs to incorporate more of the context his tiktok videos has in his art pieces that are removed from it. If his messaging is "spreading joy through showing someone/something mundane, can be a source of inspiration and beauty" he should actually show people reacting with joy and being inspired by mundane things in his art not just depicting what he thinks is and expecting people to react the same way as they do watching his full tiktoks when he removed an entire step from it. While it'd be repetitive I genuinely do think his art would emote better if he'd draw stills from his own videos of people's reaction to seeing the portraits.
@@ArturGlass.Che could've alternately made the pieces more interactive in forms such as augmented reality, "immersive exhibits" or animation, where they are presented in an enhanced format that speaks to the one that he built his fame on
Bachelor of fine art here. Got to be honest ive seen a lot of skilled artists give up because of critique. It's kinda common for people to be raised thinking good art is just technically good but it has always been more than that.
Dude can’t take constructive criticism.
His reaction is actually very telling. It proves that even Devon considers himself more of a social media personality than an artist.
An actual art critic responding to an exhibition of yours is actually an instance of being included in the art world, not gatekept from it.
Responding to a critic is notoriously the worst thing you can do for your career. It's a shame no one advised him on that. Or maybe they did and his ego just got too big to want to listen.
people need to remember critisism is inherently constructive. if its not constructive, aka helpful, its not criticism, its just insults
I'm about to go into my honours year in visual arts, he's literally LIVING. THE. DREAM. At this point in my career, a critic NOTICING me enough to write a review, positive or negative, would be HUGE. I'd be framing it, even if it was scathingly negative, because that means I've made it. I wouldn't be shocked if this tanks any professional art world prospects he may have in the future and he's stuck going down the purely influencer route - and I doubt it'll last long if he continues to react to any form of critique like that. It's a shame because his work is genuinely beautiful but the critic was right, it really resembles those hyper-realistic drawings everyone sees on Pinterest but doesn't think about for more than 2 seconds. It doesn't say anything about him as an artist besides that he's very talented.
It's basically shooting him in the foot that he has no formal education in art. As someone studying creative writing, I know criticism is a eky element to mprovement. He treats it like a personal attack when he was supposed to take advice into consideration if he wants to and improve areas of his work. The creative spheres are no place for someone who can not take criticism. They will sooner or later be cushed if they can't adapt to take criticism. No one creatie will ever please every person on the planet with their creative works.
Yeah, youd figure hed realize that. Like no matter what the critic said, he made a public critque of your work which put your name out there in circles other then teeny bops on tiktok.
So real
Critics are irrelevant. I'd rather have paying clients than.
Hm… I would like to see ur artwork, because the way your comment was somewhat straightforward!! Maybe your art is amazing just like your words. Do you perhaps have insta? (Sorry, my tiny grammar attitude seems to be really enjoying this lol)
Im taking the words "gatekeeping" and "Cancel" away from these people and putting them on a high shelf.
omg how can you gatekeep their use of the word cancel, I'm gonna cancel you now /s
It would be great if we could also take away "gaslighting", "narcissist" and "borderline" from the same people until they learn how to use them responsibly
It's ironic how he saying love will always outshine the haters, but he's out there being a hater.
I truly think that parasocialism and fake positivity (fake things in general) has gotten WAYYY out of hand on the internet :(