Banksy

His piece of art, originally at Southampton General Hospital has raised £14.4 million for NHS charities today. ??

Oldwoman70 good news and leaving a reproduction at Southampton hospital, hope it gets loads.

I have just read that Banksy is selling the canvas of this picture and it is expected to raise around £2.5m which will be donated to NHS charities

Ihave done lots of life drawing trisher! I've even been a model for it!
Granted, I really don't know much about children's anatomy.
You make some brilliant points, thank you (and I like your take on IWD elsewhere)

FannyCornforth

muse I don't think that I was clear, the eye and the ear are still parallel however you hold your head.
trisher, sorry, I didn't mean A12!
I'm not sure where that came from!
To be honest, I suppose that I could be considered a bit of an 'expert'. I've got a first and an MA in the history of art, am a qualified art teacher and was offered a lecturing post at a university. I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but just wanted to show that I'm not just talking out of my hat! Despite not being very articulate at the moment...

The interestingthing is that you can have all of those qualifications and never have done a life drawing class. I've no art qualifications apart from a teaching certificate gained many years ago. I have done an awful lot of life drawing and know the difference between adult anatomical proportions and children and they are very different.
But actually it's never all about technique and observation, intention, communication, creativity and what can only be described as soul are more important.

FannyCornforth As has been said appreciation of art is subjective - personally I dislike some of Picasso's work, but that is my own view and I accept others like it.

I like Banksy's work not just for the skill but also the social commentary he makes with many of his pieces

I agree varian,Dh and i said the same quite recently.

It’s interesting I think, the expert eye will pick up technique failures that others don’t spot, and see a piece of art in a context that others don’t see. Ultimately though, that expert view has no relevance to what art captures people’s imaginations and makes them happy - because that’s intangible. That’s why Banksy has succeeded and where many other technically more gifted artists don’t.

muse I don't think that I was clear, the eye and the ear are still parallel however you hold your head.
trisher, sorry, I didn't mean A12!
I'm not sure where that came from!
To be honest, I suppose that I could be considered a bit of an 'expert'. I've got a first and an MA in the history of art, am a qualified art teacher and was offered a lecturing post at a university. I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but just wanted to show that I'm not just talking out of my hat! Despite not being very articulate at the moment...

Not a fan- I don’t like graffiti whether it is talented or not. Have to admire how well he has done as a cartoonist, though. He did some works in Melbourne once and they were whinging because it got removed.

Art isn't just about technical skill - although I think Banksy's painting style is pretty good.

His paintings take a very wry and questioning look at society - and perhaps that's why some people don't like him.

Everyone has different tastes and opinions on paintings, music and literature but that is just what they are - personal opinions. It is rather presumptuous to present one's opinions as if they are the last word on the matter.

Have to disagree with you FannyCornforth. The boy is looking up at the doll. From that viewpoint the ear will appear lower than the eye line.

You say the hand is the same size as his ear. The child's palm may be the same size but the full length makes it slightly longer than his ear. Correct for a that age of child.

This photo proves my point.

The other thing is of course that children's proportions differ considerably from adults. They have bigger heads and smaller hands.

Agree trisher looks jolly fine to me!

Well you must be a real art expert although the concept of distorting for effect and emphasis has been around since pre-Renaisance times. It's one of the reasons Byzantine art was once much misunderstood with people thinking the artists didn't know about perspective when in fact they just chose not to use it. The picture is about 1 metre square (A12 is a few mm) and the focus is the nurse doll. If you want a 100% accurate picture take a photograph. Art is about so much more.

trisher

FannyCornforth you do realise don't you that these are huge wall paintings meant to be viewed from below, and that sometimes artists distort perspective to acheive effects? So in this case the child's hand is small partly because it will be nearer you and also because it should not draw attenton away from the nurse doll which is the focus of the whole piece. It's really no good trying to criticise just the drawing if you ignore the intention.

Erm, no. The picture that I was referring to, the boy/ doll one is around an A12 size.
You can argue with me until the cows come home, but I know I'm right!

This is so funny- Bob Ross doing a Banksy!
www.instagram.com/p/CMAHrGPFV2V/

FannyCornforth you do realise don't you that these are huge wall paintings meant to be viewed from below, and that sometimes artists distort perspective to acheive effects? So in this case the child's hand is small partly because it will be nearer you and also because it should not draw attenton away from the nurse doll which is the focus of the whole piece. It's really no good trying to criticise just the drawing if you ignore the intention.

I see Banksy as more of a cartoonist-type artist - the appeal is in what he puts where, and the unexpectedness of it. He can usually make me smile.

Thanks bmacca

For those who do like Banksy, there’s an interesting programme on Sky Arts about him

www.sky.com/watch/title/programme/1c6b99f9-cd60-40f4-9c7f-e81405565685

And I think that he has ripped off the KLF quite a bit too.

Oldwoman I really wouldn't class myself as an artist, I can draw very well and have a creative nature but that's it.
I do however know my onions when it comes to the history and theory of art & design.
I also know talent and skill when I see it, and I when I look at Banksy's stuff I see neither.
There is also a French street artist (his name escapes me) whose ideas are remarkably similar, and predate Gunningham's work.

Banksie would probably say his work is to create discussion, a talking point, relevant to that moment in time.

Art is very subjective.
I have wonderful pieces 'Modern' art, all of which adorns my kitchen walls and fridge.???

Everyone gets something different from art - that is what it is supposed to do. Many artists don't portray the human body exactly - if you want that look at a photograph - it is all down to interpretation. As an artist I am sure you understand that.