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A student weighs in:
As a serious student of portraiture, I appreciate that the discussion of this work is articulate, well-reasoned, and polite. You'd be surprised how much we beginners can learn from critiques of the work of other, more advanced artists. And since I love Mr. Shanks' work, I am very interested in what professional portraitists have to say about it. For me, it's another learning opportunity.
I first saw this painting on another forum, and the subsequent posts ranged from admiration to crass, ill-informed, rude commentary about everything from the composition to the technical skill. In my opinion, there was absolutely nothing to be learned from discussions about this painting on the other forum, just a blatant display of childishly jealous insults.
I have, in the past, made remarks about the SOG forum that were childish, at best. Lately however, I have come to understand that SOG is one of the best resources for students of portraiture on the Internet. And further, the flavor of discussion here, rather than stifling, is much more conducive to constructive learning and the sharing of ideas.
I salute you.
Minh Thong
(Humbled and Contrite)
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