'I...was told “oh but you know only people with talent get in right…?"': 30+ Artists share the harshest critiques they've ever heard

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 30, 2022 3:00 PM EST

Everyone's a critic, including the very teachers who are supposed to guide students along their path to success. When senior art critic Jerry Saltz asked artists to dish on their worst art advice from teachers, he got some incredible responses. 

He posed the question in a tweet, asking, "Artists: Did you ever have a bad art-school critique that really set you back, knocked you off your pins? What was it? Keep it short; don't exaggerate. Often, it can be the least thing. Have you ever made a "revenge" work of art? What was it?" 

People shared some cringeworthy and heartbreaking "advice" that their teachers had given them, including a few teachers who suggested their art was so bad they should quit it. Lots of these tidbits of bad advice aren't that mean, but are still harsh words to hear as a student who's still learning. Not everyone knows how to give constructive criticism though!

Judge for yourself how these artists are doing now that they're creating "revenge art" pieces. Then, click here to read all about this father-son spat turned credit card dispute that has gone so, so wrong. 

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  • 01
    Font - 'I was once told in an architecture design critique that my work was like a flavor of ice cream that no one liked '
    via Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - Jerry Saltz @jerrysaltz Artists: Did you ever have a bad art-school critique that really set you back, knocked you off your pins? What was it? Keep it short; don't exaggerate. Often, it can be the least thing. Have you ever made a “revenge" work of art? What was it?
    via @jerrysaltz
  • 03
    Sky - NotDogFinity, PhD @NotDogFinity Replying to @jerrysaltz In 6th grade, my art teacher told me to focus on my other classes.
    via @notdogfinity
  • 04
    World - Kristen McGuire @KrisComics Replying to @jerrysaltz All of my art teachers told me that anime wasn't a real art style, that it was just a fad. My mom asked when I planned on making "real" art. No revenge piece, but I make my living off of anime now, and have for several years.
    via @kriscomics
  • 05
    Font - John William Bailly @johnwbailly : Replying to @jerrysaltz I was getting slammed by multiple faculty in a grad crit. Then Mel Bochner said to all of them: "You are all telling him how you would paint these paintings. You're not considering how he could make these paintings more how he wants them." I still think about this all the time
    via @johnwbailly
  • 06
    Font - Mina Markovich @MinaMarkovich : Replying to @jerrysaltz The professor I disliked liked my most explicit figurative piece. That was the last of the kind.
    via @minamarkovich
  • 07
    World - Laurence Fuller @LaurenceFuller Replying to @jerrysaltz As a young actor, I was once returned my DVD reel from an agent with a note accidentally attached that said "will never set the world alight, funny teeth" Now I set it alight on the daily 9:53 18.1K views : From Laurence Fuller
    via @laurencefuller
  • 08
    Font - Arin Hanson, City Smasher @egoraptor : Replying to @jerrysaltz This was in an art class in middle school, I was miles ahead of everyone else in my class, and we had an exercise to draw ribbons passing over each other. It had to have at least 3 pass overs. I finished way early and just kept drawing ribbons. She said it was too busy.
    via @egoraptor
  • 09
    World - Helen Brough @HelenBroughArt : Replying to @jerrysaltz I made a glass installation for my MA show at Chelsea School Of Art. The art critic Sarah Kent refused to go into the room as she was afraid! I was devastated as she was such a great supporter of female artists especially Tracy Emin
    via @helenbroughart
  • 10
    Font - Vissyarts @vissyarts Dec 26 Replying to @jerrysaltz I spent years being told my art wasn't good and I would amount to nothing in my country. Then I found a whole new world where my art was loved globally. N I became the first artist in my country to have their art on billboards in created this piece in response to the hate NYC. I I HATE NFT'S 50% NG MI 50% ETH ARTIST SHOULDN'T NORMIE MAKE OWNEY 50% NFT BEG ME FOR OPPORTUNITES HOW DARE ARTISTS MAKE MONEY! 50%7 97.3% 50%
    via @vissyarts
  • 11
    Font - Dave Rapoza @DaveRapoza Replying to @jerrysaltz I got told you couldn't make a living in illustration/game art doing portraits - thankfully I was stubborn enough to want to prove them wrong and became known at the time for doing realistic interpretations of popular characters
    via @daverapoza
  • 12
    Font - Fred Wood @thatsmytrunks Replying to @jerrysaltz I was told in highschool by my teacher that anime style wasn't art. So I tried doing other stuff. I was bad at it. I stopped doing the cartoon style I was doing, so I got bad at that too.
    via @thatsmytrunks
  • 13
    Font - Fred Wood @thatsmytrunks Replying to @thatsmytrunks and @jerrysaltz When we did our portfolios, it was a bunch of boring route pieces that I'd done and one self portrait in a cartoon style. The only thing that got high marks at this portfolio review was my cartoon style, and they said I should do more.
    via @thatsmytrunks
  • 14
    Font - Fred Wood @thatsmytrunks Replying to @thatsmytrunks and @jerrysaltz That art teacher was later found out to be stealing money that had been donated for supplies, and switched schools.
    via @thatsmytrunks
  • 15
    Font - Bill Roorbach @billroorbach Replying to @jerrysaltz I had a prof in college (1971) who said I'd never be a writer. This definitely drove me for a lot of dry apprentice years. He asked me for a blurb not so long ago...
    via @billroorbach
  • 16
    Font - Casey Spooner @caseyspooner Replying to @jerrysaltz I had a painting teacher say the best thing about my paintings is when I talked about them.....it pushed me into performance.
    via @caseyspooner
  • 17
    Font - Joseph Lamour @lamour & Replying to @jerrysaltz During the entrance interview at Pratt the judge or w/e went on a very insulting tirade about the way I painted this piece with doves. I don't get mad often but hoo! I got accepted there but I chose to go to RISD instead partly because I thought I may have that guy as a teacher.
    via @lamour
  • 18
    Font - Joseph Lamour @lamour & Replying to @lamour and @jerrysaltz The painting is still hanging in my parents house 20+ years later btw and I think of what he said every time I see it Imao.
    via @lamour
  • 19
    Font - Nick Chiosa @nickchiosa Replying to @jerrysaltz During 1 critique an instructor said, "do it more like this!" ... I said, "no ma'am, I shan't paint that canvass like that and I won't!" And I gave her the finger that bares the greatest length! So that her face was behind mine finger! And spent all classes hence, on the balcony
    via @nickchiosa
  • 20
    Font - Mandy Wirig @AmandaWirig Replying to @jerrysaltz I had a painting professor who told me after I graduated that I was "a weak painter." Now I have gallery representation in Tokyo and he never exhibits outside of the Midwest.
    via @amandawirig
  • 21
    Font - Joanna Grelle @willsdarklady Replying to @jerrysaltz i went to school for fine art photography & had a passion for the human body in motion. i had a deep love for BW sports photography, but the dept chair said that pix of athletes are "common," "lacked humanity (?!)," & "not art" & that i should reconsider my major. so i did.
    via @willsdarklady
  • 22
    Dog - Tania Rivilis | COLOREM @tania_rivilis Dec 26 Replying to @jerrysaltz (self taught artist) 5 years ago a comment from local gallery (Germany) - "your portraits are boring". Was depressed This summer won Willam Lock Prize (20k£) at Royal Portrait Society for the most timeless portrait, with real feeling for paint and aesthetic potential
    via @tania_rivilis
  • 23
    Font - Felisamos @Felisamos2 : ... Replying to @jerrysaltz Art teacher said I was too good at drawing, and forced me to do only clay work. So I made an atom bomb model in clay, but filled it full of holes. It detonated in the clay oven and blew up all the end-semester projects from 3 classes.
    via @felisamos2
  • 24
    Human - Dead Bomb Art (working o... @DeadBo.... 16h Replying to @jerrysaltz I had a college art teacher who *hated* all things anime, but *loved* Darth Vader and assigned us a Star Wars art project because it was his passion. So I posed Vader like Sailor Moon out of pure spite because I hate when art teachers tell me anime isnt industry- acceptable.
    via @deadbombart
  • 25
    Jaw - Eamon Winkle @CanIGetanEamon 22h Replying to @jerrysaltz I was frequently told in college that was I was doing was not art and therefore not an artist. No matter how hard I worked, I kept getting that same response from the faculty. Now I've won multiple awards, been published in a variety of media. My revenge is not giving up. Y MAL
    via @canigetaneamon
  • 26
    Forehead - RAM Replying to @jerrysaltz Was critiqued on my self portrait painting for being too emotional, rough and undone. @ram_dezin 22h So I continued to make my paintings more emotional, rough and undone.
    via @ram_dezin
  • 27
    Font - Jesse Woolston @jessewoolston Replying to @jerrysaltz One of my least qualified professors thought creating musical works with haptic suits for the deaf community was "something to fall asleep to" I learned it's important to gauge the quality of craft+expertise someone has that gives their opinion weight, instead of their position
    via @jessewoolston
  • 28
    Font - Commissions Open! || Rex @DireBeast Rex : Replying to @jerrysaltz High school art teacher told me during a sketching lesson to "draw without lines" when i was 13 and my biggest artistic inspirations i aspired to were 2D western animation and fantasy art. She made us copy things by eye with no fundamentals or construction. Nearly killed my drive
    via @direbeastrex
  • 29
    Font - Reggy (crying all the time) @reggy_d_ Replying to @jerrysaltz I'm a fashion major, often my designs were made less bc they were "too conceptual" or too experimental, not commercial. It really made me think I'd never be successful as a designer and started doing other stuff. Now I do costume design for drag queens and they love my designs
    via @reggy_d_
  • 30
    Gesture - I Nate Hill @natehillphoto Dec 26 Replying to @jerrysaltz I had a lecturer at university tell me my art was too basic and I'd never make a career out of it. I went away from visual art to music for quite a long time after that. After slowly stepping back in years ago, I am now a full time artist who has exhibited all over the world. :
    via @natehillphoto
  • 31
    Font - Ben Jones @visual_dreamzz Replying to @jerrysaltz I was once told in an architecture design critique that my work was like a flavor of ice cream that no one liked
    via @visual_dreamzz
  • 32
    Eyebrow - wwww Britt Anderson @BrittaJJ26 - 16h Replying to @jerrysaltz Revenge art: I made a tweet saying "i'm not fat - i have operatic curves" to be funny and full of self-love... and then someone tweeted in reply that I was using that tweet to try masking how unhealthy and ugly I was because I was fat So I drew myself as a queen outta pure SPITE "no" 2020 OWN...
    via @brittaJJ26
  • 33
    Font - vampire prince nina @NinaModaffari Replying to @jerrysaltz A prominent artist reviewed my portfolio in front of a full class, tearing it apart piece by piece and saying none of it was good enough to get into the industry. By the end of it even the professor turned to me and was like 'wow...that was a bit much, are you okay?'
    via @ninamodaffari
  • 34
    Sleeve - Phillip Trujillo @Phillip00725968 Dec 26 Replying to @jerrysaltz Classical painting teacher told me to never use black. Drawing teacher told me to never use titanium white. I painted this self portrait almost immediately afterward. I'm pretty stubborn.
    via @Phillip00725968
  • 35
    World - JHY @j_h_yang. Dec 27 Replying to @jerrysaltz Had an instructor who liked how I painted but hated how I had made my paintings on surfaces that were not a conventional canvas because "you're too good at painting to have gimmicks". I made a near 6'x4' spinning painting
    via @j_h__yang
  • 36
    Font - JO Nicole Miller @JOSourcing Replying to @jerrysaltz From a teacher in figure drawing class: "This is not the place to be creative." Understandable, however I was an advanced student. So much so that my classmates asked why I was there!
    via @JOSourcing
  • 37
    Font - Venrin || Ven @Venrinn : Replying to @jerrysaltz Told my art teacher that I wanted to apply for an art degree and was told "oh but you know only people with talent get in right...?" Totally shattered me for years, I even got a Bachelors and then Masters in finance because I thought I could never do art.
    via @venrinn

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