Uniquely talented artist receives heat from online viewers over art portraits

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Recently a 65-year-old woman's art work has caused heated discussions in China's social networks, as the people in her portraits are all looking similar which are far different with their actual appearances.

Zhang draws a portrait for a kid. /Chinanews Photo

The grandmother, identified only by her surname Zhang, has been producing pencil portraits for visitors in Beijing's Shichahai Park for over a year. Zhang’s work normally charges between 5 yuan to 20 yuan for a pencil portrait that takes nearly 15 minutes to complete.

In Shichahai community, many people are familiar with Zhang. A lady told Chinanews reporter that Zhang’s family has been living near Shichahai Park for 8 years. Her family is a low-income resident.

“I practiced drawing for 7 years before I was confident enough to come out. I relied on it to live,” Zhang said.

While some people are quick to label Zhang a fraud who cheats tourists, others defended her, saying she is just trying to make a living.

Though the majority of online comments suggested her work was most like a doodle art, some were more generous, describing it as “abstract but artistic.”

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