BANGKOK — An acrylic seascape painting by a first-year student, posted for sale online for just 800 baht ($24), went viral. It received an overwhelming number of likes and shares, causing the price of the subsequent work to skyrocket to 159,999 baht ($4,700) at auction.
Kittichate Rattanakunsart, a first-year student in the Faculty of Painting at Silpakorn University and creator of the viral artwork, told Khaosod Online that he was shocked and very confused by this viral trend. He never expected to receive this much attention, as his previous works only received about 20-30 likes.
“I’ve previously sold 2-3 paintings on the page, which were works completed after class assignments at university. Back then, they received 20-30 likes and only 4-5 people wrote compliments. I priced them at 1,000-1,500 baht ($30-45). But this time, there are over 80,000 likes from people sharing it continuously,” he said. People also questioned, “Isn’t this beautiful painting being sold too cheaply?”
Kittichate posted his work, Composition “Shadow Light”, using acrylic on paper technique, sized 42×59″, on the Facebook group ART & CRAFT Lovers Market on August 26, with the caption “I’m selling my work for 800 baht.”
About 15 minutes after posting, someone contacted him to buy it for 800 baht. Kittichate revealed that he priced it this way because he didn’t spend too much time on it, about 4 hours. He painted it late Sunday night to submit on Monday morning, rushing to finish so he could sleep and wake up to submit the work in the morning.
The student whose work became famous overnight said he was happy that everyone appreciated his work and got to know it better. Usually, after submitting assignments to teachers, he sometimes posts them for sale. He works on paintings daily, following teachers’ instructions, gradually becoming more skilled.
“The inspiration for this painting came from shadows reflecting on sea waves, which look fluid and soft to the eyes. I painted based on a seascape photo I took myself. Although it’s not exactly like the photo, I tried to make the painting look dimensional, emphasizing light and shadow weights, highlights to make the work look complete and beautiful,” he said.
Kittichate added that next time, he would probably price his paintings at 1,200 baht and up. He wants to encourage everyone to support student works. He’s very grateful and proud to have this opportunity.
Later, on August 30, Kittichate painted a similar work but with brighter blue seas, posting it for auction. He included a photo of himself painting with a cat sitting in front of the work.
This time, Kittichate stated that the painting is called “Wave Sparkle”, using acrylic on canvas technique, sized 45×60 cm. The auction started at 800 baht, with any bid amount accepted, 200 baht for shipping with frame, closing on September 1, 2024 at 1.30 p.m.
As of September 1, the highest bid reached 159,999 baht. Kittichate posted a message on his Facebook page, saying: ‘Thank you to everyone who participated in the auction and showed interest in and appreciation for my work, recognizing its value. I feel grateful and happy to have received such a great opportunity. I am ready to listen to all of your advice and criticisms, and I am prepared to continue developing and improving my work. Thank you very much. You can follow my work on INSTAGRAM: art_fillm‘
_______
