After painting for 100 straight hours, Chancellor Ahaghotu, a Nigerian art student, shattered the record held for the longest painting marathon for ten years.
Guinness World Records revealed Ahaghotu’s accomplishment on its website and social media accounts on Wednesday.
Roland Palmaerts (Belgium/Canada) set the previous record of 60 hours, which was greatly surpassed by the sophomore at Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 2013.
“I came to the United States to pursue my dreams and build up my career as a recognized artist,” Ahaghotu told Guinness World Records before embarking on his record attempt. “Breaking the record will boost my recognition as an artist both in my school and the world at large.”
The challenger may work on a single huge painting or several, but the painting(s) must depict a recognisable image; abstract painting is not allowed for this record.
According to GWR, Ahaghotu put in a lot of effort over the course of four days to create 106 pieces that showed a wide range of things, such as celebrities, foods, plants, animals, and much more.
He painted a broken record player at the 60th hour, when he beat the previous record.
“One thing I love about the paintings I created is that they were representing my different moods and how I was feeling when I created them,” Ahaghotu explained.
The challenger is allowed one five-minute rest break for each hour of continuous activity, just like with all other “longest marathon” records. If these rest breaks are not taken, they can add up. Ahaghotu could only eat, sleep, and use the loo during certain periods.
Ahaghotu claimed that he struggled with exhaustion around the 88-hour point, but he was determined to complete the 100 hours, so he didn’t consider ending the record attempt.
Prior to starting the record attempt, he had 100 canvases with sketches ready for him to paint, as his original intention was to create one painting per hour.
But since he finished them all during his paint-athon with a few hours left over, he painted a number of spontaneous still lifes before concluding with a portrait of a tired individual.
“There was joy and celebration when I completed the 100 hours,” Ahaghotu said. “It was a new experience for me and I’m so glad I completed the 100 hours.
“This [record] helps me feel a very high level of personal achievement, build up my career as a reputable artist, and pay a service to my school and country.”
