Jan. 5, 2023

Nigerian art student, Chancellor Ahaghotu, has broken a decade-old record for the longest painting marathon after painting for 100 consecutive hours, Guinness World Records (GWR), has announced.

GWR said Ahaghotu, a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, broke the record of 60 hours which was set 10 years ago, by Roland Palmaerts (Belgium/Canada) in 2013.

According to GWR, for this record, the challenger can either work on one large painting or create multiple ones, but the painting(s) must be of a recognisable image not abstract painting.

GWR explained that over four days, Chancellor worked tirelessly to produce 106 pieces depicting all manner of subjects, including celebrities, food items, plants, animals, and much more.

According to GWR, Chancellor said he battled fatigue around the 88-hour mark, but was committed to reaching his target of 100 hours.

He initially planned to do one painting per hour, so before beginning the record attempt, he prepared 100 canvasses with sketches, ready for him to paint.

However, during his paint-athon, he completed them all with a few hours to spare, so he then produced a series of impromptu still lives, before finishing with a painting of an exhausted person.

“I came to the United States to pursue my dreams and build up my career as a recognised artist.

“Breaking the record will boost my recognition as an artist both in my school and the world at large,” Chancellor told GWR before embarking on his record attempt.

“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.

“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.

“There was joy and celebration when I completed the 100 hours,” Chancellor said.

According to GWR, as with all ‘longest marathon’ records, the challenger is permitted a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity, these rest breaks can be accumulated if not taken.

GWR explained that those were the only times Chancellor could use the bathroom, eat or sleep.