Model and painter defends Instagram posts over accusations that she’s a ‘fake’

Artist poses with clean paint palette as a ‘a symbol of art’

Closeup of female artist hands with paintbrushes (iStock)

A Romanian artist has spoken out after critics accused her of being a “fake painter” and staging photos that falsely show her painting.

Earlier this week, several Reddit users commented on a thread claiming that Romanian Instagram user Cristina Szeifert was a fraud and not painting the images she posed with on social media.

Some users pointed out that there is “no paint on [Szeifert’s] brush”, while others suggest she is “holding the palette the wrong way around”.

“She never gets any paint on that easel, either. How neat and tidy. Ha!” wrote one user.

Another added: “Okay, these pictures are obviously edited and posed.”

In response, Szeifert – who has over 33,000 followers on Instagram – has defended her photos, revealing that she’s created “almost every painting” posted to her account.

“I paint with different things; sometimes I use the palette and sometimes I don’t,” the artist told BuzzFeed.

“The pictures are done after the painting is complete and I was using the palette in my hand as a symbol of art.”

Explaining why some photos may show her holding paintbrushes without paint, she said that she often pours her paint directly onto the palette and or will use watercolours which leave a less obvious residue.

Szeifert added that she prefers to pose for photos with a clean paint palette wearing a “nice outfit and make-up” because her “image is very important”.

Speaking to The Independent, the artist said she is "shocked" about the "ridiculous" criticism she has received online.

"I never expected that people would be so irritated because of my clean look," she stated.

Szeifert also said that she posts different stages of her paintings from the beginning until its final stages.

"I am surprised that people doubt that the paintings are mine," she added.

On Tuesday, the artist posted several Boomerang clips and photographs of her drawing and painting images on several occasions this year. In some of the photos, the artist has commented that she was using a different palette for the painting that she posed with in the photos.

Cristina Szeifert posts photograph of paintings on Instagram

In light of the backlash, several of the artist’s Instagram followers have come out in support of her work.

“A renaissance woman!” one user described the artist on one of her photos.

Another commented: “Lovely pictures, what a great photographer.”

Last year, an art gallery in the south of France discovered that more than half of its collection of paintings were forgeries.

The state-owned museum dedicated to the Catalan artist Étienne Terrus in Elne spent an estimated 160,000 euros (£140,000) on the fakes over 20 years.