Nigerian art student Chancellor Ahaghotu has broken a decade-old record for the longest painting marathon.
Ahaghotu, a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, painted for 100 hours.
Guinness World Records (GWR) said on Wednesday that Ahaghotu surpassed the previous record of 60 hours set by Belgian Roland Palmaerts in 2013.
In four days, Ahaghotu painted 106 pieces depicting subjects, including celebrities, plants, animals and food items.
Ahaghotu told the GWR before the record attempt: “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.”
For this record, GWR said the challenger can either work on one large painting or create multiple ones, but the painting(s) must be of a recognisable image; abstract painting is not permissible.
“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.
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. They were the only times Ahaghotu could use the bathroom, eat, or sleep.
