The artist in this case would be the photographer who took the photo. What the painters are doing is equivalent to painting by numbers (they are painting over the photo). Its a skill for sure, but not an art form, anymore than the interior wall paint of your house it art (which requires a lot of skill to do correctly ... having witnessed many badly painted walls in my time).

I don't get all the complaints. This business provides employment for Americans (the founders) and Chinese (the painters). Its a win win. Not exploitation.