Try to respond honestly (and without sarcasm, petty insults, and other common internet-shitposting-style content) - the parent said the paintings were not affected at all, and they ostensibly were not, according the parent. That doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't a bad thing to do or didn't have real consequences. And regardless, the parent is speaking in the context of whether corporal punishment is justified, which obviously it is not (speaking in the usually-implicit context of morality/civilization). That's the topic of this thread.
Trying to excuse this childish temper tantrum and exculpate the infantile perpetrators with "herp, derp, the paintings weren't damaged at all" is what was dishonest.