While appraising this expressionist painting, Xiao Ran was also explaining it in Mandarin.
No need to ask, he was explaining to Xu Lin and Wang Jue.
"Expressionism art was born in the early 20th century and is an art trend that is especially popular in Nordic countries."
"Specifically, it refers to an art that emphasizes the expression of the artist's subjective emotions and self-feelings in art, resulting in the exaggeration, deformation, and even grotesque treatment of objective forms."
"The rise of this artistic trend is a reflection of the social and cultural crisis and spiritual chaos in Europe and the United States, and is a concrete manifestation of social unrest."
“The most famous representative painters of Expressionism are Munch from Norway, Van Gogh from the Netherlands, Kandinsky from Russia and other art masters!”
"In the UK, the most outstanding representative of Expressionism is the famous painter Freud, who is also one of the greatest contemporary British painters..."
Next, while appraising this Expressionist painting, he introduced Expressionism and Freud.
Xu Lin and Wang Jue both listened intently, their eyes filled with stars.
David and Qian Gu were really beautiful, but they couldn't understand Chinese and didn't know what Xiao Ran was talking about.
But you can guess that it must be related to this expressionist painting.
While talking, Xiao Ran suddenly said in surprise:
"Hey, why is there the abbreviation of Francis Bacon here? Am I just dazzled?"
While saying this, the magnifying glass in his hand happened to rest on the neck of the Dalmatian dog in the painting.
On the Dalmatian's neck, there is a thin black and white collar.
The color of that collar is very similar to that of a Dalmatian, so it's hard to spot.
But under a magnifying glass and careful observation, the collar immediately appeared.
Following his words, Curator Qian Gu and the others were all stunned on the spot.
In a moment, they were awake.
There was an exclamation of surprise at the scene.
"What? Francis Bacon's signature, how is that possible?"
"Is this expressionist painting not a work by Freud, but a work by Francis Bacon? It's incredible!"
Looking at that Araki guy again, he had a dumbfounded expression.
This painting had been hanging in the shop for a year or two, and he had studied it many times.
But after so many studies, he never found this very hidden signature.
Xiao Ran came here for the first time and saw this painting for the first time, but he soon discovered the hidden signature.
Thinking of this, Araki felt extremely depressed and wanted to slap himself twice in the mouth.
While there was a lot of discussion, Curator Qiangu and the others quickly stepped forward and looked at the signature hidden on the painting.
Under Xiao Ran's guidance and through the magnifying glass, they quickly saw the black and white collar, as well as several cursive English letters hidden on the collar.
Seeing this scene, several top Japanese art appraisal experts suddenly became more excited.
"Yes, this is indeed the signature of Francis Bacon. Our art gallery has his paintings."
"The author's signature on that painting is exactly the same as this one, just a little bigger."
The director of the Tokyo Museum of Art said excitedly.
Hearing this, several other Japanese people nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Xiao Ran suddenly smiled and said:
"I think I know what happened to this expressionist painting, but I didn't expect that the legend turned out to be true."
Before he finished speaking, Curator Qian Gu and others all turned their heads and looked over.
The director of the Tokyo Museum of Art, who knew Freud and Francis Bacon, showed a thoughtful expression.
The next moment, his eyes suddenly opened wide and shone brightly, and a look of ecstasy appeared on his face.
At this moment, Curator Qian Gu couldn’t wait to say:
"Sean, please tell me, what is this expressionist painting about?"
"Is there any unknown secret hidden behind this painting?"
Xiao Ran nodded slightly, then smiled and said:
"About the friendship between Freud and Francis Bacon, I believe everyone has heard of it, and there are even rumors that they were actually a couple."
"As we all know, Francis Bacon was a G, but he maintained a close relationship with Freud for decades, regardless of each other."
"In view of this, there have been rumors in the Western art world that Freud was actually a two-way plug and was Francis Bacon's boyfriend."
After the words fell, the scene suddenly became quiet, and everyone was stunned.
Xu Lin and Wang Jue, who were standing next to Xiao Ran, had their pretty faces flushed and were very shy.
"Hahaha"
Suddenly there was a burst of laughter.
Director Qian Gu and the others all laughed loudly when they woke up.
Amid laughter, the director of the Tokyo Museum of Art said with a smile:
"Yes, there are indeed such rumors in the Western art world, and many people believe them."
"During the decades that Freud and Francis Bacon dated, they often went to G Bar together and often got into fights together in the bar."
Xiao Ran nodded and continued to introduce the situation.
"Freud and Francis Bacon's friendship lasted for decades until Francis Bacon's death, during which time they often painted portraits of each other"
"The most famous of them is the "Study for a Freud Portrait" created by Francis Bacon. This triptych was auctioned in New York in 2013 for a sky-high price of more than 140 million US dollars."
"Furthermore, there are rumors in the art world that when they were together, they often imitated each other's painting style and painting techniques, using each other as models to create portraits of each other."
"However, this type of portrait they created has never appeared before. It was not until today that this "Sleeping Man and Dalmatian" appeared, confirming this legend."
As soon as he said this, the scene exploded.
Director Qian Gu and the Japanese were all shocked by Xiao Ran's inference.
Their eyes were all wide open, and they almost flew out of their eyes with excitement.
"Is it true? Is the sleeping man in this painting Francis Bacon? This is incredible."
"If this inference is true, it will definitely shock the entire Western art world and cause a huge sensation!"
Xiao Ran glanced at these excited Japanese, raised his hands and pressed them down gently.
Following his action, the scene quickly became quiet.
The next moment, Xiao Ran's clear voice came out again.
“When I was in the United States, I admired many paintings by Freud and Francis Bacon, including their portraits of each other.”
"And I have collected the works of these two art masters. I have a certain understanding of them, as well as their lives and friendships."
"I can confirm that the man lying on the bed in the painting is the young Freud, but the person who painted this oil painting is Francis Bacon."
"To be precise, it is a portrait painted by Francis Bacon in imitation of Freud's style, using Freud as a model. It sounds a bit difficult to pronounce."
"There is a reason why I say this. Freud at this age once appeared in another painting by Bacon. There are many similarities between the two."
"Furthermore, the painting style and painting techniques of this oil painting, although highly similar to Freud, are also specious, and there is also a hint of Francis Bacon in it."
“The most obvious ones are the deformed images of Freud and Dalmatians, as well as the morbid themes in the painting, which are exactly the painting style of Francis Bacon, unconsciously revealed.”
Following his introduction, Curator Qian Gu and the others were attentively appreciating and appraising this expressionist painting.
At this time, the more they looked at this oil painting, the more it resembled the work of Francis Bacon, and the more they looked at it, the more excited they became.
"Yes, what Francis Bacon is best at is using deformed images and morbid characters as themes."
"Depicting some disgusting images, revealing the disaster of the world and mankind, it is very vivid in this painting"
The director of the Tokyo Museum of Art continued, his mouth almost watering with excitement.
After hearing this, several other appraisal experts also echoed.
Xiao Ran nodded, and then continued:
“Based on these findings and characteristics, as well as Francis Bacon’s signature, it is absolutely certain that this is a work by Francis Bacon.”
"More importantly, this is a portrait he created for Freud, imitating Freud's style and painting techniques."
"The discovery of this oil painting proves the long-standing legend in the Western art world that they exchanged painting styles and created portraits for each other."
"As far as I know, this should be the only portrait that has been discovered so far and has been handed down. The portraits created by Francis Bacon and Freud in this unique way are extremely precious!"
“The Dalmatian in the painting wearing a collar with Francis Bacon’s signature engraved on it and lying in Freud’s arms should refer to Francis Bacon himself.”
"This painting is enough to prove the unknown close relationship between these two contemporary art masters, and also proves the long-standing legend..."
Before he finished speaking, Curator Qian Gu suddenly exclaimed:
"It seems that the legend that has been circulating in the Western art world for a long time is true. Francis Bacon is probably Freud's girlfriend."
"Oh my God! This painting proves such an unknown legend. It's incredible and precious!"
"ah!"
The scene was filled with exclamations again, and several Japanese people became even more excited.
Looking at Xiao Ran again, he couldn't help but shiver and get goosebumps all over his body.
Xu Lin and Wang Jue, who were standing next to him, also behaved in the same way, with their pretty faces flushed and their whole bodies feeling uncomfortable.
Their eyes were full of disgust when they looked at the painting.
At this moment, Araki, whose face was as pale as paper, suddenly trembled and asked:
"Mr. Sean, if this expressionist oil painting is what you say, it is really the work of Francis Bacon"
"He imitated Freud's painting style and painting techniques, created portraits of Freud, and metaphorized the close relationship between the two."
"Is this painting very precious? Is it a top-notch work of art with astonishing value? If you were to value this oil painting, what valuation would you give?"
Xiao Ran looked at the unfortunate guy sympathetically, thought for a moment, and then gave the answer.
"It is absolutely certain that this painting is indeed a portrait of Freud created by Francis Bacon in imitation of Freud's style, and it has a very special meaning."
"In the Western world where LGBT is currently popular, the discovery of this oil painting will definitely cause a huge sensation. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the "Mona Lisa" of the LGBT community."
"It can even be said that in the current Western world, this is the most politically correct piece of art, and its value is naturally very amazing."
"Referring to Bacon's "Study for a Freud Portrait", which set a sky-high auction record in 2013, as well as the current market conditions, I estimated the oil painting at US$200 million, which is no higher than that!"
Not surprisingly, the release of this ultra-high valuation immediately detonated the scene.
"What? This painting is worth more than $200 million! God, what did I miss?"
Araki screamed sadly and fell to the ground in despair.
Looking at Curator Qian Gu and the others, their eyes almost exploded with shock, and they all held their heads and exclaimed.
The same was true for Xu Lin and Wang Jue. Both beauties were stunned.
Only Xiao Ran and David behaved relatively calmly.
Francis Bacon's "Study for a Freud Portrait" sold for $142 million in 2013
