After a moment, Lucian suddenly shook his head firmly.
"No, there is no way this painting is by Jacques David"
"As we all know, Jacques David was a neoclassical master, not a romantic painter"
“Although there are some neoclassical artistic touches in this painting, the theme art style is still romanticism.”
Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, and then explained a few words.
"Lucian, you are right. The main artistic style of this painting is indeed romanticism."
"Although it has a bit of neoclassical flavor, it is not very obvious. The problem actually lies here."
"In my opinion, this was originally a neoclassical painting with a touch of romanticism."
"Romanticism was born in the late 18th century and became popular in Europe and the world in the first half of the 19th century. In terms of time alone, it does not conflict with the peak of Jacques David's art."
"I just observed that someone made a secondary creation on this neoclassical style portrait, using romantic brushstrokes to cover up most of the characteristics of neoclassical art."
"In this way, the painter cleverly transformed a neoclassical painting into a romantic painting. The technique is so clever that it is difficult to be discovered."
"I'm sure that the painter who transformed this painting is most likely a master of romantic painting, a figure of Delacroix's level."
"As for when this painting was renovated, it should be after 1825. The purpose of the remodeling is to protect this top-notch work of art!"
"The original neoclassical painting may have been signed by the author, but it was just hidden by the later Romantic master."
"ah!"
There was an exclamation of exclamation at the scene, and everyone was completely shocked by Xiao Ran's words.
Especially Lucian, his eyes were almost bursting with shock and he was stunned.
"Oh my God! It's incredible that such a thing could happen. I've never heard of it!"
"If this is true, the discovery of this painting will definitely cause a huge sensation."
"Just this superb painting technique that jumps randomly between different artistic styles will cause a sensation in the entire Western art world!"
Lucien murmured to himself, still in disbelief.
Compared with him, Elaine and Fang Yufei were already determined!
This painting must have been transformed from a neoclassical painting, as Xiao Ran said, and transformed into a romantic masterpiece by a romantic master!
But they couldn't figure out how to transform it.
The next moment, Elaine said expectantly:
"Dear, please tell us how this incredible change was accomplished?"
"This is the first time I've heard of a top-notch work of art being transformed in this way. It's incredible!"
Before he finished speaking, Lucian couldn't wait to continue:
"One more thing, why do you think that the young woman in the painting is Napoleon's most beloved sister, Paulina!"
"The image of the person in the painting doesn't have much in common with Paulina!"
Xiao Ran looked at Elaine and the others, thought for a moment, and then said with a smile:
"Let me first talk about Paulina's identity. After confirming this, I will talk about how this painting was cleverly transformed."
"Please take a look at the diamond brooch worn by the young woman in the painting. Although half of it is blocked by the tassels of the dress, you can still see the outline of the other half clearly."
"This diamond brooch appeared in another masterpiece by Jacques David, that is the famous "The Coronation of Napoleon I and the Empress""
"The woman wearing this diamond brooch on that well-known neoclassical masterpiece is Napoleon's most beloved sister, Pauline."
"The exact same diamond brooch appears in this painting, which is enough to prove that the young woman is Paulina, and the original artist of this painting is Jacques David."
"Regarding this, you can use your mobile phone to go online and check out Jacques David's masterpiece, and zoom in on Pauline's chest to find the correct answer."
"ah!"
There was another exclamation at the scene.
Everyone was completely dumbfounded and looked at Xiao Ran dumbfounded.
The next moment, everyone took out their mobile phones and began to verify according to the method he said.
"The Coronation of Napoleon" is a world-famous painting, one of the masterpieces of neoclassical art, and is well-known in France.
Various high-definition detailed pictures of this painting are available on the Internet.
In a moment, Elaine and Lucien found the corresponding picture, and then discovered the exquisite diamond brooch.
No need to ask about the result!
The diamond brooches in the two paintings are exactly the same, there is no difference.
In the early 19th century, with such a noble status as Paulina, the jewelry she wore must have been specially customized, and there would never be another piece of jewelry that was exactly the same.
Paulina cannot give away private and important jewelry such as brooches casually.
From this, it can be determined that the 19th-century young woman in this painting is indeed Napoleon's sister Paulina, but her image has been deliberately changed.
The announcement of this result made everyone excited and cheered happily.
Lucian's face was full of disbelief and he kept mumbling to himself.
"Oh my God! This young woman is actually Pauline Bonaparte, and she was identified through a brooch!"
"Since this is a painting by Jacques David, and since it is a portrait of Paulina, why did the later romantic master change this painting? I can't figure it out."
Not only him, but Elaine and the others were also confused.
Before Lucien finished speaking, everyone looked at Xiao Ran, looking forward to his interpretation.
Xiao Ran smiled proudly, and then gave his own explanation.
"The answer is actually very simple. Polina and Napoleon had the best relationship. They were closest to each other. After Napoleon was overthrown and died, Polina suffered a series of persecutions."
"In order to save her life, Paulina had no choice but to flee to Rome and seek asylum from the then pope. As a result, she soon died of illness, but she didn't really die of illness. Who knows?"
"It is estimated that at that time, in order to protect the portrait of Paulina, a certain romantic master made a second creation on the painting and changed the painting."
"He not only changed the image of Paulina in the painting, but also changed the artistic style of the painting. In this way, there is no need to worry about the restored Bourbon dynasty destroying the painting."
Not surprisingly, Xiao Ran's words once again shocked everyone present.
His analysis was so perfect that he couldn't find any flaws and was convincing.
Next, combined with this strange and amazingly valuable painting, he pointed out every suspicious point in the painting.
In the process, he made new discoveries.
The paint used in the two creations of this painting was different, and there are some subtle differences.
Also, the romantic art part of the secondary creation can be separated from the neoclassical original painting.
In other words, the top layer of paint can be shoveled away, completely restoring the painting to its original appearance.
This series of new discoveries shocked everyone again and made everyone more excited.
Next, Xiao Ran led everyone to continue studying the painting.
As a result, a very faint mark was found in the lower left corner of the painting when illuminated with ultraviolet fluorescent light.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ran used a hair dryer to heat the paint in this area, and then irradiated it with ultraviolet fluorescent light again.
What appeared in front of everyone this time was the abbreviated signature of Jacques David.
The final word!
This heavyweight discovery has completely confirmed the provenance of this oil painting, which is indeed the work of neoclassical master Jacques David.
When Xiao Ran said this result, the scene immediately exploded.
Everyone cheered excitedly and danced.
"Oh my God! This is really a work by the neoclassical master Jacques David. It's really a portrait of Pauline. It's incredible."
"Wow! This painting is so strange. Its discovery will definitely cause a magnitude 10 earthquake in the art world!"
While everyone was cheering and celebrating, Xiao Ran pretended to be serious and continued to study the painting.
After a while, he used the same technique and found another line of hidden text at Paulina's feet.
That's a passage from Delacroix's tribute to Jacques David, which speaks volumes.
The Romantic master who hid this neoclassical painting was none other than the lion of Romanticism, Delacroix.
Not surprisingly, this new discovery shocked everyone again.
Faced with such a double surprise, everyone was a little crazy with excitement.
At this moment, Lucien suddenly asked:
"Sean, how much do you value such a legendary painting that can be recorded in art history?"
"What are you going to do with this painting? Sell it or keep it for yourself? Will you keep it in Paris?"
Xiao Ran looked at this guy and immediately gave an estimate.
"This painting is a perfect collaboration between two art masters, Jacques David and Delacroix, across the ages. It is unique in the history of Western art!"
"My valuation of this painting is at least 300 million US dollars. There is no doubt that this is definitely a top-notch work of art."
"As for what to do with this painting, it's too early to say. I have to think about it carefully before making a decision!"
When he heard the valuation he gave of at least 300 million US dollars, Lucian's body shook violently and he almost fell to the ground.
"Three hundred million dollars, oh my God! What did I do wrong?"
Jacques David "The Coronation of Napoleon"
