"Did you draw this?"
Mr. Gu thought for a moment and asked a question that even he felt was stupid.
But he couldn't understand how a young man could have such good painting skills.
This can't be explained by rapid progress, it's simply an epiphany, a fucking ascension.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes outside the window, which was painted by his grandson one by one, he would have thought it was the work of a master artist.
"Your school has a new art professor?"
There are few local ordinary schools in Myanmar that offer specialized art classes. Like most Oriental families, the Gu family has never been stingy in education.
Gu Weijing attended an art class at a well-known private international middle school in Myanmar. Of course, its tuition fee was as famous as the quality of his education.
If the school could hire some experienced professors to focus on basic skills, then...
"It's also difficult."
Mr. Gu looked at the colored pencil painting in front of him and judged.
This is not a matter of changing teachers.
He is also somewhat famous in Myanmar. To be honest, he felt that when he was at the peak of his painting skills twenty years ago, he was almost embarrassed. After all, as a professional painter, no one just practices basic skills every day. Do something else.
As he gets older, his hands are no longer as steady as before.
"No, this was in very good shape just now. If you ask me to do it again, I will definitely not be able to draw such a work." Gu Weijing answered honestly.
"It's already pretty good."
The old man nodded, obviously trying to act serious so as not to make his grandson too proud, but the corners of his mouth still curled up slightly.
"Even if a blind cat encounters a dead mouse, practice makes perfect. At your age... Generally speaking, my writing skills are still slightly worse than this."
These words made Mr. Gu Tongxiang blush a little.
So old, he thought to himself.
Mr. Gu found a picture frame of suitable size, asked Gu Weijing to sign his name and date on the white margin, and simply fixed the small colored pencil drawing in the frame.
"Why take the frame?"
Gu Weijing is a little strange. Drawings and colored pencil drawings are different from oil paintings. Unless the works are very precious, they are rarely framed.
For those who are more particular about it, most of them just spray some fixing liquid and put it in the painting bucket.
It is common for works like this to be directly destroyed and thrown away.
He heard that in the 1980s, some people even made a lot of money by digging through trash cans in homes.
Of course, this is all old history. Nowadays, professional studios have a very mature process. They often use shredders when dealing with scrap manuscripts to prevent their own painters' works from accidentally leaking out.
"I originally wanted to educate you again, but after seeing your painting, I feel that there is nothing more that I need to say."
"Grandpa, you misunderstood, this is not my daily level." Gu Weijing was not so shameless.
"It doesn't matter. You are only seventeen years old and you still have a long career. If you can draw the first picture, you can draw the second one. One day, this will become your normal level."
Mr. Gu chose a suitable location and hung the frame next to an impressionist oil painting purchased from a New York artist who had participated in an art exhibition. He wrote on a note next to the frame with a pen.
[Category: Colored pencil drawing (11×15 inches)]
[Artist: Gu Weijing (initial G·W)]
[Price: 500$ (MMK: 1,061,500)]
"$500?"
Gu Weijing looked at the price.
MMK is the international code for the Burmese currency. With more than one million kyats and the daily exchange fluctuations of the Burmese currency, it is almost 500 US dollars. He was a little helpless: "Grandpa, no tourist will pay 500 US dollars for one of my paintings." Drawn in pencil.”
Many people don’t understand the operating model of a calligraphy and painting shop or gallery.
There are several types of galleries, such as Galerie Perrotin, Lisson Gallery, Gagosian Gallery... Such giant galleries can be said to be the leaders of the entire art market.
Take the most famous Gagosian Gallery as an example. Its founder is the famous art czar Larry Gagosian, a madman who opened an art gallery in the red light district.
Some people love him and some hate him. His galleries are open in London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong... There are more than a dozen Gagosian galleries around the world. They all have their own contracted painters, and their annual transaction volume is measured in billions of dollars.
These galleries are the world's largest art promoters. Art media say they have the magic power to turn stone into gold. These galleries can decide whether a painting is worth one million or ten million.
What is left are thousands of unknown small galleries in the world. They are like small art museums opened in the community and open to the public free of charge.
In many countries in Europe and the United States, people have the habit of visiting galleries. Some very small private galleries are crowded with people every day. Galleries, like parks, cafes and cinemas, are places where people take daily rest. Old people come here to take a walk, and young people come here to have their first date... If they see a work they like, they will also be willing to spend some money. Very expensive.
Yangon is a tourist city with many foreigners, and its history can be traced back hundreds of years. Even the famous writers Orwell or Somerset Maugham are jokingly called half-Burmese.
Every day, the Yangon River is full of luxury cruise ships full of foreign tourists. Some of these people have used Myanmar as a holiday destination in their families for several generations.
Most of the daily income of Gu's calligraphy and painting shop is provided by these foreign tourists. People in developed countries prefer to go to galleries, but in fact it is not necessarily a problem of artistic talent.
The underlying reason is actually tacky, because they are generally wealthier.
"Are you crazy? A hand-painted oil painting painted by an artist for two months costs US$3,000 in a gallery. A similar print online only costs US$30, plus an extra US$5 for a frame!" - This is people's normal psychology. .
Your parents are starving to death at home, and you still use your meager monthly salary to buy high-priced oil paintings. This is not called elegance, but stupid [beep——].
Gu Weijing has heard of a rule in the opera circle - "When a city's per capita GDP reaches US$10,000, it is the beginning of the rise of the opera industry."
In Britain in the 19th century, in the United States in the 20th century, in RB in the 1980s, and in major cities in mainland China two thousand years later, operas began to bloom. This is the reason.
In fact, most art-related markets follow similar rules.
Finally, there are the overwhelming number of micro galleries, which are a real wave of chaos. Before graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, two or three people can call themselves art galleries even if they rent a room. Most of them will break up within a few months. But there are exceptions. Gagosian started by selling posters on the balcony for 75 cents.
Is this painting worth $500? Of course it's worth it, and of course it's not worth it.
Whether a painting can be sold at a high price depends on three points of the quality of the painting itself, and the other seven points on market recognition.
If this painting was painted by Adolf Menzel himself, and the five thousand dollars belongs to the charity, people who are willing to snap up this painting can line up from here all the way to the Yangon River. This is because of this old man. Mr. Compared with fame, the reason why the auction market is relatively cold.
But the same painting with Gu Weijing's name on it is not worth the money. At least it's definitely not worth the money now, far from it.
"No, this painting has already been bought."
Gu Tongxiang shook his head. He took out a small blue dot label from the table on the side and pasted it on the identification plate of this work.
This is the [SOLD] sign.
There are still a few works with blue labels in the calligraphy and painting store. These are the works that have already been paid by the buyers. After the corresponding exhibition period ends, they will be sent to their intended buyers.
Gu Weiwei watched with confusion as his grandfather took out an envelope from the small safe on the side where valuables and paintings were stored, took out five brand-new Franklins, and slapped his forehead in amusement.
"It's not necessary. You're selling yourself off and boasting, and you're making it so formal. However, Grandpa, you are so generous this time, five hundred dollars. I didn't have this much pocket money in the past few years."
Gu Weijing smiled and wanted to take the money, but the old man slapped his hand away.
"Young man, this is the first work you have ever sold. This attitude is unqualified."
Mr. Gu Tongxiang had a serious face, without any smile on his face.
