Lao Yang took Gu Weijing's works.
Not only is there an electronic version on the iPad, there is also a printed 16-inch photo.
Mr. Cao is old. For an old man of this age, he still has clear ears and clear eyesight.
He has a slight early stage of cataracts and presbyopia, which are normal conditions that occur in elderly people over ninety years old due to physiological aging, and they are not serious enough to require surgery.
However, the assistant Lao Yang still thoughtfully enlarged the painting sent by Gu Weijing and printed it out with the photo printer in the room, hoping that the old man would see it more easily.
Mr. Cao took the photo in his hand.
After all, he is a great expert.
With a casual glance under the light and moonlight, the little old man's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Hey, let him study Lang Shining. This really brings out something magical." Mr. Cao smacked his lips, secretly appreciating in his heart.
"When I received the photo, I thought the painting was pretty good." Lao Yang nodded like he was pecking rice.
People say that if you burn too much incense, you can imbue your body with a sense of Zen.
Old Yang follows a big boss like Mr. Cao every day, and under the influence of his ears and eyes, his artistic accomplishment is definitely not bad.
At the Shwedagon Pagoda, Lao Yang was too anxious to look at Gu Weijing's paintings.
Otherwise, with Lao Yang's eyes, if he calmed down, he could still see some clues.
tonight,
When Gu Weijing's work was just sent to his mobile phone, Lao Yang was a little surprised.
It really feels like a fusion of Chinese and Western. What’s even more rare is that it’s strange but not strange, and it doesn’t appear to be too separate.
This Gu Weijing’s painting really has something interesting!
Lao Yang knew that Mr. Cao would definitely like to see the younger generation create such paintings, so he would disturb Mr. Cao when he was meditating in the courtyard at night.
"How about it? I think I also want to follow this style. Xiao Cui, who is so praised by the media, probably didn't have the skills at Gu Weijing's age!"
Lao Yang does not have the magnanimity and tolerance of Mr. Cao.
Now he is still dissatisfied with Cui Xuanyou for perfunctory them on the phone.
"The lighting here is not good. Let's go back to the house and take a look."
Mr. Cao did not answer Lao Yang's question.
He thought about the painting for a while, but then he stood up directly from the small chair by the flower pond.
The old man rolled up the photo and began to walk quickly into the house without saying a word.
"Hey, please slow down and be careful of the steps." Lao Yang hurriedly ran to Mr. Cao Xuan and opened the door to the yard for him.
Entering the Chinese-style study room, he turned on all the lights.
It was already dark now, so Lao Yang did not pour tea for the old man, but asked the kitchen to bring a cup of warm wolfberry.
Mr. Cao put the photo on the table and put the IPAD screen next to it, slowly appreciating Gu Weijing's work.
The little old man looked very seriously at this time.
With Cao Xuan's eyesight, the good and bad qualities of most works can be seen at a glance.
But this time.
Gu Weijing's ability to draw this work was a little beyond the old man's expectations.
Therefore, he deliberately slowed down, for no other reason than to take a closer look at how much this kid had grown during this period of time.
"I asked him to learn line drawing and sketching, and he listened."
The old man glanced at the printed photos on the table, taking a sip of wolfberry water from time to time, and occasionally tracing the photos and the screen with his fingers.
If Gu Weijing were in the study at this moment, he would definitely be shocked to find that the movements of this old man's fingers are exactly the details of the brushstrokes and the way he uses them when painting and processing every detail on the canvas.
I drew something by carefully comparing it with the "Summary of the Essence of Castiglione's New Body Painting" knowledge card provided by the system.
The painting technique that his grandfather Gu Tongxiang regarded as a treasure.
Mr. Cao just took a few casual glances and reappeared!
One stroke at a time,
The flowing clouds and flowing water,
Exactly.
This is the crushing of ranks.
Not only did he crush Gu Weijing, Mr. Cao also killed Comrade Lang Shining along with him.
Lao Yang was not surprised at all.
to be honest,
These academic contributions include excluding the foreign monks who chant sutras, the integration of Eastern Xia art and oil painting, and the promotion of Western painting techniques in the ancient land of the East.
Just talking about the status of art,
Mr. Cao Xuan is really not comparable to Lang Shining.
And when it comes to painting techniques, haha, comparing painting techniques with Lang Shining's assistant minister is like bullying the ancients.
Even in the three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong, Lang Shining's techniques only accounted for the word "odd" and were not known for their profoundness.
The country is unlucky, but the poet is lucky, and he can write sentences after the vicissitudes of life.
There are many similarities in the fields of art and literature. In ancient times, great art figures such as Li Sixun, Zheng Sixiao, and Bada Shanren all experienced similar things like the destruction of their country and their family.
Cao Lao, an artist of this generation, was born in the environment of the spread of Western learning to the east and the great changes in his family and country. He was originally one of the peaks in the history of Eastern Xia art.
Zhang Daqian once put forward the slogan of "bloody battle with the ancients".
In the "Mingyue Commentary" of the past year, the art circle of the Republic of China commented on Xu Beihong's paintings of horses: "Even when Han Qian and Zhao Mengfu were alive, they were nothing more than this, and Lang Shining was even worse."
This is saying,
The horses painted by Mr. Xu would be nothing more than this, even if they meet the most famous horse painting masters in history, Han Gan and Zhao Mengfu.
The works of Lang Shining, a famous horse painter in the Qing Dynasty, are even inferior to Xu Beihong's techniques.
The reason why Mr. Cao suggested that Gu Weijing learn Lang Shining's techniques is because his fusion painting style bears the first imprint of the collision of civilizations.
And because he served the royal family, Castiglione's brushwork was neat and rigorous. There are currently a large number of well-preserved works that can be easily appreciated online.
It can be convenient for children of Gu Weijing's age to study and study.
But Mr. Cao,
The style of fusion painting is certainly pleasing to the eye, but when it comes to Cao Xuan's level, imitating Castiglione would be putting the cart before the horse, which is not necessary.
No need for the old man himself.
Professor Lin Tao, an older second-generation disciple, would be laughed at by the critics if he imitated Castiglione's paintings step by step.
What they, the great painters who have already stood at the top of the pyramid, have to do is not simply imitate the past.
It is about painting your own personal style, growing new branches and bearing new fruits on the big tree of art history.
"Hmph, you cunning boy. I asked him to learn from Lang Shining. I wanted him to learn from Lang Shining's ability to express images, but I didn't ask him to completely transfer all the original animation techniques from others and trick him. The painting is not very good, but he is learning from this imitation. There is still something to be said for his skill. Well, the composition is also acceptable."
The little old man carefully looked at all the brushes and techniques on the photo.
The old man didn't know whether he was criticizing or praising, he muttered a smile and cursed.
"No intention!"
That guy Gu was able to hand over such a piece of work as homework in just over a month.
Mr. Cao Xuan is actually satisfied overall.
Even very satisfied.
The brushwork is still astringent, there is no Gu Weijing's own ideas in the technique, and the colors are excessive and not smooth enough.
In the eyes of high-level art masters, these are all shortcomings.
However,
In such a short period of time, he was able to master the techniques of a great painter as famous as Castiglione.
This level and talent are enough to put down many famous painters who are much older than Gu Weijing.
and,
Gu Weijing's painting skills have also made great progress compared with what Cao Xuan has seen before.
The ability to learn and absorb external knowledge is more important to the little old man than just whether the painting is good or bad.
An excellent art student should be like a sponge. Whenever the pen and ink of a senior artist flows past his body and eyes, some of his essence will be left in his heart.
"It's already remarkable enough for you to say 'it's okay'."
Lao Yang personally saw Professor Lin Tao being so happy for a long time because of Lao Cao's barely readable comment.
"So, I think when I sign with Ma Shi Gallery, this little Mr. Gu is really going to win an award at the Singapore Art Biennale."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, being able to win the master category at the age of 18 should be a historical record in the competition. Titian became famous in Florence when he was less than 20 years old, and his fame at a young age has been passed down to this day. That's probably it. .”
Lao Yang saw that the old man was actually in a good mood now, so he joked: "The young man I was attracted to at the beginning has changed from a good apprentice to a junior disciple. I guess Professor Lin's mood will be mixed."
"You are flattering me. At this age, Titian has already begun to paint the most important church murals for the archbishop, and he is as famous as the great master Giorgione at that time. Gu Weijing only has some talent for copying, and he is still no different from others. Less." Mr. Cao snorted.
"Award-winning? This kid is just imitating the paintings of the ancients. Even if the organizing committee is in a good mood and is lucky enough to reward him with three melons and two dates, the award should be awarded to Lang Shining, not this little guy." The little old man did not object. Gu Weijing's painting already has the possibility of winning an award at an art exhibition.
"If you say that, old man, then the Biennale cannot be held. Borrowing is a part of painting creation, and Picasso directly copied other people's paintings."
"At Gu Weijing's age, learning some painting techniques from senior masters is not a shortcoming at all."
Lao Yang said casually: "If I could draw at the level of Mr. Gu when I was in college, I would love to wear the work on my body and show it off wherever I go."
"So you can only be my assistant at most. Do you think I ever thought of taking you on as my apprentice?" Mr. Cao asked angrily.
Lao Yang was used to being choked, and he had long developed the cheeky ability to take the old gentleman's taunts as praise.
For a master like Mr. Cao, others would never have the chance to be scolded every day.
Now that I have been scolded for a few more years, my qualifications in serving Mr. Cao will be a lot of pretentious talk in the future. When I change jobs and become an agent in a big gallery, I will get a lot of green tickets.
"No, I'll be satisfied if I can be your assistant. Being your old disciple doesn't give me that much blessing. I probably have to practice for another two lifetimes."
Lao Yang just licked a few words casually.
"At this level and at this age, signing a deal with a gallery shouldn't be considered as overthrowing, right?"
He has a lot of exposure to the first-line art market.
On the matter of signing with the gallery, Lao Yang and the old gentleman he served had slightly different views.
Lao Yang believes that young painters with good painting skills should be pushed to the front of the stage earlier to let collectors know that there is such a person, and it cannot be a bad thing.
Fame grows bigger and bigger.
As long as I am not criticized every day by some top art magazines and senior critics, the overall market environment and the overall confidence of collectors will not collapse.
Then the price will naturally be on an upward curve step by step.
A layman like Gu Weijing had a very high starting point like Ma Shi Gallery. If he could really become Mr. Cao's last direct disciple.
Ten years of marketing.
Even if you rely solely on foam piles, you may have to be able to pile up one or two works that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even higher selling prices are not beyond your reach.
Thinking of this,
Lao Yang was suddenly startled.
In his mind, he already regarded Gu Weijing's future as a painter who could sell a piece of work for hundreds of thousands of dollars?
In Eastern Xia, how could someone who could sell such works be already in the top 70 of Hurun Artists Rich List?
If you put it in the age range under forty, it would be at the level of a ten-thousand-year-old.
In years when the art trade is relatively quiet,
Maybe this data can really make it into the top three.
What a concept!
At that time, this guy may not even be a young man under thirty years old.
Lao Yang felt indescribable envy in his heart.
Being able to be Mr. Cao's assistant is mainly to gain invisible assets such as qualifications and connections. When Mr. Cao became famous, Lao Yang and his father were all liquid, so it was definitely impossible to get a commission.
Of course, the pure salary is also a decent high-income rich person.
However, it is only about 270,000 to 80,000 euros per year without tax deductions.
After working hard for so long.
Originally he wouldn't even look at the little guy, but he might be overtaken in a few years.
"What a blessing. I might be witnessing the birth of the next wealth supernova in the history of art." Lao Yang lamented.
There were many thoughts in his mind, he shook his head and said softly: "Think about it this way, Mashi Gallery signed Mr. Gu. From a long-term perspective, it's hard to say who made the profit."
"Of course it's the gallery that makes the money."
Cao Xuan gently tapped the porcelain tea cup holding the wolfberry water with his fingertips. The water rippled and made a soft "ding" sound.
"I said before that the gallery was not interested in Gu Xiaozi, but Kazunari Sakai's face. I want to take it back now."
The little old man smiled and patted the table: "It's Mashi Gallery's luck that such a good kid is willing to sign with the gallery."
"Have you agreed to his signing with the gallery?"
"Since it was Kazunari Sakai who introduced me, there should be no problem. But those businessmen have dirty minds, so be careful. Please help me keep an eye on the contract, so that Xiao Gu doesn't get cheated."
Mr. Cao Xuan has a general impression of commercial galleries.
He specifically gave instructions to his assistant.
The old man personally called the junior Cui Xuanyou out of respect for the teacher.
He didn't need to take care of such small matters as connecting with commercial galleries.
"Come on. Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu, is really enviable by others to have an elder like you."
When Lao Yang was about to go back, he called Ma Shi III.
With Mr. Cao's advice, the gallery didn't dare to do anything wrong.
"By the way, Gu Weijing has another request about signing a contract with the gallery. He is afraid that the gallery will not agree to it, so I hope you can help convey it."
Lao Yang did not rush to contact Ma Shi Gallery, but then mentioned another matter to Mr. Cao.
"This brings up this old man like me. Well, seeing as he did hand over a barely passing piece of work, and he painted with a down-to-earth and practical heart, you can make money if you want to..."
Mr. Cao tapped the photos on the mahogany desk with his thin fingers and said lightly, "...Does he want a higher share or something? As long as it's not excessive, you can just tell it to the gallery directly."
"Oh, no, I heard that Mrs. Cruz has offered very good conditions regarding the share of the business. The agent who came to sign the contract is asking the gallery headquarters for its opinion."
"Mr. Xiao Gu proposed some additional terms and hoped to add these terms to the contract. He plans to continue to draw illustrations anonymously online, and does not want the gallery's exclusive agency contract to interfere with his creative content." Lao Yang He raised his eyebrows and mentioned Gu Weijing's request when he contacted him.
"Anonymous illustration?"
Mr. Cao was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect Gu Xiaozi to have this hobby.
"KAWS, NFT virtual art exchange and so on. Young art students nowadays are interested in these trendy cultural concepts."
Lao Yang shrugged and explained.
"Is it similar to playing with Taihu stones when I was young?" Mr. Cao asked.
"Absolutely, probably drawing some cartoon pictures or trendy symbols. Gu Weijing guarantees that it will be anonymous and will not affect his normal painting creation and studies." Lao Yang replied.
He didn't take Gu Weijing's request seriously.
Children all like to play.
Besides,
He is also the middleman responsible for conveying the message. Whether he is willing to agree or not depends on what Mr. Cao Xuan wants.
"Not doing your job properly. What kind of success can you get from playing with these things? Painters, painters, must eventually return to using a brush to paint works that are timeless and can withstand the test of time. I hate that the road to painting is too long now. , Life is too short, I wish I could make up for all the time I wasted in my youth studying painting.”
Mr. Cao was dissatisfied that Gu Weijing refused to take the high road and spent his time on sideways things like illustrations.
"It's understandable if you want to change your mood. Picasso also likes to play with pottery and silverware." Lao Yang said.
"Huh, that's not doing his job properly. Look at Pablo's truly artistic works, those works that are truly recognized by collectors. None of them were painted with painstaking strokes, stroke by stroke."
"Thousands of pieces of crooked pottery, strangely shaped silver plates, and works that even ghosts can't understand were all created to fool laymen."
Mr. Cao shook his head and said disdainfully.
Pablo is the name of Pablo Picasso.
When Mr. Cao was young, he had contact with Picasso himself in France, and the two knew each other.
At that time, Mr. Cao had just won great reputation in the Western art world at the Autumn Gallery, while Picasso was looking back on his career and preparing to reinterpret the "pastoral style" period of the works of various historical painting masters.
Rumor has it that the contact between the two great painters was not very pleasant, and there was some friction on many concepts.
"Alas, my ancestor, you can tell me what you said, but don't say it outside." Lao Yang was a little panicked, "It's OK for the critic Peipei. In your position, you can say such things. , it will make a huge noise."
It's not news that artists criticize each other, and it doesn't matter if they talk about it in private.
But if Mr. Cao suddenly becomes interested in a formal public occasion like the Art Annual Meeting and casually remarks what he just said, Lao Yang doesn’t know whether the low-end Picasso art market will be reshuffled.
But the paparazzi will go crazy.
Lao Yang felt that he would also go crazy.
"Promise, what are you afraid of? I said the same thing in front of Pablo back then." Mr. Cao curled his lips.
"Go and tell me Gu Weijing, be careful, don't think about those things that are there and not there. Illustration seems to be at the lower level of the art contempt chain, but it is also a profound knowledge. It is just how to express yourself for your employer through painting." There are many ways to think about it. Looking at the great illustrators, this job is not as simple as serious art."
"Understood, let Mr. Gu focus on his job."
Lao Yang understood: "That means I don't have to mention this matter to Mashi Gallery?"
"Why didn't you mention it?"
Cao Xuan asked strangely: "Since Gu Weijing wants to draw anonymous illustrations, even if I don't like him, it is still my business. I can ask Gu Weijing to calm down and focus more on studying serious art, but his gallery Who do you think you are, why should you get a share of Gu Weijing’s illustrations?”
"Mashi Gallery should not reach out to such things that have nothing to do with its gallery." Mr. Cao said calmly and confidently.
Lao Yang could only smile bitterly.
After being together for so long, he sometimes overlooked that Mr. Cao Xuan, under the appearance of an old boy, was still the top art master who was quite defensive and overbearing.
"By the way, when you notify Ma Shi Gallery, you can tell them that I am considering teaching Gu Weijing personally, and maybe... I will officially accept him as my closed disciple."
When Lao Yang was about to leave the study, Lao Cao stopped him again and spoke softly.
Lao Yang stopped and turned sideways, opening his mouth slightly in surprise.
He wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. He was silent for several seconds, and finally had to ask again: "Are you sure I want to say this? Mr. Cao, you know how crazy the gallery will be because of this news."
"Just tell the other person this. Tell them not to reveal the information."
Cao Xuan chuckled and said, "Anyway, I said maybe."
When leaving the study, the first thought in Lao Yang's mind was...
tonight,
There will be a group of sleepless people in Mashi Gallery.
——
Yangon,
The next morning, when Gu Weijing opened the door to go out for a morning run, he was startled.
The door just opened, revealing a pair of blue eyes covered with red bloodshot eyes.
It looks like I encountered a ghost!
"Mr. Hanks Marsh?"
Gu Weijing took a step back and looked up and down for a few seconds before he recognized the figure of the blond agent opposite.
There are already spring mosquitoes in Yangon in March and April. Hanks didn't know how long he had been standing outside. His whole body was covered in bumps and his neck was swollen.
"We...we..."
When Hanks saw Gu Weijing, he threw his briefcase to the ground and gasped, "Mr. Gu, let's sign the contract now."
(End of chapter)
