"I got it, my grandpa's face turned red."
Gu Weijing said with a smile into the phone.
"Well, well, even if you don't care, my face will be red. I have been with Mr. Cao Xuan for so long, and I have never gotten such a good thing. Don't talk about me. Over the years, Mr. Cao has given you This is the first time I have seen such a junior writing."
Lao Yang echoed on the phone.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Classmate Gu, it's not Lao Yang who sticks a green onion in my pig's nose and insists on guiding you to do things. But I still need to tell you that Mr. Cao's calligraphy must be put away. Don't move it. Why do you want to sell it? If you are short of money, it’s up to you, Brother Yang. I can still get it if it costs 1.8 million. Mr. Cao’s calligraphy is valuable, but well, this love is much more valuable than the money itself. ”
"Since we finally got this kind of opportunity, which is hard to find even with a lantern in the world, let's take it firmly and hold it tightly. We must not rush out."
"I have worked hard outside for so many years, and I have concluded a truth that money cannot buy. People should cherish blessings. It is not easy to have a few blessings in this life, and it is even harder to hold it firmly in your hands."
Lao Yang said with a smile: "That's not nice to say, but this is the truth. You are right, Xiao Gu."
There are many young talents that Mr. Cao likes.
But after reaching the age of seventy, he is the only one in the world who can still make an old man have such thoughts.
Cao Xuan's calligraphy is worthless.
That was specifically in comparison with the old man's paintings.
for example.
Tang Dai, the top court painter in the late Qing Dynasty, his apprentice Wu Zhongjin, and Wu Zhongjin's apprentice, Tang Dai's grandson Zhao Xianting, were court painters for three generations.
As early as the Qianlong period, there was a consensus in the collecting community.
Some of Wu Zhongjin's works have his teacher Tang Dai withdrawing money, and the calligraphy is more valuable than the painting.
Zhao Xianting's works occasionally have Wu Zhongjin withdraw money, and the words are more valuable than the paintings.
It is said that there is a painting that Zhao Xianting practiced when he was a child. On the back of the scroll, there are four words "Two Days of the twelfth lunar month" casually written by Tang Dai. The work has gone through many hardships and has been re-mounted five times. Each generation of owners has repeatedly urged it to be re-mounted. The framer must leave the four words at the end.
Collectors say bluntly that these four words are what they play with.
As for Zhao Xianting's paintings, they are only about a hundred pieces of Yuan Datou's, so they don't matter.
Although there are three generations of masters, apprentices, and grandsons, it sounds a bit like the favorite mantra of the old lady Jiujin in Lu Xun's "The Storm", which means "one generation is inferior to the other".
This is generally true, but there is not much to laugh at.
Wen Zhengming and Tang Yin, these great talents who are famous throughout the history of Eastern Xia art, have any ordinary people heard of the names of their descendants and disciples?
Even if the kings of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Lis of the Tang Dynasty, these father and son pairs were lucky enough to achieve great artistic fame, it is still the elders who are more famous.
The pattern in the entire art circle is nothing more than this. The succession of masters and apprentices is like the decreasing succession of princes, princes, and princes.
The Duke was demoted to Hou, Hou was demoted to Bo, and Bo was demoted to Zi.
In the minds of collectors, as a rule, the weight is always downgraded by one or even several grades. Even the dignified "Hua Zhuang Yuan" cannot escape this circle.
It may not be that the younger generation was born in a wealthy and famous family and therefore did not work hard at painting, nor may it be that the tiger father and dog son did not teach well. The painting skills of three generations of painters have lost their luck in passing on the brush and ink.
But the status of a painter.
It is composed of countless factors such as opportunity, luck, environment of the times and so on.
The quality of the work only accounts for part of the factors, and more of it is external opportunities.
It can only be said that it is time and luck.
Just the fact that Kangxi appointed Tang Dai as "the number one painter" in the Palace of Qianqing, regardless of whether this guy stepped on shit, whether the level of Emperor Kangxi's artistic aesthetic vision is enough to judge the quality of the world's painters .
Just one sentence in this appropriate occasion directly surpassed the lifetime efforts of countless young fellow painters like Gu Weijing's ancestors in the painting palace.
Like Holbein the Younger and Holbein the Elder, the strong masters are better than their ancestors, the masters are better than the masters, and the mountains are higher than the others. This is definitely a case of smoke rising from the ancestors' graves.
It was such a beautiful thing that my father was lying in a cemetery in the countryside of Bavaria, and he wanted to jump up and dance three times before lying back down.
It is for this reason that no matter how good Sakai Katsuko is in painting, no one dares to say that she can really replace her father Kazunari Sakai's position in a few decades.
Also for this reason.
Gu Weijing was able to make it to the end and become Cao Xuan's apprentice for the first time, or what Lin Tao said back then - to be his apprentice, even if Mr. Cao really likes it, he will personally give it a try when he is interested.
It sounds like there may not be much difference for learning painting.
But for the painter's own market price, the gap is really too big, not a gap of one or two levels.
It is no different from an undergraduate degree from Peking University or a junior college degree from Beida Jade Bird. It is a valuable difference to attend classes at Peking University in college.
Lao Yang was really worried that Gu Weijing and his grandson either had too little vision or were obsessed with it. They picked up the sesame seeds and lost the watermelon, so they took the calligraphy outside and sold it.
Mr. Cao will definitely be very sad.
Even Lao Yang would think it was a waste of natural resources.
Don't say it's impossible.
In the face of things that are genuine and can be exchanged for money, nothing is impossible.
Good, bad, noble, sinister, all kinds of people, all kinds of things, Lao Yang has seen more or less.
Some people can hold Mr. Cao's gift, while others cannot.
I knew that Gu Weijing's family was not well off.
Lao Yang specifically said this, which was both a wake-up call and a good intention.
"Of course, thank you, Brother Yang. My grandfather took it out to sell himself, and he would not be willing to sell this calligraphy." Gu Weijing made a little joke.
"That's not the case." Lao Yang also smiled.
"He has been clamoring to show this calligraphy to the ancestors every year during ancestor worship. From now on, this calligraphy will be like a set of old brushes handed down from ancestors. It has been passed down from generation to generation in our Gu family. A family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, an important tool for controlling the feng shui of the town..."
"As for me." Gu Weijing said softly into the microphone, "I understand the old man's encouragement, I am very grateful, and I am willing to cherish the blessing."
Replaced by Gu Weijing from before.
He must respectfully express on the phone receiver at this moment how frightened and uneasy he was and how sleepless he was to receive this letter from Mr. Cao.
Besides, I am worried that I am not worthy of the master's gift, so I must be careful and careful to save it, worrying about gains and losses.
Not so.
He couldn't show how much he valued this generous gift.
After returning from the botanical garden.
Gu Weijing has grown up a lot and has seen a lot of things.
He thought clearly.
If Cao Xuan inscribes this calligraphy to him, he must bear it.
The old gentleman didn't write to keep him awake at night.
If you are anxious and timid, you are too petty.
"My grandfather said that Mr. Cao praised me for being outstanding. I know the old man didn't mean it, but - I will try my best to make myself truly outstanding," he said.
"If you are ambitious, just by what you said, Mr. Gu, you are really better than me, Old Yang." Old Yang really made a thumbs up gesture on the other end of the phone that Gu Weijing could not see.
There was a lot of smile in his tone, and there really wasn't much teasing in his words.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Even with Lao Yang's experience and state of mind today, if he were in the position of the young man on the other side of the phone, he might not have the courage to say the words "try your best to make yourself truly outstanding."
This is not a place for casual bragging.
"Awesome, this young man has a future."
Lao Yang couldn't help but look at Gu Weijing again in his heart.
Tang Ning, currently the youngest disciple of Mr. Cao, and Gu Weijing, the 18-year-old "quasi-disciple", Lao Yang used inappropriate metaphors in his mind. One is like a lady from the old society, and the other is like Xiaojiabiyu.
Mr. Cao's school is the largest prince's mansion in the art world.
They each have their own style.
There are many artists who never care about other people's moods and are inherently self-centered.
There are also many people who handle social relationships carefully, always with a smile on their face, for fear of offending the wrong person, who plan carefully every day, and walk on thin ice with trepidation.
We ladies are naturally domineering.
Xiaojiabiyu has always been cautious.
There are no merits or demerits in things that are innate.
At least for now, Lao Yang felt that chatting with Gu Weijing was cordial and warm, which made him more comfortable.
It's just that when Xiaojiabiyu marries into a wealthy family, there are usually two outcomes.
Some people are born with great ambitions and want to rely on the power of the wind to fly up a branch and become a phoenix.
There are also some people who are used to being poor and careful. They tremble like quails every day, and their lives are not as good as those of slaves.
It’s not scary to have ambition written on your face.
The scary thing is that he doesn’t even dare to have ambitions.
After all, people who have eaten multigrain steamed buns all their lives suddenly switch to white rice, so naturally they want to eat in silence and eat whatever the host family rewards them. Life is better than going back and eating black steamed buns that irritate their throats.
Eating what's in the bowl and looking at what's in the pot is certainly not a good word.
But if Gu Weijing was the kind of person who wouldn't even dare to look up even if the pie was handed over to him.
On the contrary, Lao Yang looked down on him.
How could Cao Xuan's closed disciple really be a lukewarm clay figure?
There are some things you were born without, and you don't even dare to think about fighting for them. You just hope that the crown will fall directly on your head. Why?
Is it because your face looks white?
What Gu Weijing said was ambitious, energetic but not arrogant, just the right amount of beautiful.
It completely exceeded his expectations.
Lao Yang couldn't help but cheer twice in his heart.
At this moment, he remembered the decision that Mr. Cao made to him on the plane two days ago that almost shocked him.
While Lao Yang lamented that the old man could see people accurately through his paintings, he also felt that this matter was not so unimaginable.
"Classmate Gu. Mr. Cao Xuan is resting in the hotel now, but he asked me to convey something to you. It's a surprise, so I originally thought of calling you tomorrow night." Old Yang's voice became less serious. .
"Well, Brother Yang, I'm listening."
Gu Weijing nodded: "Isn't this calligraphy a surprise?"
"It counts, of course it counts, but that's not all, maybe it can only be a small part. Believe me, in terms of difficulty, what I'm going to say next is no less difficult than a large calligraphy painting. After all..."
Lao Yang paused for a moment and said slowly, "...This is the European Art Annual Conference."
The speakerphone was on at the other end of the phone. Gu Weijing, who was brushing the cat's fur, was stunned for a moment and stopped what he was doing.
Awang let out a "meow" dissatisfied.
Gu Weijing touched Awang's head and looked sideways at the phone.
"Can you please explain it more clearly? I don't quite understand."
"Mr. Cao said that he knew that what Tang Ning said in front of the camera during the "Oil Painting" interview made you feel wronged and resentful. But he would not comfort you on this matter like your mother-in-law. The career of a painter is like this, with ups and downs. Only when you can withstand harsh criticism can you withstand praise. If you want to go far on the road of art, this is something you must go through. There is no need to cry and beg for an adult to hold you. He said that your "Wisteria Flowers" has been handed over. A very good answer.”
Gu Weijing rubbed the foam off his hand on Awang's back, picked up the phone and put it back to his ear.
"Brother Yang, I don't care anymore. Just like Mr. Cao said, I think facts speak louder than words. It's just that Ms. Tang Ning..."
"stop!"
Lao Yang smiled bitterly and motioned for Gu Weijing to stop.
"Xiao Gu, if you are willing to call me Brother Yang, then I will tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart."
"I believe you are telling the truth. But whether you really don't care or you are complaining about Miss Tangning in your heart, it's normal and there is no need to tell me. She is a respected painter, and you are Cao The old man likes young people with a bright future.”
"It's best for you two to resolve your matter on your own, or you can talk to Mr. Cao, either way."
"As the saying goes, when gods fight, little devils suffer. Brother Yang, I'm just a little assistant. I'm just repeating what the old man said. It's not easy to find a job. Student Gu, please don't make it difficult for me to be the villain in the middle. Okay. Bar."
Lao Yang said pitifully.
"Mr. Cao said, but then again, seeing your "Wisteria Flower Picture" is the happiest thing for him this year. The old man is happy. Since you were wronged in the last interview, so... , he said you can watch the opening live broadcast of the annual art conference the day after tomorrow online."
Gu Weijing was a little lost in thought.
When Lao Yang said the words "European Art Annual Meeting", he was in a trance. Gu Weijing thought that this matter was almost over.
He should have been content to receive a calligraphy from Mr. Cao.
But Lao Yang asked himself to watch the live broadcast of the opening. This statement makes people think a lot.
The opening ceremony of the annual meeting is more political than artistic, and more promotional than academic.
Why did Cao Xuan specifically ask himself to watch it?
If it weren't for the old gentleman and the young kid to have a bad temper and let the younger generation watch his heroic speech at the annual meeting.
Well, the answer is obviously opinion.
Mr. Cao Xuan's closing speech this time will be related to himself.
(End of chapter)
