Almighty painter

Chapter 225 Old Cao's Expectation
There is a five time zone difference between South Asia and Central Europe.

Older people sleep less, get up early and go to bed late.

When Gu Weijing sent Lao Yang a message late at night, Cao Lao was still pacing among the rockery ponds in the yard.

Many foreigners always have a mysterious fascination with Chinese gardens.The Metropolitan Museum built a Ming-style garden called "Mingxuan" on the second floor of its exhibition hall.

The courtyard where Mr. Cao lived was a new home specially prepared by the school for this honorable old oriental artist when he decided to accept the invitation of the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts many years ago to serve as the head of the Department of Oriental Art and a tenured professor.

They hired professional Dongxia construction guides to build an antique courtyard by the Alster Lake in the inner city of Hamburg, imitating the "Tea House" in the Suzhou Garden.

This is not only a restoration and copying of the French gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties by the Department of Architecture in Hamburg, but also a high tribute and gift from the school board to Mr. Cao Xuan.

Mr. Cao Xuan, who was born in a water town in the south of the Yangtze River, spent his childhood studying painting in Yuantong Buddhist Temple.

The plot of worshiping Buddha in the old man's life is also related to this.

Incidentally.

Shiquan Street in the southeast of Suzhou, where Yuantong Temple is located, used to be the residence of many literati in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

Thirty steps to the right from the small courtyard where Mr. Cao lived when he was young, is Dafengtang, the painting hall of two Zhang brothers, Daqian and Shanma, who had just become famous at that time.

"It seems like a lifetime away."

Looking at the familiar scenery,
Cao Xuan sighed softly, sat down by the flower pond in the courtyard, and stared at the water waves and lotus leaves in the pond.

The school also took the trouble to transplant lotus, because the latitude of Hamburg is much higher than that of Suzhou, and the spring breeze in March and April is still wet and cold. At this time, the south of the Yangtze River should be full of lotus leaves.

After all, it is not my hometown.

"Still... not reconciled." The old man stretched out his hand to shake the water in the pool.

A lot of thoughts.

The reason why Mr. Cao Xuan made the decision to transfer from Qingmei to Europe to give lectures in his seventeenth year is because he still has a sigh of relief in his heart.

This tone is called dissatisfaction.

Meticulous brushwork, freehand brushwork, gardens, landscapes and strange stones, blue and white enamel.

These things are brilliant and eye-catching, and have set off waves of oriental fever and Chinese fever in the west.

Immigrant calligraphy and paintings at the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties are still highly sought-after items in the international market today, and can resonate with the aristocratic elites of old Europe.

The furniture style of the Ming Dynasty inspired the designer Marcel Breuer to create the Bauhaus design style, which swept the world.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the handmade carpets made by weavers in Tianjin traveled across the ocean to New York and San Francisco, and were enthusiastically loved by housewives. They were not only more popular than Turkish carpets, but even beat traditional luxury companies such as Louis Vuitton.

Today, such a century-old oriental carpet in the auction market can easily sell for tens of thousands of dollars for a small piece less than ten feet long.

But no matter how popular the antique calligraphy and paintings are, how many fabric carpets are sold.

Whenever the western art world mentions oriental art, it always has a condescending and weird gaze.

It's really not necessarily about discrimination.

It is not necessary to describe it as the malicious mockery of Chinese kung fu by the two hundred catty foreign strongmen in "Fearless".

It might be better to say that the blond and blue-eyed foreign art research experts, when appreciating oriental art, are like playing with a Neanderthal biological specimen on the dissecting table of a biologist for human research, or an exquisite mummy excavated from the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

They seem to be looking at a dead trend...

"Look, their bodies are very strong."

"The nose is high and wide, presumably they can breathe efficiently in ice and snow weather."

"Wow, look at this skull, I think their brain capacity should even be about the same level as our Homo sapiens."

Cao Lao couldn't explain how this feeling came from.

But he knew he never liked feeling like this.

Today, Dongxia is already one of the largest art markets in the world. Westerners like to accept Dongxia’s money, but they don’t like to accept the new generation of artists shaped by traditional Dongxia culture.

Even in Asia.

European and American collectors prefer Japanese culture, and the Japanese also regard Impressionism as half of their own son-in-law and are proud of it.They prefer Hallyu culture, and the trend of Korean Dansaek painting in the 70s has also influenced the development of modern art to a certain extent, and contemporary art is called a sudden rise.

However, in the world of contemporary art circles, there is a lack of the right to speak and speak from Dongxia art.

There is a lack of deafening artistic voices from the ancient East.

It was true when Mr. Cao was young, and it is also true in this era.

Countless things have changed in a hundred years, and the poor and weak national power has been changed. Only the discourse power of fine arts and the world influence of Dongxia art have not changed in essence.

Even Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Wu Guanzhong, Zao Wou-ki, etc., the names of the older generation of artists who once caused an upsurge in the West have gradually been extinguished in time.

One after another died.

As the last ancient ghost from that generation to this day, Mr. Cao Xuan is watching generations of young people, hoping to find a strong enough successor.

He is waiting for a junior who can witness the next hundred years for him, and who can use the paintbrush in his hand to set off a frenzy in the world in the future world.

After waiting for more than half a century, stubbornly staying in the world and unwilling to let go, Cao Xuan felt that he still hadn't found the person he wanted.

Being rejected by Cui Xuanyou, he was really not angry at all.

It doesn't matter if the other party is willing to teach outsiders, or not.

He can teach his own son Xiao Cui, a new generation of young painters with oriental imprints who has attracted media attention, which is very good in itself, very good.

It doesn't matter if Xiao Cui is German.

Monet, Manet, and Degas are not Japanese either. A truly excellent culture is not complacent, but inclusive.

Among Cao Lao's own disciples.

The one with the best talent is actually his big apprentice, who died helplessly in a shipwreck.

The paintings of Lin Tao's apprentices can be sold very expensive, but the artistic level is just like this.Especially at Lin Tao's age, he still likes to drink too much. In the next ten years, he will burn his incense without shaking hands or regressing.Don't even think about going further.

Tangning could barely be regarded as the apprentice Cao Lao admired the most.It's a pity, Cao Lao judged that the other party's artistic achievements were not unexpected, and in this life, at most, he could reach his own level.

Another problem is that Tang Ning's paintings are too much like herself, she doesn't have her own style, and her paintings follow the same pace.

In the end, it can only be "Cao Xuan Second".

"Where's that kid?"

Cao Xuan thought of the young man he met in Yangon who could be his great-grandson at that age.

sometimes,
He himself didn't know why he suddenly threw out the huge olive branch of "accepting apprentices".

Maybe he saw the shadow of himself when he was young in that persistent and simple little painter?

Or maybe it's just the unwillingness to swallow in my heart, which is quietly causing trouble.

Mr. Cao Xuan's bet, he sincerely wanted to recruit apprentices and motivate young people was almost half-half, it was both serious and a joke.

But when people are old, they really prefer children with endless possibilities.

Occasionally, Mr. Cao would pop up in his heart, the shadow of the persistent little guy who dyed his clothes red, blue and blue in order to mix up the right paint.

He was curious what step the kid could make.

Such an opportunity is in front of him, can he really seize it?

"Little friend, if you can be my closed disciple, you will step into the history of modern art with half a foot. It depends on whether you have this good fortune."

Cao Lao smiled silently at Chi Mian.

The old man likes to sit by the rockery in the yard at night and look at the lotus pond, so Lao Yang asked someone to add a lantern in the shape of a palace lantern beside the rockery.

Cao Xuan pulled his mind away from his thoughts, took out a folded piece of printing paper from his pocket, and read it under the moonlight and lamplight.

"Easyness and Wonderful Ability of Eastern Xia Art" - This is the speech drafted by the assistant Lao Yang for Mr. Cao Xuan at the European Art Annual Conference in April.

a few days ago.

The organizer of the annual meeting sent an email notification, slightly delaying Cao Xuan's speaking time.

Sir Brown, the chairman of the "Oil Painting" art magazine, hopes to give a joint speech with the heiress of the Elena family at the annual meeting.

When Lao Yang told himself this matter, his face was full of mysterious gossip.

"It's boring."

The little old man shook his head.

Cao Xuan heard that this matter was related to the internal political struggle between the senior executives of the magazine and the Irina family, a veteran art collector.

Rumors have been raging in the upper art circles recently that the various high-level councils on oil painting are going to expel the little girl named Anna Elena.

Cao Xuan was not interested in knowing more about it.

Although "Oil Painting" is the oldest and most influential publication among all art appreciation magazines, the Jelena family is inseparable from contemporary and even modern art history.

The friction between the two is enough to set off a hurricane sweeping the entire industry.

However, Mr. Cao Xuan's status doesn't need to care about this anymore.

If art is a forest, it is a [-]-meter-tall redwood.If art is an ocean, he is really the Cthulhu sea monster dozing in the trench.

How rough the waves outside, bloody storm.

In front of an old monster of the living fossil level like Mr. Cao, it was just a breeze blowing on his face.

Instead of having the time to eat melons and watch theatres, it is better to think about it for a while. My own speech at the annual meeting, and even paying attention to the progress of Gu Weijing's children's painting, are more meaningful than getting involved in this kind of wealthy mess.

Cao Xuan was thinking about whether to ask Gu Weijing through Lao Yang Guo tomorrow how the children's works were getting ready for the exhibition, and took out an oil pen, and lightly circled the words "Yi Shen Miao Neng".

After thinking for a moment, the little old man simply ticked off the entire topic from beginning to end and changed it to "How to discover the beauty of Dongxia art with heart".

"Well, the question is, am I not getting up well?"

Assistant Lao Yang put a Tang suit coat on the old man.

When Mr. Cao was walking in the yard, he was staring at the shadowy corner.

Seeing that the old man didn't intend to go back to the house in a short time, he took a windproof clothes and came over, just in time to see Mr. Cao's changes to the speech.

"When speaking at the annual meeting, there is no need to use words that Chinese people can't understand, and foreigners can't understand. Unless you are in the industry, who can understand what Yishenmiaoneng is? Isn't it difficult to translate and interpret simultaneously?"

"Painters should improve the level of painting and lower the threshold for people to appreciate oriental art."

Mr. Cao Xuan said softly: "Many foreign heads of state will be present at the annual meeting, and there will also be TV broadcasts and media reports. The easier the speeches are, the more efficient the communication will be, and the easier it will be for more people to feel the charm of Dongxia art."

"It's true that the older you are, the more you want to go back to basics! It's really not something ordinary people like me can compare..."

Lao Yang exclaimed.

"Stop flattering me here, what's the matter with you running here?" The little old man rolled his eyes, and pushed back what Lao Yang hadn't finished talking about.

When walking by myself, I don't like to be disturbed by outsiders.

Lao Yang is a very discerning person, so he probably has other things to do when he came to talk to him.

"Hey, I knew that nothing could be hidden from your discerning eyes."

Lao Yang gave a thumbs up with a smile.

In the final analysis, an assistant is a job of serving people.The assistants employed by some artists will also act as his personal art consultants, and together with the agent, they will form the left and right hands on the artistic road.

Lao Yang is an art student in CAFA's 92nd grade, and a master's degree in the painting department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He has a strong educational background and was born in a well-known top class.

But he is serious and clear-headed. No matter how he is named as Mr. Cao's personal assistant outside, he is called "Teacher Yang" by those great artists.

I am a fart in front of old Mr. Cao Xuan.

He is not worthy of giving art advice or anything. The only thing Lao Yang needs to do is to serve the old man happily every day.

It is Mr. Cao's business whether to listen to flattery or not.

Licking or not is a matter of attitude.

"Ma Shi Gallery has found that kid. As expected of the kid you're looking for, how old is he, and he has attracted the attention of such a top gallery."

Lao Yang didn't dare to let it go, so he hurriedly announced the good news to Mr. Cao.

"Boy Gu?"

Cao Xuan didn't expect that he just remembered the other party just now and heard the news about Gu Weijing.

"Yes, it's Mr. Gu."

Lao Yang said with a smile: "When I was in college, a senior who was studying oil painting signed a contract with a European gallery. It was only a second-tier gallery, but it caused a sensation. Today's young people are really awesome young people."

"It's so small, why sign a gallery! Why do you need to listen to the interference of the gallery owner when creating art?"

Hearing this news, Cao Xuan didn't have much smile on his face, instead his brows were furrowed imperceptibly.

"Be careful pulling out seedlings and encouraging them to grow."

The old man said worriedly.

There are 300-year-old art museums in the world, but there are no 300-year-old galleries.

More than half of the top ten contemporary galleries represented by Gagosian were established in the 90s and [-]s.

The industrial system of [Modern Gallery - Acting Artist] is a new concept that became popular after World War II. A gallery with a history of more than half a century like Mashi Gallery is already the oldest one.

50 years.

This is almost longer than the entire creative cycle of 90.00% of painters' careers, so every serious artist today has come out of this training system.

However, Cao Lao is too old and became famous very early.

He is one of the very few great painters who has never signed a gallery.

"Even if Xiao Gu is young, packaging is not a bad thing after all." Lao Yang thought for a while, "Marketing, let's pay attention to this now, sell shit for gold."

"I don't need the packaging of the gallery, I'm still me." Cao Xuan shook his head, "No matter how the gallery wraps the garbage with gold foil. After a hundred years, time will blow away the gorgeous coat, and the true colors of the mud will be revealed."

"The emperor's new clothes can fool the market for a while, but they can't fool people's eyes forever. I still think that the real fame is the real fame that I painted."

Mr. Cao has been pursuing this concept all his life.

Born in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he learned painting from his grandfather, a famous painter in Suzhou in the late Qing Dynasty.

At the age of 14, he was recommended by his teacher to Shanghai to visit Xu Beihong, who had returned from Paris at that time, and painted for others by the Art Deco Building by the Huangpu River in the concession.There was a Jewish executive who came in a Rolls-Royce and offered a high price of [-] pounds just for a meticulous portrait of Cao Xuan, who was not yet in his prime.

Later, in the painting world of the Republic of China, the south wind gradually spread to the north, and Cao Xuan went north to Beiping.

At that time, Tsinghua Garden held "Mingyue Commentary" in imitation of Yuedan Commentary by scholars in the late Han Dynasty. In the first phase, one person commented on the world's calligraphy and painting masters.

Famous masters such as Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong all entered the list. Among them, Cao Xuan was the youngest person on the list with the eight-character comment that "the pen and ink are powerful and have entered the masterpiece".It became famous overseas for a time.

Later, he went to Europe to participate in the Autumn Art Salon in Paris, France.

This is one of the highest stages of art in the world. Picasso and Paul Cézanne have both failed here. Cao Xuan failed to enter the exhibition for three consecutive years. In the fourth year, he miraculously won the "highest award" of the salon directly. Since then, he has officially entered the world's top painter group.

All the fame of the old man in this life did not rely on any outside sales hype from the gallery, relying on his personal efforts, he conquered the art judges and collectors with a single brush.

It is the reputation earned in art competitions by the real kung fu of practical strokes and strokes.

No matter from the perspective of the East or the West, Mr. Cao is a rather classical painter, and he has always kept a distance from the professional gallery commercial marketing system.

Commercial galleries can make a lot of money for artists, that's for sure.

But whether this kind of commercial-led creation will affect the pure artistic level of the work-this answer is different for different people, and different people have different opinions.

"Old man, you are a great bodhisattva who has jumped out of the three realms and is not in the five elements, but young juniors also have to eat, don't they?"

Lao Yang felt that on this point, he should say something to Gu Weijing's children: "Professor Lin Tao and the others also have their own signing galleries. Being able to sign a big gallery is a good thing, not a bad thing."

"If you earn money at a young age, you will become irritable, and you will not focus on painting. How old is Gu Weijing, so he wants to make money so eagerly? Bao Jianfeng comes from sharpening, and plum blossoms come from bitter cold. Only by being poor can we cultivate the courage and spirit of a painter."

The little old man curled his lips stubbornly and criticized.

Ha ha,

Old man, you have never been poor in your life. Before liberation, you could buy a house in a Shanghai alley with 1000 pounds as a charterer.

In his heart, Lao Yang accused Master Cao Xuan of treating his disciples with double standards, and would only talk back to Cao Lao if he was crazy on the surface, so he had to smile wryly beside him.

"By the way, Gu boy is talented. But how could a top-notch gallery like Ma Shi Gallery pay attention to a small painter in Yangon. If he uses my name now to bluff outside, he is a little too impatient."

The unhappy look on the little old man's face became more obvious.

Young people want to make money and become famous, Mr. Cao Xuan can understand.

As long as Gu Weijing paints steadily and can catch the olive branch he handed over, what should be his will be his. Wouldn't he, Cao Xuan, not help his disciple?
Whether it is seeking fame or profit, there will always be a day when this kid makes a lot of money.

But if you contact the Grand Gallery in the name of Mr. Cao now, and can't wait to use it as your own ladder... it would be really disappointing.

"Oh, no, no, you missed it."

Lao Yang waved his hand immediately: "Xiao Gu did a good job on this. Even if Ma Shi Gallery came to the door, he didn't mention your matter, but came to ask for your opinion immediately."

"Hmph, that's about the same."

Mr. Cao Xuan's face softened a lot: "Could it be that Ma Shi Gallery just happened to discover Gu Xiaozi's talent by accident?"

"Well, not really."

Lao Yang had a weird smile between wretched and amazed: "Guess who recommended him to Ma Shi Gallery, you will never think of it."

"It can't be Lin Tao, why didn't he tell me in advance?" Cao Lao was puzzled.

Lao Yang shook his head mysteriously.

"Quickly say it, don't give it away." Cao Xuan was also a little curious.

"It's Mr. Kazusei Sakai."

"Kazunari Sakai?"

In the little old man's mind appeared the image of the fat, meatball-like middle-aged artist who had worked with the Shwedagon Pagoda at the beginning of the year.

Cao Xuan thought for a moment, then blew his beard and stared, and said angrily: "It's not enough for him to have a good daughter, this little fat man wants to rob me?"

"No...you are right in a sense."

Lao Yang felt that sometimes Mr. Cao really looked like an old child.

"Gu Weijing took care of Miss Sakai Katsuko."

"Done?"

"This kid is now dating Ms. Sakai Katsuko. The gallery was introduced by Professor Sakai, and Mrs. Sakai also went there in person when the contract was negotiated. Mr. Gu is really this—"

Lao Yang winked and gave Cao Lao a thumbs up.

Hearing this news, even Cao Xuan was taken aback.

The old man was silent, silent, and didn't know what to say for a long time.

"That's it, this kid, this kid... Huh, what's the difference from using my name, and the gallery is not interested in him."

The little old man said so, but he couldn't stop smiling.

When the old man was young, he was able to make a name for himself in the ten-mile foreign market in old Shanghai. He had seen it before, and he was not a quirky old painter who could only hold a paintbrush without being a woman.

Mr. Cao Xuan still admired Gu Xiaozi's skill in his heart.

It's just that he said: "Painting more is more useful than any heresy. If I paint in the future, I will not be as good as my partner. I feel ashamed for him. I have no skills. I was lucky enough to borrow the east wind of a large gallery, and I can't fly."

"Did he contact you just to ask for instructions?"

"Gu Weijing would like to ask if you can help convey some conditions to Ma Shi Gallery. At the same time, his exhibited works have drawn some eyebrows, and I also want you to comment."

"Draw eyebrows? Heh, it seems that Gu Xiaozi is very confident in himself. I want to see how good he is. Bring me his 'masterpiece' first. If you can't draw well, you can call me and scold him."

(End of this chapter)