Almighty painter

Chapter 469 Anna’s Chinese Painting Teacher
"Then whether you can gain my respect depends on your answer."

Anna tilted her head slightly and stared at Cao Xuan.

She did not smile back at Cao Xuan's compliment.

"Mr. Cao, this is a very serious topic——"

"No, you still don't understand what I just said, Miss Elena."

Cao Xuan waved his hand quickly (at least for an old man who was almost a hundred years old, his waving speed was extremely fast), interrupting Anna with a very powerful gesture.

"I am not here to argue with you about which creative method is superior, more advanced, or more 'civilized and noble'. Nor am I trying to argue, like your great-grandfather, that oil painting is the art chosen by God."

"No, no, no, although it sounds similar, what we discussed from beginning to end is not the same thing."

"What I'm saying is that Chinese painting is the most important category of painting to me."

Anna listened carefully.

In the light from the chandelier above her head, she studied the expression on the old man's face, trying to figure out if he was playing some kind of word game with her.

If he was trying to avoid the problem, the master might have made a mistake.

She is not a girl who is easily dismissed at all.

"What's the difference?"

"I studied abroad in France when I was young. Like the students of my generation who were severely impacted by world ideological trends, I was exposed to many fresh painting ideas, including sketching, watercolor, oil painting, focus perspective, optical principles, Cubism... they were all It is very interesting that some Eastern Xia painters have never been exposed to the creative philosophy in the past thousands of years, at least they have never become the mainstream of painting, while some other art trends such as Cubism and Abstraction are very different to them. For the whole world, it was a very new and pioneering thing at that time.”

"These things are very beautiful, very profound, and worthy of a person's lifetime investment."

"I have been walking among these colorful colors for more than ten years, like a stranger observing a huge kaleidoscope. It is filled with amazing charm and amazing temptation."

Cao Xuan looked directly into Anna's eyes without any hesitation.

His eyes did not have the aura of a powerful and majestic queen like Miss Elena, but a kind smile and nostalgia.

Don't know many, many years ago.

Next to the statue of Henri IV on the Ile de la Cité, the old man wondered whether he had ever seen such a charming girl when he was young.

"You know what? It was an era of great changes, both in the world and in art."

"Paris was the melting pot of world art at that time. It swallowed and squeezed elements of different painting schools from all over the world, meshing them into a new aesthetic concept."

"It combines Ukiyo-e with Dutch perspective, and brings the large-scale flat painting method of Eastern art into the creation of Impressionism. It combines the artistic aesthetics of West Africa and the wind of the Apennine Peninsula, blowing the golden color of the entire Seine River ’s riverside.”

The old man's slight rustling sound collided with the wall of the living room, and his crutches rested on the ground, as if the heavy smoke from the old European continent had fallen.

"Of course I know what that era was like. I personally participated in the Paris Autumn Salon after the war. At that time, its status was no less than the three major art exhibitions today. For art, it was really a short and important period. A long time." There was a hint of childish naughtiness and showoff in Mr. Cao's tone, "Some of my companions are not content to watch from a distance. They have personally walked into it and become these people who are constantly changing their combinations. part of the color.”

“Many people have gone very far, done well, and become famous.”

He said: "I didn't. After watching for a long time, I turned around and continued to pick up the brush in my hand and spent the rest of my life. It's not that those things are bad, nor that those things are not beautiful. They are all great. , are also beautiful, but that’s not the path I want to take.”

"Because you think Chinese painting is better?" Anna asked.

"Yes, even in the face of interviews with cameras from all over the world, I will answer this without thinking on any occasion. I think Chinese painting is better, and I think Chinese painting is more important."

Cao Xuan's tone was resounding: "Not because it is superior, but because it is closely connected with my blood and body. Other endless beautiful aesthetic styles in the world are like kaleidoscopes reflecting sunlight... But Chinese painting, it is For me, it is the moss that grows at night, the yellowing leaves on the treetops, the tide beside the moon, the air I breathe, and the sunlight itself.”

"People can live without the kaleidoscope, but they cannot live without the sun and the air for a moment. I was less than ten years old when I held the brush. I was as curious as a child and traveled tirelessly in the long river of Eastern Xia art. Almost a full century has passed. , now I am less than a hundred years old, and I am still like a child, full of curiosity and tirelessly swimming in the long river of Eastern Xia art. "

"It was a sweet dream that I couldn't wake up from. It enveloped my whole life."

The old man smiled happily.

"I just told you, didn't I? Chinese paintings are my parents and my children. How can a person not have the deepest respect and love for his parents and be full of affection for his children? Artists and critics are The difference is that scholars can read hundreds of paintings and carefully compare the pros and cons of each painting method, but the painter must love what he is creating. "

"That's the only one for you."

"I think Chinese painting is the most important art category in the world. Monet said that France is the hotbed of all art in the world. Dali said that for a painter, there is only one thing that is truly lucky, and that is that he was born a Spanish. This does not mean that we will fight when we meet in a certain time and space. It is just a reflection of the most passionate emotions in our hearts."

Cao Xuan spread his palms.

"Wise Miss Anna. If you accuse an old man of colonialism because he unabashedly expresses his love and piety for the paintbrush in his hand in front of you, it would be too merciless, wouldn't it? "

Miss Elena was silent this time.

"Please allow me to point out one thing to you with a little pride. Chinese painting may be the most tenacious painting school and creative style in the world. If you don't classify murals as a painting school... then there will be no one. "

"You said that on a scale of thousands of years, any form of painting will be broken and reorganized. It has been about six hundred years since Yang van Eyck improved and invented oil painting based on tempera painting in 1435. But since Gu Kaizhi Today, it has a history of years. Gu Kaizhi was not the inventor of traditional Chinese painting. During the Warring States Period, figure silk paintings with very mature and systematic art techniques had already appeared. The history of traditional Chinese painting can be easily pushed forward. to more than two thousand years.”

"During this period, the techniques, forms and color science of Chinese painting were of course a constantly improving and enriching art system and could not be static. The calligraphy structure of literati painting, Gandhara art, Central Asian art, Persian aesthetics...it was like the sea. It also absorbs cultural symbols from all over the world. But its core and philosophy are continuous and continuous. Its cultural connotation has never died out, even if it is based on a long time scale of a thousand years. come to such a conclusion.”

Cao Xuan pointed his finger at the scroll in front of Miss Elena.

"Chinese people paint Chinese paintings, or in other words, all people who are influenced by the essence of oriental art are painting Chinese paintings, standing in front of such scrolls of calligraphy and painting. What they see is not simple techniques and knowledge, or any kind of art in textbooks. Theories are not the first thing that comes to mind."

"What should it be? Please teach me."

Ana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said calmly.

"Before this, on the issue of the longer-lasting vitality of Chinese painting, I think I have convinced you, right? Miss Anna." Cao Xuan did not answer the other party's question immediately.

He raised his eyebrows and asked with interest.

"I still need to think about it, but for the time being, it sounds like a very interesting theory." Elena thought seriously for a moment, "Where does the endless vitality of art come from? This is really an important question. ”

"If Mr. Cao can tell me the answer, I would be very grateful. Do you think it is because the so-called 'freehand brushwork' is the general trend of art?"

"It's hard to answer directly. This is not about recommending one or two textbooks or checking one or two documents in the library to prove something good. We can demonstrate here for three days and three pages, using ink and ink sparsely realistic and emphasizing spirituality. How is the painting style similar to the philosophy of modern art? Why is the entire contemporary art philosophy developing on the road of condensing 'ideas'... These physical and chemical explanations may be more professional than mine, Miss Anna, and there is no need for me to do so. Guidance.”

"So, I would rather give you a more emotional answer here."

"It's the river."

Cao Xuan said.

"When we stand in front of traditional Chinese painting works, what we experience is not the technique, but a historical experience with pulse and temperature."

The old man smiled mysteriously, "Its divine will and spirit are also not the appreciation on the display board below the art museum, but a philosophical aesthetic flowing in the blood, a heartbeat with intimacy. Chinese painting is a kind of Ye Bianzhou can go down the river and lead to the future of our descendants, but it can also go upstream, allowing us to connect to the magnificent river of art, passing through thousands of years of spring and autumn, and reaching the source of history. "

"So, today, when we stand in front of the sculptures from the Qin and Han Dynasties and the silk scrolls from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, we will still be moved similarly to the ancients. We inhale in wonder and exhale deeply, just like the ancients did thousands of years ago. In this breath, as long as the cultural philosophy of Eastern Xia does not die, Chinese painting will never die. "

Miss Elena listened quietly.

She imagined what Cao Xuan thought of the painting in front of her.

It carries the warmth of history and the breath of the future.

present, past, and future.

A sense of vicissitudes of time is condensed into one painting and calligraphy, like a delicate ruler measuring the changes in art history.

previous years.

In 1870, when the archaeologist Schliemann knelt on the ground and cried bitterly while holding the pottery pot excavated from the ruins of Troy, did he feel something similar (Note)? Hit by the echoes of history?

Or is it different?

(Note: It is doubtful whether the site that Schliemann excavated in Turkey was actually the ruins of the ancient city of Troy. It is a famous archaeological case.)
Cultural differences and environmental barriers exist objectively.

It is also a work of [painstaking] level.

Seriously.

Even though this painting is to be viewed in person, "The Little Prince" is to be viewed as a scanned photo.

The cover painting of "The Little Prince" moved Miss Irina even more deeply.

But listening to Cao Xuan's words in my ears.

Anna imagined that she could gaze at the beauty of history, and she began to be deeply intoxicated by it.

"That's very well said. This is the temperature of art history. I think you have convinced me."

She nodded.

"When, Anna, you can really understand what I am talking about when you look at a Chinese painting, then you will really be a very outstanding Sinologist. However, this is a long road. , what is needed is a very long-term accumulation of experience.”

"Experience?"

"I prefer to call the brewing of art philosophy a kind of life experience, rather than simple knowledge reading. You embrace it rather than learn it. Of course, if you want to gain this kind of experience, you need long-term study and a lot of appreciation. Contact is definitely essential.”

Cao Xuan nodded and shook his head: "It takes more than ten years or more to learn a new painting philosophy. Of course, oil painting itself also has its own profound art philosophy. Except for myself and Xiao Ning, Several of my other disciples are creating oil paintings. The trend of mixing painting elements that you mentioned before is also another big trend in understanding art. If you like that style, this kid Gu is really creating one. A similar piece of work.”

"Maybe you'll like it?"

Even if Cao Xuan said to let Gu Weijing go on his own, he would not provide any help at the Singapore Biennale.

But when facing a top wealthy collector like Anna.

The old man was still very upright and pushed quietly, preparing to pull out Gu Xiaozi's work and show it to the public.

If Miss Elena is willing to put a stamp on his butt, it will be difficult not to win the prize.

"I want it."

Anna said suddenly.

"That painting that combines styles, it might be a bit difficult, because he is planning to vote for..." Cao Xuan was pleasantly surprised.

"No, I am referring to this painting. You said that philosophical experience is a long experience of appreciation and contact, so let's start with this painting."

Miss Elena took a step forward slightly, her nose very close to the drawing paper.

"I think he will be a very good teacher."

Huh? ? ?
Lao Yang, who had just put his heart back into his stomach, suddenly opened his eyes again, and his eyes were about to burst out with flames of anger.

You little sister is so unreasonable!
Let’s just talk about art. How could he suddenly come and snatch Lao Yang’s things?

This is too much!
(End of this chapter)