Almighty painter

Chapter 542 Gu Bi Wang
"You have actually read Fitzgerald?" Gu Weijing was shocked.

"Actually, what do you mean by actually? I, your grandfather, have read so many books. Do you think I only read martial arts novels? Besides, does reading martial arts novels make people inferior to reading Fitzgerald? Bullshit."

Gu Tongxiang stood by the window, holding a cigarette in his mouth, humming with disdain.

The old man glanced at his grandson.

"Martial arts novels are very profound. When you can read martial arts novels and understand the metaphors of the international left-right struggle in Mr. Jin's book, and read the situation in Hong Kong and the newspaper dispute between Ming Pao and Ta Kung Pao in the battle between Qiao Feng and Juxian Village, then you can say that you understand martial arts."

Gu Tongxiang took a puff of his cigarette like an experienced man and patted Gu Weijing on the shoulder.

"Boy, you are too young, and you have everything too easily. So you don't understand. I'm not saying that you are not great to have come this far, but when you were 18, you signed a contract with a big gallery and sat in the tea room of the National Artists Association, enjoying the air conditioning and drinking coffee, so you still don't understand the state of mind of those truly hard-working painters."

"Look, it took us half an hour to drive here from home today. The old office of the National Artists Association is just east of the Yangon River, and it's only about ten minutes' walk from our gallery. When I was young, I often walked past its door when I was collecting paintings."

"When I walked in here as an invited guest, my head was already bald."

"Turn your head and have a look, don't be too obvious, gently - look at the guy over there wearing a longyi (traditional Burmese robe), yes, in Yangon, how many people dressed like this have you seen wandering on the street? Look again, the guy on the left is dressed like the Fire Cloud Evil God, smoking a cigarette and walking around in flip-flops. Is he sick? Is this old man that hot? Even if he is hot, please wear a pair of sandals, okay? Who would walk around in a place like this in a pair of flip-flops!"

Gu Tongxiang smiled slightly, looking at this scene of "demons dancing wildly", as if he had seen through everyone's psychology.

"Do they not value this kind of occasion? No, quite the opposite. They value this opportunity very much. Even though they know they have no chance of being selected into the National Artists Association and are just runners-up, they still put on their own 'battle uniforms', showed off their style, and brought out their enthusiasm for personal IP creation. Even if it's just a few seconds of footage, it's proof of their existence."

"You are the one who doesn't want to do anything, and you really don't take this occasion seriously."

"Although Myanmar is a poor and dilapidated country, and although the chaos here is almost non-stop, and the art industry is not taken seriously at all, although... this is a country with a population of 50 million after all. I went from being a small painter to sitting here today, drinking coffee with people like you. It took me a lifetime, and it's not just me, many people here are like this."

Gu Tongxiang patted his shiny bald head, straightened his collar solemnly, and exhaled a puff of smoke with a sigh.

"It's been so many years, I can't even remember, but I've been hoping to be in a documentary. I've had the chance to do so."

this moment.

He doesn't look like the unsuccessful Hemingway cosplayer, nor does he look like an old man who is practicing painting and is being driven away by his grandson waving a whip, or an old man who is whining and wants to go out to play. Instead, he looks like a veteran who has retired for many years, an old swordsman who, after many years, picks up the sword again.

Gu Weijing looked at his grandfather's profile. The white smoke from the snow flute was lingering around, as if he was wearing a snow-white scarf.

From this side face.

Gu Weijing really seemed to see the shadow of the young man many years ago, who was wearing a towel around his neck, wearing a black suit, and driving a newly bought second-hand luxury car worth millions, and was riding a brightly dressed and high-spirited horse, with "Shanghai Bund" playing on the radio. He was driving leisurely along the bank of the Yangon River in a black suit.

Gu Tongxiang was much younger at that time than he is today.

At that time, Gu Tongxiang was not bald yet.

Gu Weijing suddenly realized that his attitude towards the older generation and their life experiences might indeed be a little too frivolous.

Gu Tongxiang always said that his grandson should learn more from him.

He had worked his way up from the lowest class where people could not even get enough food.

There is no such thing as success in the art industry.

But in Yangon, it’s not as good as the best, but better than the worst.

It's just barely passable and mediocre, but it can still be considered a superior person.

Gu Tongxiang's interpretation of the art industry is certainly not some profound and wise saying, and it may be biased to a certain extent, but his perspective is certainly full of his rich personal life experience.

It's a bit similar to the "street wisdom" that the black community likes to talk about.

Gu Weijing realized that he had felt something strange just now.

"Old Yang".

He vaguely saw the shadow of Old Yang in his grandfather.

Lao Yang taught me how to show off.

My grandfather was also teaching me how to act cool.

Even though Old Yang is oily and Old Gu is bald, these two people always pretend to be cool in formal occasions, no matter how awkward it is.

It's no coincidence.

Gu Weijing discovered that in his impression, there were big names in the high-end art circle of the entire international community.

For a moment, it was almost difficult for him to find any master in his mind who was truly "unkempt".

There is a huge difference between pretending to be unkempt, appearing unkempt, and actually being unkempt.

Everyone has his or her own personal image IP.

Damien Hirst, with his big leather jacket, small chains, or tailored suits from head to toe in black, is obviously a great artist. In some of his early interview photos, he was dressed like Schwarzenegger, the Terminator.

Not to mention those who are involved in pop art.

Yayoi Kusama is over 90 years old, but she is still a super fashionable old lady. Her dressing style is so fashionable that most people cannot accept it.

Andy Warhol's outfit is relatively normal, but he is probably the artist whose clothing has had the greatest influence on the entire Western society.

If you don’t subscribe to men’s magazines and don’t know much about the fashion industry, it might be hard to realize that this big shot is not only the godfather of the Pop Art movement, but also the godfather of the fashion movement.

Strictly speaking, his status in the clothing industry is probably at most slightly weaker than that of Coco Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld, and his influence on the entire men's clothing culture is no less than that of rock stars such as the Beatles.

Andy Warhol is known as the ancestor of young and handsome gentlemen. If you look at any common men's clothing book, such as "The Gentleman's Dress Bible", "Men's Elegance", "Gentleman", and "A Century of Clothing", you will generally find that the clothing culture is divided into three schools: Italy, Britain, and America.

The representative figures of Italian gentleman's dress culture are quite diverse, and all kinds of people can be cited as examples.

When the British discuss the evolution of gentleman's clothing, the names they usually mention are Edward VII and a few lords, while Asian publications like to cite British symbols such as James Bond as an example.

In the United States, the representative symbols of suit culture are Brooks Brothers, which is synonymous with Ivy League style clothing, and Andy Warhol.

It's just that he died early, otherwise, if he were to follow the trend and start a cross-border clothing brand now, people like Van Doorn would have no chance to make a living.

The more Gu Weijing thought about it, the more he felt that his grandfather's words, "The art of painting is difficult, the art of decoration is simple, and you have to hold the style up," are worth pondering. This is not even a modern phenomenon.

The famous scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties slept on ice in the winter and cooked by fire in the summer, and they were very good at performance art. If you open "A New Account of Tales of the World", you will see how handsome these people were. Someone claimed that he met a ghost while wandering around in the middle of the night, and someone had skin as white as a god, so even the emperor ran over to touch him. However, there are fewer records of what academic achievements were produced from their idle discussions by historians.

During the Republic of China, Mr. Lu Xun wrote a long commentary article specifically about this matter, in which he expressed very constructive suspicion that these people had damaged their brains by taking Wu Shi San and other drugs.

Western society is not much better.

When the literary leader Victor Hugo's Hernani was shown in the Paris Theater, artists and poets from all over Paris came to support him. According to the newspapers at the time, the scene was like a "crowd of demons dancing". Some were dressed like those from the time of Henry IV, some wore silk pajamas, and some dressed like fishermen...

The most outrageous thing was that Hugo's good friend, the poet Pal Filgottier, specially asked a tailor to make him a blingbilng bright red tight vest, and cheered for Hugo in the crowd.

God have mercy on you. If you were to walk on the street in the 21st century with such a coquettish outfit, no one would be able to tolerate it.

What’s more, in 1830, the social atmosphere was very conservative?
As a result, for the next thirty years, all the citizens of Paris used "red vest" to refer to this poet and artist.

It is said that Princess Mathilde, the hostess of the famous Parisian literary salon, who was in the VIP box on the second floor of the theater at the time, complained to her bestie, "Today, I saw clothes from all over Europe from all eras. Among these gentlemen, the only person I didn't see was a normal human being."

To a large extent, an artist's investment in appearance is also an important part of self-improvement in his or her career.

Compared with those celebrities who can already be classified as performance art.

It's not really too much for old man Gu, who likes to apply minoxidil hair growth agent crazily, COS Hemingway in front of the camera with a collection of essays, and COS "Fire Cloud Evil God" in flip-flops.

"I've already told you that you have a lot to learn from your grandfather." Gu Tongxiang proudly raised his neck and stroked his bald head. "Even if you are here just to run with me today, it won't hurt for us to dress decently, right?"

"Let's not talk about anything else. Look at that little jerk named Miao. Wasn't he intimidated by us?"

Gu Tongxiang turned his head, pursed his lips slightly and smiled complacently.
-
[I am too normal, so I don’t fit in with the people around me.JPG]

This sentence can vividly summarize Xiaomiao's mood at the moment.

Unlike the Gu grandfather and grandson who were standing in the sun by the window, wearing three-piece suits, posing, and sweating from the heat.

Miao Angwen tightened the collar of his pullover slightly, feeling that the air conditioning in the tea room was exceptionally cold.

The uncles, aunts and grandpas around are all shrewd people.

Some had already seen through Gu Tongxiang's tricks to deceive the camera, but they saw through it but didn't say anything. Some sneered, and some regretted in their hearts, "Hemingway and cigars, how can he bring props and grandsons! Referee, where is the referee! I report his fucking foul. Why didn't I think of it and let this old bastard show off."

But poor classmate Miao is just like Gu Weijing, he has never seen such a thing before!

He was dumbfounded.

He also...felt inferior.

If children from ordinary working-class families or rural areas had the opportunity to attend top schools or aristocratic private schools, they would understand.

Although a truly strong person doesn't care about the environment.

But we should not use the standards of the strong and always make demands on children whose worldview has not yet been formed.

It is inevitable that minors will have a competitive spirit and vanity. Those who can compare their studies rather than their family background are very awesome people.

Most people aren't that awesome.

For example, Miao Aung Win.

For example, Gu Weijing.

Therefore, although Dulwich is a very good local school, the objective difference in family conditions inevitably makes them feel some unspeakable inferiority.

People with low self-esteem tend to be more sensitive.

Gu Weijing is fine because he has Sakai Katsuko.

Even before he met Katsuko Sakai, he still had Mona by his side.

Objectively speaking, although Mona regarded him as Plan B in her heart, Miss Shandenu was not really a vicious girl, she was just more sober.

in contrast.

For a long time, Mona has been a good friend who can bring him warmth.

As for Miao Angwen, his inferiority complex is much more serious than Gu Weijing's.

Miao Aung Win often told himself that he was ready to face the past.

He is the son of a taxi driver, while Gu Weijing is just the grandson of an art stall vendor. Even his father has disappeared without a trace.

He could handle it. After gaining Brother Hao's appreciation, he had become strong enough to let go of it all.

result--

What the hell is this?
Is your art vendor so arrogant that he wears a suit and tie on a hot day, and his pastime at home is... smoking a snow pipe and reading Hemingway to his grandchildren?

This is too cool.

“It turns out we are different.”

The more sensitive a person is, the more he thinks.

Tang Ning's ridicule touched Gu Weijing's sensitive spot, so he collapsed while painting in the botanical garden.

Old Gu's behavior of forcing Wang also touched Miao Angwen's heart a little.

People say that the gentle temperament of intellectuals, like the three generations it takes to raise a noble, must be cultivated from childhood.

Could it be that Brother Hao appreciates him more because he does not have Gu Weijing's family background?
Could it be because of this reason that Miss Koko likes him so much?

Miao Angwen's mind was full of thoughts. Thinking of his father who drove for other people, he couldn't help but clutch his sleeves tightly.

(End of this chapter)