Almighty painter

Chapter 598 My Students (Part )

"I went in and out of the courtyard of that alley, and in the fleeting moments I left behind, I was not fortunate enough to remember the essence of the knowledge that the master or famous artist wanted to convey, or any advice that would open my eyes to enlightenment. Fortunately, it was a handful of soil for seeds to germinate, and gave me, a young boy, a hazy, vague, and macroscopic feeling, namely—"

"In art, painting is actually a form of cultural inheritance and a symbol of civilization, just like poetry, ci, and even historians' articles."

"A symbol of civilization! Your attitude towards art is truly profound."

Old Yang said with a smile.

"No, you don't understand. This is not something to be said in a joking manner. This is a very serious matter."

Cao Xuan did not laugh along.

He looked at his assistant, tapped him with his palm, and said slowly: "You don't understand the weight of the word 'civilization'."

"In that special era when I was a child, the so-called 'civilization' had a special meaning for the entire intellectual community and the entire country. People said that it was a major change that had not happened in 3,000 years, and the Chinese mainland was in turmoil. Repeated failures made people begin to doubt their own culture and their roots."

Cao Xuan said slowly: "Also in that era, in the first year of the 20th century, the Dunhuang Caves were opened when Taoist Wang Yuanlu was clearing the sand. More than 50,000 volumes of various scriptures, documents, embroideries and paintings were unearthed. Most of them were scrolls from the Tang Dynasty."

"For a thousand years, a full thousand years, it was submerged in the sand and buried in the long river of civilization for ten centuries without seeing the light of day."

The old gentleman sighed, "But it reappeared in the world in the first year of the 1200th century. At that time, a Japanese scholar swore that the buildings of the Tang Dynasty had long disappeared on the mainland. If people want to see the appearance of the temples of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, they can only go to Kyoto and Nara. They are the only inheritors of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. In order to save face, Mr. Liang Sicheng found records in the Dunhuang scrolls, and then searched everywhere, and finally found Foguang Temple in Shanxi. The all-wooden Tang Dynasty pavilion was built in the th year of Tang Dazhong according to the inscriptions on the murals. It is extremely well preserved and has been years old."

"In the same year that the Dunhuang Caves were discovered, between 1899 and 1900, epigraphers found oracle bones in a Chinese medicine shop in Beijing. Can you imagine? What a shock, what a great discovery."

Talking and talking.

The old man seemed to have regained the excitement he felt when he first witnessed the magnificent thousand-year-old historical scroll unfolding slowly before him, and he waved his arms vigorously.

When talking about the greatest discovery of the century in cultural history, he is like a dancing child.

“All our academic predecessors, our grandfathers, our grandfathers’ grandfathers, the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong dynasties, Xu Wei, Wen Zhengming, Tang Xianzu, and Huang Gongwang—they had no chance to see the Dunhuang scriptures, the Tang Dynasty soft-cover silk paintings and scriptures, in the past thousand years, but we have.”

He took a deep breath.

"Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, all the people we know about it, all the people we have read in books, all the sages, all the ancients, have never discovered the secret of oracle bone inscriptions. Even Confucius, who advocated ancient rituals, did not know about oracle bone inscriptions, and Mencius did not know about them either. But at that time, under the shadow of war, during the great debate on whether Chinese civilization should be fully westernized, this treasure appeared in front of everyone so openly."

"This is a major change that hasn't happened in 3,000 years, and it's only been revealed in 3,000 years."

Cao Xuan recited softly.

"I have always hated talking about national destiny, at least I hate the term 'national destiny' that attributes everything to some mysterious luck."

"The reason why Chinese civilization has come this far is the result of generations of ancestors fighting and shedding their blood, working hard and cultivating, not the result of rolling dice or playing the gossip. Attributing victory to luck is a blasphemy to the contributions of revolutionary martyrs and a disrespect for history. But only in this matter, I am willing to believe that the destiny of the country is predestined."

"It stands there like a giant stabilizing force, telling us that the inheritance of Chinese civilization will not and cannot fall."

Cao Xuan nodded and repeated forcefully: "I won't fall down. I can't fall down."

"So, when I paint throughout my life, it is just like the ancients reading the writings of sages. No matter what I paint, I always have a sincere sense of mission. So when I paint, I must first establish a purpose, which means that at the moment I pick up the brush, the theme must be clear, the purpose must be vivid, and I must paint with feeling, rather than just creating feeling for the sake of painting."

“You have to have something to say and something to paint.”

“Even if I dare not say that I can achieve such lofty ambitions as establishing a heart for heaven and earth and a life for the people.”

"If it can help to nourish one's character, soothe one's mood, relieve worries, and relieve boredom, then that's good too... But if it's just a painting to show off one's skills, or a painting for self-admiration, then I rarely want to paint it."

"It is just like trying to force sadness into a new poem. Without the support of deep emotion, it becomes a pure word game. The stubborn weeds are better than the rootless flowers on the tables of kings and generals."

"Lu Xun said that the Chinese people's self-confidence cannot be proved by the articles written by the top scholars and prime ministers. One has to look underground for himself," Cao Xuan said. "It's the same with painting. One has to dig deep into the paper, dig deep into the ground, dig deep into people's blood with painstaking efforts. One has to sink deep into the ground. Only such emotions are sincere and such creators are lovable. It's not about floating upwards and writing those superficially gorgeous but actually empty bullshit flattery articles in which you flatter me and I flatter you."

Be obedient and listen to the sound.

This time, those who know what's best didn't dare to lick Old Yang, who loves to flatter.

He put down the teacup, twisted his hips, and rubbed his toes on the ground.

It was as if he were going to dig a big hole in the ground and plant himself in it.

Whoops!

Old Yang realized that the old man was still a little unhappy with him.

Maybe he was unhappy with him... and "borrowed" Gu Weijing's thoughts on the murals to show off.

Maybe it's the feeling that such a good sentence has been ruined like this.

Maybe many people have the same thoughts as Lao Yang when he wears famous luxury brands and drives a Porsche on the street.

The middle-aged man was gnashing his teeth in his heart.

Mr. Cao is so narrow-minded!
As for what?
When "Gu Xiaozi" spoke of this realization, it sounded pure and innocent, it sounded like the result of hard work, it sounded like digging deep into the ground, but when Old Yang took it and used it, it was like making a few oil marks on the surface.

Let you always be so disgusted.

Take a look.

Please take a good look at it.

Isn't this fat boy, Lao Yang, cute at all?

Yang Dekang secretly curled his lips and said, "Oh, if it weren't for the fact that he, Old Yang, posted on WeChat Moments to trick people into giving him likes, you wouldn't even know about this."

Grievance.jpg!

"In my mind, when appreciating a painting, its emotion, its thought, and its intention are more important than the quality of the painting technique."

Mr. Cao doesn't care whether Old Yang is happy or not.

The old man talked about something happy.

An unconcealable smile appeared on his face, and his eyes sparkled: "So, Gu Weijing is a good judge."

"It can't gel, good!"

"It won't coagulate, good!"

"It's still warm, which is even better!"

Every time he said a good word, Cao Xuan would knock on the table with his knuckles, as if he was deeply moved.

"Listen, what is Gu kid talking about. Unable to condense, unwilling to condense, warm, just these twelve words are more than a hundred times and a thousand times better than those long speeches you just made. I am really happy that the last painting of my life can be praised with Lu Xun's words. Even if it only has a third of the charm, I am honored."

“If Mr. Wu Guanzhong were still alive today and heard this, he would surely float the three great whites for me.”

Until this moment.

Old Yang suddenly stopped being jealous.

Just now, when Mr. Cao mentioned the word "civilization", he saw the same excitement as a child in the other person.

now.

He saw happiness on Cao Xuan's gaunt face, the kind of happiness that was pure and childlike. Old Yang suddenly realized that his attitude towards Gu Weijing was still too frivolous.

He believed that Mr. Cao's happiness at this moment was not fake, and when he said he felt honored, he really felt honored.

This kind of people.

What's the point of being jealous? If she wants to be jealous, let Tangning be jealous.

If we say that Cao Xuan's feelings for Tang Ning were more of a kind of affection that comes from years of companionship, it's the kind of affection that an old man has for his own girl.

So, Cao Xuan felt towards Gu Weijing, at least at this moment, when he heard what Gu Weijing said in front of the mural, that was the feeling the old man expressed.

According to Lao Yang's intuition——

High mountains and flowing water meet friends.

If it weren't for the fact that the two people were so far apart in age and status, so far apart, as if a huge distance, this conclusion would be too far-fetched and so absurd that Lao Yang couldn't believe it.

Then.

He would say that this feeling... is a close friend regardless of age.
-
“Book me a flight to Singapore next month.”

Cao Xuan at the table suddenly spoke.

Lao Yang next to him felt his belly twitch.

"Are you going to Singapore? To see Brother Gu's art exhibition?"

He reminded himself that he was a professional assistant, he had seen everything, he had experienced all kinds of things, he had even told dirty jokes to Gagosian.

Stay calm, stay calm.

"If we go to Singapore, it will take half a day to fly. Do you want me to say hello to Mr. Liu and use their plane?"

Old Yang asked tentatively.

"No need, I'm not that squeamish."

"Call Lin Tao, Xiao Ning and the others. But I do have something to ask of Yi Ming. He is a Malaysian Chinese and has many properties and places in Singapore. I would like to ask him to help me clean up a house. It should be bigger. It will be more convenient."

Ding!

Old Yang was stunned again.

He asked someone to book a flight to Singapore because the old man wanted to see Brother Gu's painting exhibition in person.

Calling Lin Tao and the others... This can be simply understood as the old man attaching great importance to Gu Weijing.

Let Liu Ziming clean up the place?
What is this for? It can't be that the old man just wants to hold a senior citizen walking championship in the room...

I'm going!

The bell in Lao Yang's heart was shaking and about to burst.

His hands were shaking a little and he was about to faint from lack of oxygen.

"That...that..."

Old Yang remembered why he came to see Mr. Cao. "Sir, there is something I need to tell you first. Um, I just saw on the news that Cui Xuanyou's son Cui Xiaoming suddenly announced that he would participate in this year's Singapore Biennale as a specially invited painter."

He took out his cell phone, swiped it twice, and then handed it to Mr. Cao.

Old Yang was worried that Mr. Cao wouldn’t look real enough on the small screen.

He ran to the printer again and with some swift movements, printed out the large photo from the official Twitter account of the Singapore Biennale.

Put it on the desk.

"Well--"

Old Master Cao put on his reading glasses again, frowned as he looked at the photo that Old Yang handed over, and let out an ambiguous sigh from his throat.

He glanced at the photo.

Just put it next to the tablet.

The two drawings were placed together, and the old man's expression looked particularly playful.

Old Yang stretched his arms and squinted his eyes to successfully catch a glimpse of the tablet computer in front of Mr. Cao.

What is displayed on the screen is a scanned version of the drawing.

The content of the drawing was very familiar. It was Gu Weijing's "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sunshine", a completely new version that Lao Yang had never seen before.

The picture changed from a tilted triangular composition to a cross composition.

Compared with his previous impression of "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun", the composition has become simpler, but it has also become solemn and balanced.

"Just look openly."

Mr. Cao turned his head and glanced at his assistant. "This is what Gu sent me today. It is the final draft for the Singapore Biennale. It has passed the preliminary review of the organizing committee. If these two paintings are put together at the Singapore Biennale, which one do you think is better?"

Old Yang was confused for a moment.

He looked at Mr. Cao's expression and answered tentatively: "I think, from my personal point of view, Brother Gu's work may be better."

When Lao Yang said that Gu Weijing's paintings were better, he was not just observing people's expressions.

As far as he is concerned.

He felt that Cui Xiaoming's painting of Buddha might be more to the taste of the judges of the Singapore Art Exhibition and would be more likely to win an award.

However, on liking.

He looked at it carefully for a few seconds.

Perhaps it's because as the novelty of seeing the three deities together wore off, and after looking at them for a long time and becoming familiar with them, they no longer had the same initial impact.

Gu Weijing's painting "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun" attracted Lao Yang's attention even more.

Theoretically, he has seen this painting many more times and for a much longer time than Cui Xiaoming's works.

But with this revision.

Not only the composition of the canvas has changed, but also the overall temperament of the work has become suddenly different.

"It looks brighter and more brilliant."

(End of this chapter)