Almighty painter

Chapter 643 Tit for tat
"That makes sense." Mrs. Sakai nodded. "The children entered the exhibition fairly and honestly based on their own abilities."

The blonde aunt curled her lips and snorted, "It would not be good if some shameless colleagues said that you had an inside job and exerted too much influence on the organizing committee for such an upright and innocent matter."

"Yes, yes." Uncle Sakai nodded immediately, the fat on his chin trembling, and he agreed with his wife like a chicken pecking at rice, "Some people's own children are not ambitious, and they are always jealous of our Shengzi. We haven't done anything now, so we can't let others talk nonsense."

Kazunari Sakai's little eyes turned around twice slyly.

"Besides, what if the painting is unfolded later and we really want to find out the inside story and exert some influence on the organizing committee?"

The fat uncle had a clever idea.

Energy should be used where it is needed most.

It would be bad to let others talk about him using his connections to put pressure on the organizing committee when the exhibition just started...especially on such insignificant matters as booths one and two.

after all.

What if the organizing committee disagrees during the discussion, and at the critical moment of whether to accept or not, the "balance" of the award is swaying up and down. Should Kazunari Sakai really walk over shyly, find a chance when no one is around, sneak up, and use his connections to put pressure on the organizing committee?
It's inconvenient to be under the spotlight.

Low-key.

Keep a low profile.

When no one is paying attention, roll in quietly, but don't be too conspicuous.

Mrs. Sakai looked at her husband.

The uncle looked at his wife's face and asked tentatively, "Honey, am I behaving well?"

The blonde aunt laughed.

She leaned over and kissed Kazunari Sakai gently on the face, then raised her head. "You did a great job, my Byron is the best. As for Shengzi and Gu Weijing's exhibition, you need to keep up the hard work, keep up the good work."

Uncle Sakai immediately shook with joy.

As the waves rolled, he rolled to one side in a round shape.

"In that case, honey, go upstairs and clean up. I'm going to take a shower. The movie doesn't start until 10 p.m. We still have time to have a candlelight dinner and discuss the children's art exhibition. I know a restaurant that makes yakitori that would be perfect..."

The uncle was only halfway through.

Before he could even stand up from the ground, he was pinned down by the blonde aunt again.

"It's okay to perform well, but we have to finish the aerobics today. That's another matter." Mrs. Sakai sneered, instantly seeing through the other person's thoughts. "I think it's a good idea to discuss things while walking to the cinema."

Uncle Sakai's face turned bitter.

"Be good, this is for your own good." After suppressing her husband who wanted to slip away, the blonde aunt kissed him on the forehead again.

"Come on, when you're done practicing, we'll take a shower together."

She then pushed the door open and let the personal trainer who was waiting outside come in.

……

On the other side of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Director Tonks did not continue his review work immediately.

He sat in the boss chair, crossed his legs, sipped the black tea in his cup, and continued to stare at the work on the laser projection screen.

Tonks was lost in thought for a long time.

He always wanted to see something from this painting.

In addition to rendering and shaping the atmosphere, there are other things, such as... He was surprised to find that at this Biennale, the organizing committee received many more works containing fusion elements than expected.

It's not surprising.

Oil paintings at Asian art exhibitions often incorporate Asian characteristics. European art exhibitions have European characteristics. If it is an art festival held in South Africa or Nairobi, Kenya, it will also be integrated with many characteristics of native African tribes.

The works at the Singapore Biennale are favored by the judges, and it is only natural for everyone to create a style that combines Asian and European characteristics.

"It's just that there are a lot of smart painters this year."

Tonks thought about this.

“The level is very good.”

The "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun" in front of us is one of the works that engage in fusion art creation and is done well. The impressionist painting style in "Girl Reading Poems to Cats" can also be broadly considered to fall into this category.

And there is——

Tonks hesitated for a moment.

He opened the laptop computer on the side and selected the "Invited Expert" column in the electronic planning category of submitted works.

「CDX Gallery——Charles Lee (49 years old)」

"CDX Gallery - Zhang Lihua (53 years old)"

"Whitehead Gallery - Almihensadi (46 years old)"

"..."

He sorted the dozen or so invited painters by age and selected one of the youngest ones.

“Cui Xiaoming, 28 years old, has not signed a contract with any gallery or art dealer yet, but it is said that several super galleries and art giants, including Larry Gagosian, have expressed interest in him. Maybe he is going to rise to fame overnight.”

Tonks looked at Cui Xiaoming's personal profile and matched the rumors and gossip she had heard about the industry with the young man's face.

He also had a deep impression of Cui Xiaoming, the specially invited painter.

Participating in an international biennale is a big deal.

Invited painters often have the best booths and the best resources, which also means that their requirements for themselves are completely different from those of ordinary painters.

Young painters would be satisfied if they could be shortlisted in the Biennale, get some gilded work, and just make a cameo appearance.

When they came, they never thought that they could make a big leap into the sky and ascend to heaven, or increase their net worth ten or twenty times.

You can swim and soak in the Hualong Pond of the Biennale, feel the fairy air, and take photos with great painters. A painting that originally sold for $3000 can be sold for $5500 or even $7500 after having this exhibition qualification.

Even if successful.

This is a more realistic ideal.

How many people can ride the wind and turn into dragons in a Biennale?
Unable to transform into a dragon, you have to be just a small fry. Even though you are just a gatekeeper on the international stage, you can be a bully who calls the wind and rain in your own small pond.

It’s different for guest painters.

They are already local bullies. They definitely did not come to the Biennale to serve as human background props for the young painters to take photos with.

Every time Hirst participates in the Venice Biennale, it costs tens of millions of pounds in material and venue costs, and takes five to ten years to prepare.

So most painters would be happy as long as they can get a ticket to the Venice Biennale.

But for a guest painter like Hirst, with his fame, his status and his resources.

Even if we only measure it by the amount of money he needs to spend to participate in such a grand art exhibition.

No matter how much coverage it gets or how much attention it attracts.

As long as he doesn't win the Golden Lion Award, his overall value will be greatly increased.

Don’t say whether it’s a loss or not.

At least this result is definitely unsatisfactory.

The critics are not satisfied, Hirst's fans and supporters are not satisfied, and he himself may be the most dissatisfied one.

I am number one in the world.

The world's number one lost the art competition.

Then wouldn't I just become an experience bag that others use to get gold coins?
The invited painters on the list that appeared in front of Tonks might not have Hirst's wealth and status, but there were also well-known artists from large galleries who often appeared in various international biennials and art fairs.

The internal properties are similar.

For them, there are only three things that really matter.

Winning, winning, and winning again.

These people have artistic resources and marketing teams that ordinary contestants cannot match. So they don't want to lose, and can't even afford to lose.

On the road of art, good opportunities that appear in a person's life may only be a few times.

This time it slipped away.

No one knows if there will be a next time.

Well-known large galleries will never lack places to participate in the Biennale through special invitation channels, but the internal competition pressure is also greater.

They also always have several times more excellent painters than the number of vacancies.

This time the gallery pushed you, but you got nothing, not even a single leaf.

Next time, this opportunity may no longer be yours, and the gallery will give up on you.

Resources in the art world are so tight, and those who have been abandoned by a major gallery once have had the "loser stamp" stamped on their butts.

It is even more difficult for them to wait for a second chance.

When Uncle Sakai was young, he was almost eliminated from the Ota Art Gallery. He was crying and preparing to commit suicide by burning charcoal, but was slapped in the face by an enraged blonde aunt.

Therefore, the decision of these invited painters to participate in a certain exhibition was made very early.

They have generally been preparing for this Biennale for a year or even several years.

However, Cui Xiaoming only contacted Tonks through an intermediary a month or two ago and expressed his desire to participate in the exhibition through a special invitation channel.

Except for special cases like Detective Cat.

Normally speaking, it is rare for a specially invited painter to make such a hasty decision to participate in an exhibition.

Tonks didn't hesitate too much and agreed to give him a booth.

Time is tight.

His works are not tacky at all.

「Specially invited artist: Cui Xiaoming」

"Title of the work: Three Bodies of the Buddha"

Tonks pressed enter.

An unforgettable work appeared on the laptop screen.

The size differences between the different submitted works cannot be seen in the electronic album.

However, according to the notes on the work information sheet next to it, the height of this painting is even higher than Tonks' height.

It's not a huge oil painting like the dome painting.

But it can also be said that the size is quite amazing.

It is hard to imagine that if the other party really decided to participate in the exhibition recently, that is to say - the young artist actually spent only more than a month to create such a work.

The time spent on thinking about the composition and generating inspiration is not taken into account.

Just drawing.

To be able to complete such a large oil painting in more than a month requires the creator to have absolute confidence in his proficiency in using the brush.

It requires the other party to fully understand what kind of painting he wants every time he puts pen to paper.

There is no time for hesitation or repeated revisions.

“Should we say that he is indeed a young painter that even Gagosian has publicly expressed his interest in?”

Tonks smacked her lips.

This kind of person has found himself. Not to mention that he is still in the preparation period for the exhibition, even if the exhibition is about to open tomorrow, this painting will be placed in front of him today.

Even if he squeezes hard, he will be able to squeeze out a booth.

This piece is worth it.

Not taking into account the extra attention that Gagosian’s nomination brings.

Cui Xiaoming's parents are not simple either. They cannot be compared with Sakai Kazunari, but they are both well-known and prominent figures in the circle.

Tonks was willing to do a favor for someone.

Tonks looked at "The Three Bodies of Buddha" on the computer screen, then turned her head to look at "The Good Luck Orphanage in the Sunshine" on the projector.

He just kept looking and looking until the cup of tea in his hand gradually grew cold.

Tonks understood why she had been staring at the work of Miss Sakai's boyfriend on the projector for so long, and she was trying to see something.

It's not just that magical ability to create atmosphere.

There is also a sense of familiarity.

And the painting "Girl Reading Poems to Cats" by Katsuko Sakai is not the only one that makes curator Tonks feel familiar with "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun".

There is also this submission by Cui Xiaoming called "Three Bodies of Buddha".

"Girl Reading Poetry to a Cat" is similar only in painting technique.

And this painting of "Three Bodies of Buddha"... is similar in concept.

To be honest.

Gu Weijing's works lack the artistic imagination and aesthetic philosophical interest of Cui Xiaoming's "Three Bodies of Buddha".

Cui Xiaoming's work is also not as good as Gu Weijing's "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun" in terms of its outstanding ability to create atmosphere.

But Tonks just felt that the "creative concepts" of the two works were somewhat similar.

If Gu Wei had not adjusted the composition.

The two paintings should have been more alike.

Tonks had never seen Gu Weijing's practice work, which also used the oblique triangle composition method to place the statue of the Virgin Mary in the center of the picture, nor could she match Lao Yang's cleverness.

Although Lao Yang is a bit sluggish, his business ability is still good.

Moreover, when it comes to the twists and turns of things and the dark side of human hearts, Lao Yang really does have a keen sense of smell like a reincarnated Chihuahua.

and so.

Tonks couldn't figure out the twists and turns in this matter.

He simply felt that these two paintings had a sense of similarity at heart, and also a sense of... opposition.

It can probably be attributed to the fact that Tonks has been a curator in the industry for half a lifetime, and after reviewing 18,000 different works, she has accumulated a little bit of artistic "sixth sense" with her vast experience.

"One is a young man that Kazunari Sakai specifically asked me to take special care of, and the other is a young rising star painter that Larry Gagosian has named."

"One has a beautiful concept, and the other has a strong aura."

After a long silence.

Tonks covered the computer screen and drank the tea in her hand.

He patted the armrest of the chair and sighed softly.

“It’s really a fight between dragons and tigers.”
-
The time difference with Japan is two and a half hours.

When the fat seal finally escaped from the iceberg that was stuck in its belly, Mrs. Sakai took Uncle Sakai, who was panting with his tongue hanging out, for a walk like walking a dog to watch a late-night movie.

It was just after midnight in Yangon.

[Limited Skill: Real World]

[Quality: perfect]

[Today's skill usage time: (637/1000) seconds. After exceeding the usage time limit, the remaining free experience value will be automatically deducted at a ratio of 1 experience: 1 second.]

Gu Weijing held the paintbrush in his hand, and the numbers on the system panel in front of him were jumping second by second.

(End of this chapter)