Almighty painter

Chapter 648: Second Exhibition Painting (Part )
Anna herself was a little hesitant.

It is not difficult to guess why she did not serve as a judge for the Singapore Biennale. It was naturally because she insisted on not wanting to be both a contestant and a judge.

But Anna Elena is indeed a little hesitant about her schedule for next month, and she has not yet made up her mind.

Miss Elena rarely feels hesitant.

It's not just how others see it.

Even Anna herself used to think that the hesitation and wavering entanglement was destined to have nothing to do with her.

If the few family memories of spending time with her parents in her childhood left any habitual imprints on Anna's body.

That is decisiveness when faced with choices.

Her father was a very, very decisive man.

From playing bridge with friends in the club to facing the solicitation between different candidates within the party.

There was never any confusion or hesitation on his face.

Not even for a second.

Once, when her father was holding her and riding a horse with his staff, he jokingly called this "Alea iacta est", a kind of unswerving "family talent".

Alea iacta est is a Latin proverb.

When faced with choices, there are only two outcomes: good choices and bad choices.

Being indecisive and not making a choice is often the worst answer.

Careful consideration is necessary, but it does not mean that you can become hesitant and indecisive.

Great decision makers are often decisive decision makers.

Two thousand years ago, when Gaius Julius Caesar faced the mighty waters of the Rubicon, beneath his feet was the province of Gaul, and on the other side of the river was the road leading directly to Rome.

The 13th Army was in marching formation on the river bank behind him.

The entire empire was awaiting his choice.

If he chose to retreat, it would mean that there might still be room for resolving the conflict with the Senate and Pompey.

If his legion took even one step to the other side of the river, it would mean the official outbreak of civil war.

Never die.

Either he would fight all the way to Rome, Greece, and the horizon, and sit on the pinnacle of power as the master of the empire. Or he would die on this road, as a traitor and public enemy, with his head chopped off and everyone spurning him.

The fate of the empire and Caesar's personal fate were shrouded in the thick night on the other side of the Rubicon River.

No one knows what Caesar was thinking at that moment.

Historians only record that on this crucial night that determined Western history, Caesar stood quietly by the river for a moment, then uttered the famous Latin proverb - "Alea iacta est (At this moment, the dice has been thrown)", and ordered the entire army to cross the river.

Caesar quickly occupied Rome, but lost two of the three major battles with Pompey during the Battle of Dyrrachium, and his morale almost collapsed. It was not until the Battle of Pharsalus that he finally won the victory.

said the father.

Few politicians make only the right choices throughout their lives.

Mistakes are inevitable.

To be a successful politician, it is important to have convincing power, a firm leadership temperament, and the ability to cast the dice of fate fearlessly, making people believe that they can follow you unwaveringly across the Rubicon and the Granicus, and follow you all the way to the end of the world.

How can a person who spends a long time wondering whether to put jam on his morning bread create the power for others to "believe" in him and be willing to follow him?

In politics and on the battlefield, everything changes rapidly.

My father also joked that people like Nelson Rockefeller who came from the Rockefeller family were too shrewd. They studied political decisions just like the shareholders of the Eurostar train company held meetings to study the train timetable, calculating every penny carefully to get the best advantage.

You study and study again, wanting this and that at the same time. You can't be indecisive.

While waiting and watching, the precious opportunity to run for election slips away.

That's why he was suppressed by Nixon in the position of vice president all his life and he could never beat him.

Miss Elena didn't realize it until today.

In many cases, decisions can be made without thinking.

Either your body has already subconsciously figured out the answer, or it's because the matter may not be important enough to you.

if not.

Even something as small as spreading jam on your bread in the morning.

If controlling sugar intake and enjoying the pleasure of food are both important to you.

So no matter whether you show it on your face or not, you will still feel a little conflicted in your heart.

Going to the Singapore Biennale or the New York Art Fair is one of these things. Anna was a little confused and couldn't make up her mind.

The reason for this dilemma is certainly not because the New York Art Fair seems to be more star-studded.

That's not a big deal.

If she wanted, she could spend her whole life on a stage surrounded by stars, but such a life made her feel bored and tired.

If she had never felt the warmth and resonance when the light shone on her body, then the long night with or without stars would make no difference to her.

There is a Milky Way in the sky.

The little prince gazed at the asteroid B612, which was the size of a small house, day after day.

Because only on this asteroid do the roses and stars that belong to him grow.

It doesn’t matter how star-studded the New York art fair is.

Even though Larry Gagosian called her enthusiastically and told her that the gallery had invested millions of dollars in carefully preparing its booth at this year's New York art fair, guaranteeing that it was "something unprecedented."

Compared to going to New York to see the so-called "unprecedented things".

She still felt that it was more important to go to the Singapore Biennale to see how Detective Cat really made her first move in the serious art world.

But on the other hand.

Anna is also a girl with a strong sense of ritual.

She secured a special invitation spot for Detective Cat to be a guest at the Lion City Biennale, coordinated for him to join Jane Arnold’s illustration studio, and arranged the theme and creative direction of the paintings to be exhibited.

But waiting for the eve of the Singapore Biennale.

Miss Elena hesitated.

"It's still a bit too hasty." Anna thought as she ate her pancake. "It's not the drawing method that Detective Cat is best at."

"It may not win a big prize. This is not the best work of Detective Cat. It is not the best way for us to meet."

She bit her lip.

When my aunt was ill and in the late stages of her illness, she rarely allowed anyone to accompany her except the nurse, not even Miss Anna.

It is difficult for people to remain graceful in the face of illness.

Some cancer patients are like dying fish every day, gasping for breath with great difficulty. For some cancer patients, excrement even flows out of the esophagus uncontrollably.

Perhaps the rich can enjoy better treatment conditions, but when life reaches a certain stage, death will always follow everyone. With every breath, they can feel the chill in their chest as the eternal night is about to come.

It is the unique smell of fear, a smell filled with the unique cruelty of life, and also filled with the unique fairness of life.

It doesn't matter whether you are a billionaire, a household name, or a beggar lying in an orphanage, it's all the same.

Wealth may allow you to hire a gentle and beautiful young girl to insert a catheter and wipe your butt, but it cannot alleviate this feeling of fear.

A beggar who has nothing may be more calm when facing death than a rich man surrounded by caregivers.

Maybe... only a truly firm belief, or some absolutely lofty spirit and ideal, can enable people to have the nobility to look lightly on life and death, which is an extremely difficult thing.

Anna knew that her aunt was a very strong woman, but as a well-off upper-class lady who had never suffered any hardship in her life, at the end of her life, deep down, she might still be afraid.

But she never showed this in front of herself.

Anna was only allowed to visit her aunt in the intensive care unit on a regular basis, which started out as a daily visit, then became every two days, every three days, and soon became once a week.

The visiting time was reduced from one hour at the beginning to just a cup of tea at the end.

But every visit.

My aunt would dress up beautifully, wearing a bright yellow robe for afternoon tea. She would not ask any nurse to accompany her, prepare some snacks, and chat with Anna like a normal person, talking about what happened in school and even the celebrity gossip that was hotly discussed on the Internet recently.

Compared to my aunt.

Judging from her mental state alone, Anna was the one who felt more uncomfortable, conflicted, and frightened, like a seriously ill patient.

Her face was always filled with sadness.

Ordinary families may feel the sincere love of their children. The adults hug their children and cry silently together, and there is a warm and sad atmosphere in the air.

But my aunt got angry about this.

"Miss Anna Elena! You didn't even bring your hat with you when you came in today. I taught you the etiquette of being invited to afternoon tea, right?" Auntie read her full name. "Are you here to pity me? Did I allow you to come and pity me? If so, then I don't want to see you here. Please leave immediately. I don't want to waste the last moments of my life being pitied."

Maybe he was a little scared when he saw Anna.

My aunt's voice finally softened.

She sighed quietly and patted Anna's leg gently: "Anna, if you truly love someone and are willing to respect her from the bottom of your heart, then you must believe that what she really wants to see is to show you her most beautiful, elegant, and wonderful side like a peacock spreading its tail, rather than the other way around."

"Sometimes, life needs companionship. Sometimes, true love requires knowing how to avoid appropriately." Her aunt winked at her.

Two weeks later.

During one visit, my aunt fell off her chair.

The equipment started beeping and sirens were ringing (even a short visit at that time required various tubes and needles to be inserted), and doctors began to pour in from outside the door, putting oxygen masks on my aunt and injecting her with various medicines urgently.

that moment.

A strong intuition surged in Anna's heart.

A premonition or an inspiration.

She understood very clearly that this would be the last time she would see her aunt, her last dear elder in her life.

She stared quietly at the woman surrounded by doctors and nurses, staring at the bright yellow figures surrounded by white and blue robes.

Her aunt was also looking at her.

The doctor said she was dying at that time, but Anna believed that her aunt was still conscious at that moment.

For the first time, she saw fear, confusion, and reluctance in the eyes of such a strong woman... and saw countless fragile emotions flowing in her.

Her eyes might be the last living thing in her.

Anna walked over.

I want to hold my aunt's hand.

But she stopped him with her eyes.

"Anna, it's time, you have to leave."

The woman commanded with her eyes.

"Let me stay with you, please, just a little longer, just a little longer." She was almost begging.

"Ms. Anna Elena, I need you to leave, now."

This was what Anna read in her aunt's eyes, and it was the last thing her aunt taught her in her life.

It was two o'clock in the morning that night.

My aunt passed away.

It was Sir Brown who walked into the waiting room and informed Anna of the news.

It is hard to believe that at the last moment of her life, the person allowed to be with her in her aunt's "medical power of attorney" was Sir Brown, and it was also Sir Brown who delivered the eulogy on behalf of Elena's family at the funeral.

that moment.

There were wet tears flashing in the other person's eyes.

Anna did not think that those were hypocritical crocodile tears. Now the power struggle between Sir Brown and Elena's family was approaching a climax, but until now, Anna still believed that there was true friendship between Sir Brown and her aunt.

The two are not contradictory.

Or.

Humans are inherently contradictory creatures.

Sir Brown bent down, hugged Anna and whispered in her ear that day.

"Don't blame her. She just doesn't want some things to leave a bad impression on you. She hopes that in Anna's heart, she will always be strong and brave."

“There are always some things in life that are not perfect and people want to face them. Death is one of them.”

Aunt hopes.

Her meeting and farewell with Anna were both beautiful things.

Aunt's Farewell and Detective Cat's Art Exhibition, although there are certainly many differences between these two things from beginning to end.

But there are also similar parts.

For Mr. Sloth, as Detective Cat's agent, the Singapore Biennale is an extremely rare opportunity. Even if it is just to improve his resume, it is worth going.

Say.

With Detective Cat's painting ability, not to mention any major awards, just based on her line skills, without the influence of off-field factors, it should not be difficult for her to win one or two peripheral awards.

But for the part of me that is Anna Elena.

She hopes that when she attends Detective Cat's painting exhibition for the first time in her life, she will be able to see the other person at his most brilliant.

She hopes to be there to see him defeat all opponents and win the highest award at the festival.

It’s not a pen-writing award, a creativity award, or a silver or bronze medal.

But the only victory.

Considering that there is only more than a month to prepare the work, this goal now seems too high.

(End of this chapter)