Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

The rain was drizzling, although not heavy, but if pedestrians didn't hold an umbrella, they would get wet before they could walk far.

Therefore, most pedestrians choose to take shelter nearby, and only those in a hurry will run in the rain.

Jiang Zhe and Lan Xin can sketch in the car without worrying about getting wet in the rain.

The car window glass was partially lowered to allow the moist air from the rain to come in, keeping the air inside the car fresh.

Jiang Zhe sat in the driver's seat, looking up to the left from time to time, with the brush in his hand, drawing images one by one in the sketchbook.

He is sketching a fresh vegetable stall in the market.

The lady selling vegetables and the aunt buying vegetables were arguing over 1 cents.

If it were in the past, the result would have been known by now, but because of the rain, the auntie probably couldn't leave, so the dispute over a few cents went on endlessly.

Next to them, there was a woman holding a child, picking vegetables. The child didn't know to pay the bill, so he just grabbed a cucumber and started eating it.

The eldest sister tried to stop him, but the child had already bitten a hole in the cucumber.

The other vegetable seller was not in a hurry. He smiled and praised the child for being smart.

The elder sister had no choice but to buy the cucumber...

If you calm down and observe the noisy market, you will find some interesting things full of life.

These things that were happening and the fleeting scenes were recorded by Jiang Zhe and converted into frozen moments.

Everyone's expression, demeanor, and movements are all materials that can be explored in depth.

Jiang Zhe uses pencil to express most of the shapes, and if he is particularly satisfied with a certain one, he will add color to it.

Lan Xin, who was sitting in the back row, was also painting the market on the left. Her major was Chinese painting, and she put the most effort into figure painting.

She held a charcoal pencil and sketched various characters in her sketchbook to train the coordination of her eyes and hands.

In order to improve her ability to draw lines, she used charcoal pencils to imitate the effects of brushes as much as possible, and occasionally applied carbon powder with her hands as rendering.

In the past, she would feel a little restrained when riding in Jiang Zhe's car, but now she can relax. It is really comfortable to sketch without worrying about the sun and rain.

When painting, the two of them hardly communicated with each other and were busy with their own things.

Lan Xin didn't count how many pictures she had drawn until she felt a little tired. Then she stopped and examined her sketches, and then watched Jiang Zhe paint.

She saw Jiang Zhe holding a small squirrel-hair watercolor pen and applying color to the sketch.

The small watercolor palette in Jiang Zhe's hand was very rare in Lan Xin's eyes.

It has a brass shell, a plastic lining, and a small water box hanging on it. Although it is not big, it is very delicate and practical, and you can tell at a glance that it is worth a lot of money.

Lan Xin's attention only stayed on the tools for a while, and then she focused on watching him paint. Every time she watched Jiang Zhe paint, she would notice that his paintings changed.

Jiang Zhe finished painting a picture and wanted to take a break.

"Can you let me admire it?"

"can."

Lan Xin took Jiang Zhe's sketchbook and looked through the works.

After a month, Jiang Zhe's paintings seemed to be more free and casual than before. Some of the sketches looked exaggerated, but after a little tidying up, they were particularly interesting. What she admired most was Jiang Zhe's paintings, which made people feel a certain rhythm of beauty that was hard to explain and would not repeat itself, as if there were endless ideas in his brain.

Jiang Zhe was not in a hurry to continue sketching. Now he was able to grasp the rhythm of revision and creation very well.

He wiped his hands, took out some snacks and shared them with Lan Xin. He ate while looking out the window, intending to find some new ingredients.

Lan Xin returned the sketchbook to Jiang Zhe. Seeing that the snacks he shared included mung bean cakes, spiced beef jerky, and cream waffles, she only took one piece of mung bean cake. "Thank you, I'm not hungry at the moment."

Jiang Zhe didn't put the snacks away. "Try them all. Learn to enjoy life."

Lanxi couldn't refuse, so she had to take it.

In fact, she wanted to eat all these snacks, but she just couldn't bear to buy them.

Lan Xin bit into the waffle, and the sweet taste instantly conquered her taste buds. "It's delicious. When I was in junior high and high school, I always thought that the best snack was the three-fresh Yi noodles that can be eaten dry."

Jiang Zhe said, "You can also sell paintings to earn tuition and living expenses now. In the future, you may get tired of these things."

Lan Xin asked: "Jiang Zhe, can I ask you a question? It may be a little vulgar."

"Just ask."

Lan Xin thought for a moment and said, "I'm selling paintings now. Basically, they are a few hundred yuan, rarely more than a thousand yuan. Moreover, the number of paintings sold is not stable. If the gallery receives more orders, I can paint more. If the gallery receives fewer orders, I earn less. In short, it depends on luck. I have been thinking about how to increase the selling price. Can you give me some suggestions?" Jiang Zhe glanced at Lan Xin. It is estimated that this girl has been thinking about this problem for a long time.

"How much do you earn every month now? How does it compare to your parents?" He wanted to strengthen Lan Xin's confidence first.

"When it's less, it's 500 to 700 yuan, and when it's more, it's close to 1000 yuan. Well, it's less than what my mom earns, but a little more than what my stepfather earns." Lan Xin told the truth.

Jiang Zhe said: "Most ordinary workers now earn between 500 and 800 yuan. It is difficult to earn more than 1000 yuan. You have already surpassed them as a sophomore, so you must have confidence in yourself.

In addition, can you tell me about your considerations on your major? "

Lan Xin talked about her considerations. In her opinion, there were too many people studying the two subjects of Chinese painting, landscape and flowers and birds, and it was difficult for her to stand out in this field, so she focused on figure painting, whether it was single portrait or group portrait, she was working hard to practice.

"Actually, I saw your paintings and was inspired. I want to use Chinese painting to depict some large scenes. Maybe it will be better. I don't know if this is the right way to think."

Jiang Zhe said: "Your professional considerations are fine. Let me share my personal views.

The commercial operation of my works was not something I thought of, but something that was discovered through market experience.

Creating works is different from studying in school. In school, teachers will arrange various trainings to improve your abilities, but they cannot replace you in thinking about the direction of your creation.

You need to use your existing skills to create works with your own characteristics.

Let's talk about the subject matter. If you pay attention, why are there all kinds of flowers and peonies in the Chinese painting market? Because they are easy to sell and can be integrated into people's lives. Of course, this is just one direction.

If you create portraits, that’s fine, and it can be very popular. But if you want to increase the price, you have to create your own brand.”

Lan Xin thought it made sense, but she didn't know where to start.

Jiang Zhe took out a small postcard and handed it to Lan Xin.

"This is a little postcard I brought back from Venice. I'm giving it to you. Take a look at it."

Lan Xin took the postcard and saw a beautiful landscape painting of Venice on one side.

"This is a landscape painting created by an artist from Venice, when Rococo art was popular." Jiang Zhe felt that this case might be inspiring to Lan Xin.

"Venice occupies an important position in the art of the Rococo period. The flashy and hedonistic Venice is naturally in line with the artistic temperament of Rococo. In Venice, a group of artists with unique styles were born, combining the characteristics of Venice and Rococo art to create many excellent works of art. The scenery on this postcard is a work by Canaletto.

His main works are landscape paintings, especially those depicting Venice, which can meet the needs of tourists at that time.

According to records, the reason why Canaletto created this type of work was closely related to the development of European tourism in the 18th century.

After the emergence of capitalism in the 18th century, transportation conditions improved greatly and tourism began to develop.

Those who could travel around the world were all wealthy people, and buying souvenirs was a common demand at that time, just like today. Thus, painters like Canaletto were born.

I think his success, besides his artistic level, is more importantly due to his understanding of market demand and his willingness to make adjustments for the market.

The Venice scenery he depicted is like a postcard, beautifying the real scenery and even placing real buildings in an imaginary background to show people the beautiful side.

He recorded the residents and workshops along the Grand Canal, the regatta, the celebrations in St. Mark's Square, the maintenance of the bell tower and other scenes of the city. The themes of his creations were relatively simple, and the composition often had a river running through the middle and city buildings on both sides.

Lan Xin said, "Isn't this kind of painting too much to cater to the market?"

Jiang Zhe said: “He may be more in tune with the market than you think.

For example, he paints using the method of mass production and the camera.

Install a lens in front of a darkroom, lay a piece of paper and outline the scene to ensure the correct proportion of the scene, then enlarge and beautify it on the canvas, and even combine the scenes from different angles into a panorama.

What he pursued was a modified beauty, which was very consistent with people's aesthetic pursuit during the period when the Rococo style was popular.

In order to meet the needs of tourists for collecting souvenirs, the pictures must be beautiful and harmonious.

Therefore, people feel that Caraletto's paintings are both technically sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing."

The case told by Jiang Zhe had a great shock to Lan Xin.

She looked at the postcard in her hand, was silent for a while, and then said, "This is a very smart painter. Well, I actually don't know how to cater to the market."

Jiang Zhe said: "Yes, most painters don't understand the psychology of consumers. We need to explore slowly and listen to professional advice, such as advice from galleries and auction houses. I am also thinking about how to grasp the aesthetic psychology of contemporary people? Especially those who can buy your works, what do they want?"

While he was chatting with Lan Xin, he was also thinking.

The system task requires me to create a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages, but I have never had much good inspiration for the direction of my creation.

During the conversation, he felt that he had grasped something vaguely about the concept of contemporary aesthetics. As he was thinking, a loud noise came from outside the window. (End of this chapter)