The Book of Appreciation

In the end they didn't meet any beauties on the yacht, Yan Ju snorted twice like a pig, snatched Wu Di's binoculars, sang a little song and casually browsed the beach not far away, looking quite comfortable. .

Wu Di is blowing the gentle and lazy sea breeze, basking in the warm and soft sunshine of April, but his heart is like the sea surface with waves and waves, and he is extremely restless.

"Kake? Mo Sha? Bai, what a strange name, is this the third strange person I've met?"

He thought of the legendary gypsies, each of them was mysterious and psychic, but they were at ease, wandering around, and couldn't help sighing, maybe, whether it is or not, and whether they will be encountered in the future, the aura of this psychic creature It's a down-to-earth pocket!

One morning has passed, and there is still no news from Augustus, so the old man is not in a hurry, as long as Xiao Wu thinks it through and agrees to exchange, where can I not find a few national treasures?Think of a way to get the news out later, and also hold a small-scale auction, but we don't charge money, only antiques!

The yacht swayed along the coastline for two hours. Although there was no wind and waves, the old man was dizzy from the shaking. After a hasty lunch, he went back to the hotel to sleep.Wu Di and Yan Ju had nothing to do, so they wandered to Antique Street again.

"Xiao Wu, I'm really tired of picking up the leaks one by one. Why don't we go to the gallery?"

Yan Ju discussed the exchange plan all morning, and his blood was already excited. From now on, don't mention anything to me!That thing is tiring, and I want to learn from Xiao Wu, just get a few oil paintings, and then lie at home and wait to be the uncle of those foreigners!

"Hehe, hehe..."

Wu Di didn't speak, just looked at Yan Ju with a happy smile, the guy who saw him blushed first, then became angry from embarrassment,

"Should I go? If I don't go, I'll go alone! Isn't it just an oil painting? I can't tell if it's true or not, and I can't tell if it's good or bad? It's a big deal to get a few paintings and hang them at home!"

The two turned a blind eye to the antiques all over the street, and specifically picked galleries to start with.Yan Ju is full of thoughts of picking up a big leak and getting a lot of money in exchange, and carefully inspects everything that can be seen a little bit.Wu Di is not much better, the list they gave to Augustus will not be regarded as an equal exchange by anyone who reads it. A serious criminal offence.But just like that, the old man still judges that there is a 50.00% chance of a deal!How can you tell him not to look at these precious oil paintings differently?

The result of impure motives is nothing. After two large-scale galleries failed in succession, the green light in the eyes of the two guys gradually dissipated.

"Xiao Wu, I still haven't believed it yet. The difference between my judgment and the old man's is a bit big. How about we give away that peacock ornament later?"

"I'm not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry? You can't let others think about it for a deal worth hundreds of millions? Well, well, well, at worst, I don't want that Ruci large plate!"

Yan Ju looked at Wu Di with contempt, Xiao Mian, if you have the ability, you can add two more things?

Turning the corner, a gallery appeared in front of the two of them, Yan Ju looked at the time,

"After seeing this family, I should go back, Xiao Wu, do you think it's because I have seen too many beauties, and my eyesight has deteriorated, so I can't see the real best? My mind is in a mess now, what kind of brutalism, abstraction? Pai's scary lines alternate with those beauties' curves, and I..."

"Haha, I recorded what you said, just wait to seal my mouth with a big meal!"

"Big meal? Do you want to eat snails? If you don't eat them, you will be disgusted to death!"

The two laughed and stepped into the gallery. After a cursory look, they couldn't help being a little disappointed. They had no hope for today's harvest.

This is a very small gallery, with only one long corridor-like exhibition hall, and the walls on both sides are covered with large and small oil paintings one after another.

"These outside are mostly the works of the students of the Academy of Fine Arts, but here are some good imitations, you can take a closer look."

The boss saw that Wu Di and the two were not very satisfied with those works, so he led them into the office and pointed to some oil paintings on the wall.

There are three oil paintings hanging on the wall facing the door, and Wu Di found the target at the first sight.It's a copy of a masterpiece in the Louvre, Jean?Francois?Miller's Evening Bell.Although there is still a big gap between this imitation and the original, no matter how you look at it, it should be regarded as a very good imitation.

Wu Di has a deep impression of "Evening Bell". The painting itself is well-known on the one hand, and the main reason is that its realistic expression method conforms to his aesthetics.

let?Francois?Millet was the most outstanding realist painter in France in the 19th century who was famous for expressing peasant themes. He is famous in the world painting circle for his super ability to express the moving characters in rural folk paintings.

The main picture of "Evening Bell" is a couple of farmers praying silently in the field. The background is the almost real farmland, grassland, and the steeple of the church that can hardly be seen in the distance. They are all shrouded in the golden afterglow of the setting sun, appearing so harmonious and peaceful.

The high dome of the church echoes the devoutly praying peasant woman at the nearest end. The silhouetted peasant standing in the farmland crosses the horizon cross. The afterglow of the sunset, the peasant holding his breath and the silent land seem to be trying to tell A quiet word, and in this silence, you seem to be able to hear the solemn and sacred bells coming from the wind in the distance...

In Miller's original painting, the image of the peasant, who is rough and simple on the outside, even dull and demented, but pure, pious, docile and kind-hearted on the inside, not only reflects his deep understanding and deep feelings for the peasants, but also reflects the 19 In the second half of the century, artists had a strong sense of freedom and a realistic spirit of realism.

But in this imitation, this spirit is diluted because of the different processing methods of the picture.In the original work, the farmland and the afterglow of the sunset, which were used as the background, are particularly eye-catching, giving people a kind and gentle sense of tolerance, and a feeling of tranquility and intoxication of the soul in the nature bestowed by God is vivid on the paper.

"Why, is there something wrong with this painting?"

Seeing that Wu Di had been staring at the "Evening Bell" since he came in, Yan Ju couldn't help leaning over and asking softly.

"I don't know, but it must be an imitation. Look, the words in the lower right corner are dedicated to Miller. But it's very strange, why there is no signature and time. Is the author very shy? This painting is of high quality!"

Yan Ju looked at it carefully and said with a smile:

"I see, you think it's good not necessarily because of its high level, but because it's a realistic painting, which is closer to our Chinese aesthetics than surrealism, fauvism, and impressionism, so You'll look more friendly."

Wu Di nodded, that's right, but if it's just a copy like this, how can it be worth my time to look at it here?

"Boss, how much is this painting?"

"This painting was consigned by an old gentleman. It should be a work from the end of the [-]th century. The author is likely to be a student or admirer of Miller. The quality of the painting is very good and it is worth collecting."

Wu Di followed up with a wry smile, I was asking how much it was, not you!You are so long-winded when you come up, is it possible that the price of this painting is relatively expensive, and you are afraid that the quotation will scare people away immediately?

The boss laughed a couple of times,

"Because it is a consignment sale, the price is relatively rigid. There is no way. If you don't introduce a few more words, it will be difficult for everyone to accept it. Let me just quote the lowest price, 11 euros. At this price, our gallery has no profit. "

11 euros?Although Yan Ju is not particularly good at oil painting, but that is compared to Wu Di, a monster like this. 11 euros may not seem like a lot, but many third-rate or even some second-rate European and American painters may not be able to get this price for most of their works, let alone this one is an unsigned imitation.

"This price is really outrageous, boss, we are very sincere, so don't make a blind quote here! Just say the reserve price, or we won't want it!"

Yan Ju was filled with righteous indignation, the artistic conception of imitation has changed, and 11?Do you really think of us as those arty and stupid local tyrants in a certain country who are small in stature but have a heart higher than the sky?

The boss shook his head,

"This price is the lowest price given to us by the Tibetan owner of the consignment. Before, a customer offered up to [-] yuan. We communicated with the Tibetan owner and the answer was that he would not give up a cent. So I have nothing to do."

Wu Di nodded to the military adviser behind him. Since this is the case, I won't make it difficult for you, just put it on.

The boss is overjoyed. This painting has been hanging here for more than half a year. There are not many people asking for the price, but there are also quite a few, but everyone is scared away by the price.Judging by his professional experience, this is a very good imitation, but maybe 5 euros is a more reasonable price. His insistence is purely because the consignor is an old friend of his.What he didn't expect was that someone would actually be willing to pay 11 euros for this painting today, which really surprised him.

"Xiao Wu, is there something mysterious about this painting?"

"Well, this painting should be given to Miller by Corot. Both Corot and Miller are well-known painters of the famous "Babizhong School" in the history of European art. late. Corot sold his first painting at the age of 44, and Millet did not really rejuvenate his art until he moved to the village of Barbizon on the outskirts of Paris in 1849. I don’t know that Corot was born For some reason, he would paint this painting and send it to Miller, but the handling of the landscape and characters is definitely his old man's handwriting."

Yan Ju rolled his eyes speechlessly, Ke Luo, 44 ​​years old, born in 1849, Barbizon Village... Can you know more about it? (To be continued.)