Almighty painter

Chapter 1034 Upgraded Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Techniques (Part 2)
It was a very simple little painting.

It is composed of only a few simple colors, with various pigments mixed together, like a chaotic imagination from the subconscious.

The artwork that Gu Weijing chose is much smaller than the large paintings that are placed in the most prominent position on the wall, about one-third to one-fifth the size.

And the brushstrokes...

If discussing brushstrokes in such a messy painting is even meaningful, and if there truly is a precise, quantifiable standard for evaluating brushstroke skill, then the brushstroke quality of this painting is at best one-third to one-fifth the level of the previous painting.

In fact, works made of large blocks of color are even coarser than lines created by dragging paint with a palette knife, so coarse that they can hardly be described as brushstrokes.

What's more.

This painting is particularly rough among all the rough works; it looks almost like a child's doodle.

The proprietress was not happy at all that Gu Weijing understood "social etiquette" and gave up taking the 6700 euro artwork in exchange for a less desirable one.

in contrast.

She disliked the other person's hypocritical and pretentious behavior.

"If I say you can pick any one, then you can pick any one. There's no need to save the gallery money."

The German woman frowned.

“I do think this painting is more valuable than that one,” Gu Weijing said.

"This painting sells for 170 euros."

The proprietress reminded them that the price difference between the two works was more than tenfold.

Gu Weijing spread his hands.

"Ok."

The proprietress breathed a sigh of relief.

She believes that what kind of car you drive doesn't define who you are.

The middle-aged, greasy man in the big leather jacket, sunglasses, and driving a Porsche convertible a couple of days ago was probably so stingy that he haggled with her for ages over a 5-euro discount.

The price of 6700 euros may not have tempted this young man who drives an old, worn-out Polo, a common sight on the streets of Hamburg.

even so.

The other party's statement still seems highly illogical.

"I don't understand."

The proprietress said, "You have to give me a reason."

"You might not believe it, but this artwork has been displayed here for a full year and a half, and almost no one has ever asked about it. But just this week, two people have shown curiosity about it."

"What a coincidence," Gu Weijing said.

"Yes, just three days ago, a customer also wanted to buy this painting. I asked him why he chose this painting, and he said he wanted to buy some gifts for people."

"Is it because this painting is cheap?" Gu Weijing said.

"Maybe," the proprietress said. "Maybe not. He drove in a Porsche, and his clothes from head to toe looked expensive. I guess he probably has a high income."

"I remember him telling me that the painting looked interesting and was very...exquisite," the proprietress recalled.

The young man stared at the artwork in front of him, a piece that was by no means related to exquisiteness.

“I guess… he’s a painter too?” he asked confidently.

"That doesn't seem like it."

The proprietress immediately shook her head.

There wasn't a single trace of the pure, artistic aura about the other person; it was just too cloying.

“Then I guess he must be someone with very sharp intuition,” Gu Weijing said after thinking for a moment.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he put it very well, it is indeed a very exquisite work of art."

People cannot be generalized.

Everyone possesses their own unique external characteristics.

Whether a person truly possesses "artistic temperament" is, like everything related to the word "art," an unpredictable Schrödinger's cat-like state.

It's difficult for outsiders to categorize a person's qualities based on their tone of voice, clothing, body language, or whether they wear Versace, Tichanic, or just some random clothes bought from a secondhand store.

It can only be gradually understood through interactions between people.

It's clearly the same sentence, the same argument.

That guy had previously claimed that even his pet parrot understood "Hegel," but the landlady completely ignored him.

Gu Weijing didn't say anything profound; he simply and plainly presented his views, which made the woman half-convinced.

Half of the belief stems from the "artistic temperament" inherent in Gu Weijing.

The remaining half of the doubt stemmed from the fact that Gu Weijing's statements were clearly self-contradictory.

“Exquisite? Is this painting more exquisite than that one?” The proprietress pointed to the “Old Owl” painting, which was worth 6700 euros. She then threw the question back to Gu Weijing: “In your own words, that painting should have more rhythm and be more like a ‘person’ with its head and tail connected.”

"Yes."

Gu Weijing agreed.

“But what I’m talking about is the ‘beauty’ in form, the precision or roughness of appearance. Whether the form and appearance are similar enough has never been the only standard for judging the quality of a work of art, and it may not even be the most important standard.”

"Brushstrokes are like silk threads wrapped around the canvas; appreciating a painting is similar to the process of unraveling a cocoon."

"It is also the process by which the spirit and emotions nurtured in the work emerge from their cocoon under the guidance of the gaze."

"When I was a child, I focused more on the brushstrokes, the accuracy of the painting, and how realistic it was when I looked at paintings. After I had carefully looked at a hundred paintings, or a thousand paintings, I gradually came to appreciate what attracted me more."

"Is not it?"

The last sentence.

Gu Weijing seemed to be seeking the approval of the German woman beside him, or perhaps asking a question to a ghost-like being that did not exist in the material world.

He looked at his system panel—

[Active Skill: Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal]

Current Quality: Excellent

[Special effects...]

This skill is upgradable. It will upgrade after using the Painting Appraisal Technique 1000 times. (Current progress bar: (999/1000))

Gu Weijing passed on a technique for appraising calligraphy and paintings.

"A delicate cocoon woven with five colors may contain nothing. A wrinkled, grayish-yellow cocoon may also give birth to a delicate butterfly."

"And this painting..."

The young man chuckled, his arms crossed.

"It didn't even have a cocoon on the outside! At most, it was just a few coils of fine silk haphazardly wrapped around itself. It exposed a very personal emotion to the air—"

"Sadness, weariness, exhaustion, and those bright emotions are mixed together and depicted very delicately. It's like a game of hide-and-seek; it's clearly hanging in the corner of the gallery, yet it strongly desires to be seen. It reflects the creator's inner spirituality, seeking understanding and recognition."

"I think it's beautifully painted. I even feel that the way it's hung in such an inconspicuous corner was intentionally designed. So just now, I stared at this painting for a long time, thinking that it's an interesting work, and that an interesting soul must be hidden behind it." ...

When Gu Weijing took the picture frame from the proprietress, out of curiosity, he asked her another question.

“Since a few days ago, a customer who drove a Porsche showed interest in the painting, I think he must be a very intuitive person, so why was the painting not ultimately bought?”

"You're asking about that?"

The proprietress curled her lip.

"The deal was almost done. He said he would send the painting to London and even gave me an address. But when we were signing the contract, he asked if I could have the coffee I just drank for free if I bought the painting. I said no, and he probably thought I was stingy, so I didn't buy it."

"I see. That's a real shame."

Gu Weijing nodded.

The proprietress also responded by opening her palm, just like Gu Weijing had done.

"maybe."

This reclusive woman, lacking a sense of humor, wandered like a ghost through the vast, bustling city. She loved to paint alone, and after finishing her paintings, she would hang them under different names to decorate the coffee shop. She watched as the young man, carrying his paintings, got into the POLO car parked at the entrance.

She didn't think it was a great pity that the painting hadn't been sold for 170 euros a few days earlier.

Not a pity at all.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have met such an interesting guest today.

"Even such a simple and poor young man can have such keen insight."

The boss smiled.

"Keep it up, young man."

She believed that such a painter would one day become famous worldwide.

The Polo disappeared into the distance.

She was contemplating whether to continue painting after the shop closed for the day when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Two men rushed into the shop in a hurry.

"Oh no, where are they?!"

They looked at each other blankly.

"Is there something you need?" the proprietress asked hesitantly.

She observes every customer in the store and recognizes these two as customers who had just been there.

She didn't notice when they left, nor did she know why they suddenly returned.

"Gu Weijing! That's Gu Weijing, right!"

The man standing in front asked.

"That young man?" The proprietress turned her head. "All I know is that his surname is indeed Gu."

"I knew it was him! See! I said from the beginning that it was definitely him!"

His companions behind him said repeatedly, looking quite dejected.

With the meticulousness typical of Germans, the two carefully examined and researched the matter, concluding that it was most likely Gu Weijing himself. Then, with a sense of ceremony, they rushed out and bought a commemorative collection of the annual "Oil Painting" magazine on the second floor of the large chain bookstore "Thalia" next door. They then rushed back, intending to ask Gu Weijing for his autograph.

result……

Where did that huge person go?

“Someone of us should have stayed behind, but we didn’t think of anything for the moment.” The man in front also lowered his head.

“Alright. Let me sort this out. You know him—” the proprietress interrupted their conversation.

"He's Gu Weijing, after all."

the man replied.

He glanced at the shop owner in front of him, his eyes suggesting that the owner, as an employee of an art shop, did not recognize Gu Weijing, much like a basketball player not recognizing Michael Jordan—a view that was truly incomprehensible.

“Gu Weijing…”

The woman pondered the pronunciation of the name, vaguely feeling that it sounded somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it mentioned by customers who had visited the store before.

"Here it is, Anna Elena. You must have heard of her. The former art director and director of 'Painting' magazine. She is Gu Weijing's personal agent."

As the kind man next to him spoke, he poked the commemorative edition of the "Oil Painting" magazine under the shop owner's nose and pointed to the photo on the cover of Ms. Elena and Gu Weijing talking in Singapore.

"You've been talking to him for so long and you still don't know who he is? You must be kidding me."

"That's—"

“Gu Weijing,” he murmured.
-

[Skill Name: Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal]

[Quality: From "Excellent" to "Masterpiece"]

……

[Special Effect 1 (Painting and Calligraphy Appreciation): After activating this skill, you will be able to analyze the colors, structure, and lines of a painting. The information will then appear as data on the panel. You can directly appreciate the physical paper artwork or view a high-definition digital art book; the two methods produce slightly different results.]

(Crossed out.)
[Special Effect 2 (Soul Connection): There is a chance to trigger a limited-time quest while appreciating a master's painting. Note: Appreciating works that are far beyond one's current aesthetic understanding may place an additional mental burden on the host. Please use this skill with caution.]

(Crossed out.)
【Special Effect 3 (Skill Advancement): This skill is upgradable. It will upgrade after using the Painting Appraisal Technique 1000 times. Current progress bar: (1000/1000)】

(Crossed out)
It's like erasing sand art with your fingers.

The moment Gu Weijing's gaze fell upon the system panel, the three original independent entries for the Art of Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal vanished like quicksand.

After a while.

Below it, three more new entries condensed.

[Special Effect 1 (Soul Resonance):]

[This will create a bridge of inspiration between you and the creator of the artwork. It is not limited to paintings, but cannot be directly applied to unfamiliar books. It will only work after you have a strong understanding and familiarity with the text.]

Gu Weijing had seen this term once before, when he used the blessed candles of the Muse to temporarily improve the quality of his calligraphy and painting appraisal skills.

With this special effect, Gu Weijing successfully created his first painstakingly crafted work.

Then comes "Special Effects Two"—

[In the process of appreciating other paintings, one can draw inferences and gain insights into various aspects of art. There is a very small chance that through these insights, a limited-time task related to the host's own artistic path will be triggered.]

[Please note that appreciating works that are far ahead of one's current aesthetic level may place an additional mental burden on the host. Use this skill with caution.]

Gu Weijing noticed that the key point is that the original art of calligraphy and painting authentication was a skill that focused on authentication and imitation.

While admiring Renoir's "Bal du Moulin de la Galette," he received a copying task related to Impressionism, and the skill he ultimately acquired was also Impressionist "Fragments of Ghosts."

Now, once one reaches the "master" level, both the art of authentication itself and the tasks it provides, while retaining their original characteristics, have shifted from simply dissecting and imitating brushstrokes to placing greater emphasis on personal spiritual insights.

In other words, its focus has shifted from paying attention to the colorful silkworm cocoons to focusing more on the deeper core inside the cocoons.

Gu Weijing speculated that the tasks it triggered would therefore be more personalized.

If a similar task is triggered again, even if it is still related to Impressionism, it will not be a limited Impressionist task for "Renoir", but a limited Impressionist task for "Gu Weijing".

(End of this chapter)