Almighty painter

Chapter 1053 Museum Opening

The advantages of a mature middle-aged man are not only that he knows how to dress, but also that he is experienced in many other aspects.

Old Yang's experience of sneaking around reading martial arts novels in the classroom taught him that when the noisy classroom suddenly quiets down, it often means that the teacher has slipped out of the office and is peering through the back window.

Those who keep babbling on and on usually end up in a terrible state.

Old Yang's experience of watching horror movies wrapped in a blanket in his bedroom taught him that in the movie, you're laughing and joking with your friends, and suddenly, when you speak, the walkie-talkie only makes a static sound.

Often, a ghost would jump out of the coffin and peer inside through the back window.

Anyone still fiddling with a walkie-talkie there usually ends up in a terrible state.

Now, he and his classmate Lao Gu are fiddling with the parrots, chattering away in a carefree and boisterous manner, enjoying their banter.

Suddenly.

Old Gu then fell silent.

So the answer is—

Old Yang pondered for a moment with his clever and experienced little brain. He felt a little dry in his throat and a little tight in his buttocks.

He slowly, very slowly turned his head, and once again heard the coughing sound from his cervical spine caused by the stiffness of the muscles in his neck.

"It's time to change your pillow."

Yang Dekang's heart skipped a beat, but he ignored the discomfort in his neck that was about to become stiff.

Eyes move.

as predicted.

A tabby cat had somehow slipped out of the inner room, hopped onto the nearby platform, and was tilting its head, staring at the two old men.

Gu Tongxiang had taken several steps back without anyone noticing. He seemed to have suddenly developed a strong interest in the vase placed in the corner on the opposite side of the house. He moved over silently and was peeking out like a turtle, staring intently at it.

“It’s getting boring staying in this room all the time. Why don’t we go downstairs and see how the opening ceremony preparations are going?” Gu Tongxiang suggested. “You can also show everyone your parrot.”

"Just like Picasso."

“Okay, okay.” Yang Dekang nodded. “That was my original plan.”

The two of them pretended to take a deep breath, acted as if they hadn't seen anything, and started to move their butts toward the outside.

[Your Majesty, now that Old Gu and Old Yang have paid their respects, we will take our leave for the time being.JPG]

puff!
The two had just moved their feet.

The big cat jumped down from the platform and landed nimbly in front of the door, like a guardian deity.

Anyone who's ever been chased by a stray dog ​​knows that being chased by a dog isn't scary at all; it's actually quite exhilarating! With adrenaline surging, you no longer feel fear, and everything is predictable—it's just a matter of running away.

There are only two possible outcomes.

They ran like dogs, and finally managed to escape.

The dog runs faster than you, but in the end it bites your butt.

But the feeling of confronting a ferocious beast in complete silence is the most agonizing. Everything is in a Schrödinger's cat state; you pretend to be calm and collected on the surface, but inside you are terrified, and each day feels like an eternity.

Let's just stand still.

I'm afraid of being bitten by a dog.

I should just turn around and run, but I'm still afraid of being bitten by a dog.

"Old Gu, he even brought his cat to the museum opening ceremony, huh?"

Old Yang chuckled.

"Right, huh?" Gu Tongxiang turned his head to look at him. "I don't know either. He seems to have lost a little weight."

"Right, right? It's not just a little bit, you've lost a lot of weight."

Yang Dekang examined it for a moment, then tried to step to the side. Awang's head was like a radar, staring at him as he turned around. So, it seemed that Old Yang was completely attracted by the tabby fur's color, and then casually moved his foot back.

“Awang seems to really like Mr. Yang, after all, he was very clingy in Singapore. He probably came here to play with you.”

Gu Tongxiang commented from the side.

“Mr. Gu is no less impressive. After all, he used to come and wake you up every day. I’ve rarely heard of such an obedient cat. It must still love you.”

Yang Dekang said with a smile.

The two locked eyes, and in that instant, it seemed as if they had exchanged a thousand words.

Mr. Gu, please?

Mr. Yang, please!

Be tough!
Teacher Yang gave her an encouraging look.

Be domineering!
Brother Gu returned an affirmative look.

The tabby cat, oblivious to the complex thoughts of the two old creatures it had once scratched so hard they squeaked, still moved its cat-like steps and quietly approached.

Could it be... that they really invited him to come and have fun?

Old Yang had a sudden thought.

He pretended to be cold and hard, and reached out to try to pat Awang's head.

Just 0.05 seconds later, Yang Dekang was filled with remorse for his action. His hand acted as a signal; the moment he moved, the tabby cat arched its back and pounced like an arrow. Its predatory behavior gave Yang Dekang instant PTSD.

"I'm done playing! I'm done playing! Bro, I give up! I surrender!"

Old Yang closed his eyes and waved his hands up and down, shouting.

what.

Yang Dekang didn't feel the stinging pain he had imagined. He opened his eyes again and saw that Awang had jumped onto the cabinet to the side, craning his neck and staring intently at the macaw that Yang Dekang had just thrown out, which was perched on the crystal chandelier.

Awang lay prone on the edge of the cabinet, his tail pressed tightly against the ground, his buttocks wiggling, looking like a dieter who had eaten chicken breast and broccoli for a whole week and was now seeing a indulgent meal.

"Ah! That's Brother Yang's parrot! That's Brother Yang's parrot!"

A room on the top floor of Marienburg.

Blue-feathered macaws flew all over the room, Awang wiggled his butt and followed the macaws, swooping all over the room, while Lao Yang wiggled his butt and followed the tabby cat, chasing it all over the room.

finally.

It was Gu Tongxiang who resolved this farce.

After all, it was his own grandson's cat, and Gu Tongxiang understood Awang's personality better than Yang Dekang.

With just a slight movement, he tamed the scruffy beast.

Old Master Gu raised his head and roared, "Who dares to be so presumptuous here?" The noise shook the dust off the windows, which fell to the ground. He picked up the red wine on the table and drank three bowls in a row. He grabbed a table leg as a stick, leaped onto the table, and began to fight the colorful beast that was about to attack him.

The battle raged on, with yellow sand filling the sky and the sun and moon obscuring the view.

A later poet praised it, saying: "The wind howls fiercely over Marin Castle, dark clouds obscure the sun for miles, fiery red maple leaves fill the river, and yellow grass sprouts cover the ground... Suddenly a thunderclap resounds, and the king of beasts flies out from the mountainside..."

This is, of course, a scene that only exists in Old Gu's imagination.

In fact.

Upon seeing this, Gu Tongxiang didn't hesitate and quickly slipped into the inner room, found a can of cat food in the cabinet, opened it, and offered it to Awang.

then.

All the best.

Ah Wang got canned food, Lao Yang's beloved parrot successfully escaped, and everyone has a bright future.

An even bigger surprise was yet to come. Whether it was a coincidence or a fright, it seemed to magically unlock the potential of Old Yang's usually quiet macaw.

"Don't underestimate the power of tyranny."

He put his precious parrot back in its cage.

It actually spoke.

"Don't underestimate the power of a tyrant!" Old Yang muttered, then exclaimed with delight, "It just spoke, and it's very intelligent. The staff at the pet store told me that parrots are very smart, especially macaws, which have an intelligence similar to that of a child and will subconsciously imitate your actions."

"The difference between intelligent animals and stupid animals lies in their ability to imitate."

The middle-aged man looked at the parrot, lowered his head, and thought to himself.

Look, the old man's bird is done!
"Really?" Gu Tongxiang looked over.

"Uh-huh."

"Don't underestimate the power of tyranny, I'll say it again," Yang Dekang said, holding the bird.

"How many poets have gilded time!" the parrot exclaimed once again, this time reciting a short poem by Keats in English.

"No, it's the domineering power," Old Yang reminded him.

“How many poets have gilded time with gold,” the parrot said again. “The masterpieces of poets will forever remain my fantasy,” Yang Dekang tried to read the next line.

“How many poets have gilded time with gold,” the parrot insisted, though it spoke more slowly.

"So many poets have gilded time with gold," Old Yang repeated.

"The beauty of art is a key to understanding philosophy and religion," the parrot said again in Hegel's tone, looking at Old Yang with its bean-like black eyes in profile.

“The beauty of art is a key to understanding philosophy and religion,” Old Yang tentatively repeated.

The parrot then lowered its head in satisfaction and began to preen its feathers again.

The difference between intelligent and stupid animals lies in their ability to learn and imitate.

The parrot glanced at Old Yang, flapped its wings, lowered its beak, and thought to itself.

"Look, look, the old man's bird is done!"
-
"—Leonardo da Vinci painted a work like this in 1497—"

in the afternoon.

In the central square of Marienburg Castle, Anna Elena, without a wheelchair or cane, stood beside the platform, her wrists lightly resting on it, reading her speech aloud.

"...This is a sketch with an extremely rare subject matter in the entire history of art. It blends painting and poetry, art and science, alchemy and anatomy, and reflects the medieval and Renaissance people's imagination of the world and their philosophical views on life..."

A guest walked onto the stage carrying a photo frame.

“About three centuries later, in 1769, my ancestor, who had served as a regional governor and viceroy in Italy (note), purchased approximately 140 works by renowned Florentine Renaissance painters from Doge Alberto Giovanni Mochenigo IV of the Republic of Venice for 2700 imperial silver coins. Most of these were oil paintings. This small-sized sketch, along with a handwritten notebook by Leonardo da Vinci, were gifts from this transaction.”

(Most of what is now Italy was then under Austrian rule, while Venice was an independent republic.)
Reporters kept pressing the shutter button.

The audience craned their necks, straining to see the small photo frame, and then exclaimed in unison in admiration.

To be honest, most of the praise was just people joining in the fun and flattering the Elena family.

We're not all eagle-eyed; if it were a huge painting like "The Night Watch," we might be able to appreciate it more closely.

These small, photographic sketches are just for show.

Given the distance between the stage and the audience seats, it's impossible to tell whether the painting depicts Zhang Fei or a beauty. Even if Miss Elena picked up the wrong one, she could frame Awang's "masterpiece" (which depicts him sticking out his butt and rubbing his tail against it) and bring it up, claiming it's a work by Leonardo da Vinci. The guests would probably exclaim "Wow!" in amazement.

Even if it's just for fun, I'll still watch.

Even if it's just Ah Wang's butt print, Miss Elena says it was drawn by "Da Vinci," and everyone will exclaim "Wow!"

Nothing else.

Just for that name, "Leonardo da Vinci".

Leonardo da Vinci truly holds a unique significance throughout Europe. Monet, Picasso, and others are certainly important as well, and even Rembrandt—many renowned artists were influenced by Rembrandt, loving him more than da Vinci.

However, in terms of social culture, it still falls short compared to Leonardo da Vinci.

To give a somewhat inappropriate example.

Switch to the American music scene.

Leonardo da Vinci may be somewhat similar to Elvis Presley, the King of Pop in popular terms, who was the first true superstar in the Western music world.

Then came John Travolta, Michael Jackson, Madonna… all of these people achieved tremendous success.

But for many traditional Americans, the name Elvis still holds a special meaning.

Don’t say anything else.

It's hard to say how much a small sketch on scrap paper could fetch at an auction, but it would certainly be enough to buy the magnificent castle standing beneath their feet.

And that manuscript... might be worth another one.

"This is the real Leonardo da Vinci—"

The middle-aged man who brought the drawing onto the stage said with a proud look on his face.

Some astute journalists felt that he might be alluding to the painting "Salvator Mundi," which sold for $500 million but whose authenticity is still not definitively determined.

The painting in his hand is a Leonardo da Vinci painting with irrefutable documentary records of its entire history, from the moment it was created to its subsequent circulation.

Even if it's Ah Wang's butt print.

With these documentary records as evidence, it must be an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci.

"This is a diagram of human muscles."

Anna continued speaking.

"His lower body was the lower limbs of a strong man, while his upper body had two heads and four arms, making him look like a conjoined twin with half of his limbs overlapping."

The woman also knew that the audience members who were gossiping below the stage couldn't really see much of the truth in it.

While talking.

The scanned version of the drawing in the picture frame has been projected onto the projection screen behind us.

Only then will everyone be able to truly witness the original manuscripts of this legendary artist.

The drawing appears to be light gray, as if it has been coated with a layer of incense ash.

Leonardo da Vinci used parchment on a very small number of his works. Parchment was very expensive, and the handwriting on it was very difficult to alter.

The vast majority of the painter's sketches and drafts throughout his life were drawn on this type of hemp fiber paper.

then.

Papermaking technology has been transmitted from China to Europe via the Arab world for hundreds of years.

This type of hemp paper has excellent acid-base properties, making it extremely durable. It can be preserved for hundreds of years without being damaged by acidification. Many notes, sketches, and manuscripts by famous Renaissance artists have been preserved to this day thanks to this type of paper.

The painting is not very long.

The painting depicts all five internal organs.

The sense of airiness and the use of intersecting parallel lines are typical of the "Da Vinci" style. It looks very much like the "anatomical diagram of human muscles" that is almost as famous as the "Mona Lisa" in Da Vinci's works.

They were all naked men, each with two bodies superimposed on each other.

The difference lies in...

The "anatomical diagram of human muscles" that is included in countless textbooks shows the muscles overlapping at the top and separated at the bottom.

The main character in the painting has one head, two pairs of arms, and two pairs of lower limbs, one pair forming a cross shape and the other pair forming a "大" (big) shape.

The image projected on the screen behind the woman was completely upside down, with her lower limbs overlapping and her upper body separated.

A pair of thighs.

Two pairs of arms, two heads.

The artwork she possesses appears to be more in the style of a "soul painter" and is also more "Cthulhu-esque".

"After Leonardo da Vinci finished the painting, he wrote three lines of annotations on hemp paper, using a silver-tipped ink pen, mixed Italian and Latin words."

Anna explained.

"The first line reads: In this painting, happiness and pain are twins. They never appear alone; they coexist and oppose each other, like conjoined twins back to back."

The second line contains two Latin words.

"Aurum, pure gold."

"Argilla, clay."

"The third line is a note: If you are enjoying happiness, you should know that suffering and regret will follow."

“…This is Leonardo da Vinci’s artistic philosophy, or perhaps his philosophy of life. I don’t know what da Vinci was thinking when he wrote the words ‘red gold’ and ‘clay’ on the scrap paper with his pen,” Miss Elena said. “Could it be some kind of mysterious technique that transforms clay into gold?”

"Probably not."

The woman looked up and glanced down at the guests from the arts industry seated in the central open space of Marienburg Castle.

“I have read Leonardo da Vinci’s journal. As an alchemy enthusiast, he himself scoffed at the secret techniques of transforming gold. He believed that those who were keen on creating all things through alchemy should be strongly condemned.”

"Because they promised to make real gold and silver, but they only deceived people with fake metals and minerals."

"Alchemy is just empty talk."

"Those who enter this industry solely for profit will never achieve real results."

Miss Elena said—

"I also think that this statement is enough to give us some kind of enlightenment."

“This sketch by Leonardo da Vinci will be displayed in the same case as the illustration of the detective cat,” Miss Elena said. “One is worth over $10 million, while the other was purchased for $1000.”

"I think."

"This also represents a kind of revelation."

"..."

(End of this chapter)