Almighty painter

Chapter 700 Thesis Controversy (Part )
“I don’t want to be the one saying something nasty.”

Liu Ziming noticed the instantaneous change in the atmosphere, but he remained calm and composed.

"Good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease, and honest advice is unpleasant to the ear but is good for one's conduct. This is what the teacher said. The teacher asked me to read this article, so of course I have to read it carefully."

"I have also noticed that some scholars have different opinions on the painting in Gu's hand and the viewpoint he came to... At least, the identity of the painter himself is worth discussing."

Discuss this word.

Liu Ziming deliberately emphasized his tone.

He thought he had been very subtle.

To put it bluntly——

Some people believe that the painting "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" is a fake, at least it is not an Impressionist work created before 1900.

The issue of dating a work of art is both simple and difficult.

It is said to be simple because, in the pre-Qin period, European society did not have the rigorous historiographical tradition of Dongxia.

But with the invention of parchment and the popularization of writing tools, various types of first-hand documentary materials are now circulating in large quantities.

For example, Cicero, an ancient Roman high-ranking official during the Han Dynasty in China, even his daily correspondence with his family and friends has been preserved very intact today.

That was two thousand years ago.

Of course, it should be noted that there are also public opinions that believe that these things were all forged by later generations.

From an academic point of view, many European historical materials are indeed not genuine first-hand materials.

The civilization gap in the Middle Ages resulted in many documentary materials that can be consulted by later generations today, all of which have undergone a translation evolution trajectory of "Latin - Arabic - Latin or English".

They were originally translated into Arabic by traveling merchants and brought to Central Asia and the Arab world.

later.

Because of war or other reasons.

The original versions of these historical documents have been lost to history.

The "original" version that people see today was restored based on the Arabic translation. It was translated back and forth by scholars and went through many transfers.

Researcher like Anna, in order to be able to read those relatively original documents from the ancient Roman era, not only knows Latin, she also learned Arabic.

And this kind of document that has passed through many hands will indeed cause some doubts about its credibility.

It is normal to have corresponding discussions in academia.

This topic is very long to talk about.

In short, let’s put aside the discussion about “authenticity” for now.

Anyway, there are a lot of historical materials that have been passed down to the present day.

Oil painting evolved from tempera and matured into the Renaissance.

After the end of the Middle Ages, written materials of all kinds became more numerous.

How many paintings did Leonardo da Vinci paint in his lifetime, and approximately when was each painting painted... Art scholars can actually find relatively reliable first-hand records in the literature related to the Milan School of Painting.

And group portraits like "The Night Watch".

Not only are there relevant documents and records of Rembrandt's creation of this painting, but there are also passers-by A holding a lamp in the middle of the canvas, passers-by B wearing a beige hat, and a little girl with her head exposed next to her, passers-by C...

There are a lot of passers-by, A, B, C, and D. What is each person's name, occupation, and age?

Even who their father and grandfather are.

All of them are recorded in very, very detail.

If scholars really wanted to find out, perhaps they could dig out all the home addresses and house numbers of these people.

So apart from the case of Titian who intentionally imitated the signature of his senior Giorgione and acted as a ghostwriter to cheat his employer out of small amounts of money.

It is a very, very simple matter to date the works of most famous Western oil painters.

Just read the literature and compare them one by one.

Even a grassroots painter like Van Gogh, who was unknown during his lifetime, has a complete chronology of his works compiled.

The student dog's ability to read literature materials is unmatched.

But the opposite.

If so many documents have been searched, countless history dogs, art dogs, and materials dogs who want to publish papers and evaluate professional titles, staring with their dog eyes as big as copper bells, have scanned around and around, but have not found any corresponding records.

Then, it would be difficult even for a god to get an accurate conclusion.

Whether an impressionist work was painted in 1870 or 1920, the price could easily differ by hundreds of times.
However, it is difficult to give an authoritative conclusion using any technical means today to determine whether this painting is one hundred years old or one hundred and fifty years old.

There are chemical laboratories that can analyze the pigment composition on the canvas to infer its manufacturer and production year, and then verify the creation year of the work.

However, all these things can also be faked through acquired efforts.

Otherwise, where is the living space for people like Brother Hao?

The ultimate final.

Judging the age and authenticity of a work of art still relies on the professional experience and subjective speculation of scholars and appraisers.

And you made your own speculations in the paper.

So--

Naturally, there will be people who disagree with your speculation.

"It's normal to have discussions. Can we stop others from speaking? Since we are putting forward opinions, there is a possibility that there will be right and wrong."

Mr. Cao shook his head indifferently.

"There is nothing wrong with the paper itself. The more we discuss it, the clearer it becomes."

The old man was very patient, he spoke slowly and leisurely.

"It's just a drop in the ocean at best."

"Yes, yes, it's just that the arguments are a little thin. The most direct evidence is just one or two lines in a missionary's diary. It would be better if it could be more solid." Liu Ziming said with a smile.

"I think it's OK. So many years have passed, and we are lucky to find some traces of the creation in the sermon log left in the church. The professor at Oxford University can use the discovery of a note as evidence of the discovery of Leonardo da Vinci's original work."

Wei Yunxian shrugged.

I don’t know if she is standing up for Gu Weijing or if she simply doesn’t get along with Junior Brother Liu.

She said casually, "What's wrong with a kid using a sermon journal to endorse his own views?"

The Oxford University professor mentioned by the female painter is Martin Kemp, an authoritative scholar in the field of research on Leonardo da Vinci's works.

He is one of the great scholars behind the argument that "Salvator Mundi" is an authentic work of Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci's works are well documented.

Although "Savior" is not among them, there is no clear record of its creation.

Martin Kemp still found some clues.

He found a court record written by Charles I in 1641 in the archives left by the British royal family.

"Contains a picture of Christ by Leonardo, valued at £30."

Leonardo is Leonardo da Vinci.

In his research, a professor at Oxford University believed that the "image of Christ" in the record of the palace treasury was the "Savior".

This record has become the most powerful evidence that "Salvator Mundi" is an authentic work of Leonardo da Vinci, which is what Wei Yunxian called "a piece of paper."

"The premise is that the contents of his sermon journal must be truly reliable. I have no other intentions. I am just afraid that he is too anxious to leave and wants to..."

Liu Ziming pretended to glance at Miss Elena subconsciously.

It was as if he remembered that he needed to cover up for his "junior brother who had not yet entered the sect" and some things were difficult to say out loud.

then.

He smiled and corrected himself.

"You know, his viewpoint completely overturns the traditional research on Impressionism established by the academic community. It's too shocking, and there will always be some people who are jealous. Can you put it in a more unpleasant way?"

"Don't get me wrong, I mean this out of kindness."

"If Gu Weijing is willing, as his elder, I also have some connections in the art world. I can contact some more authoritative experts and scholars for his paper and organize an academic seminar. I have a good relationship with Brand from the Louvre's Collection Research Department..."

Liu Ziming quietly revealed his true intentions in front of Miss Elena.

The situations of "The Old Church in a Thunderstorm" and "The Savior" are similar in many ways.

They are all dirty and "forgotten" works that were collected accidentally.

The authenticity is questionable.

There are also some vague and seemingly relevant records.

Whether it is Gu Weijing and Sakai Katsuko, or the British Museum.

When they were doing research and writing papers, they all started from those vague records, and then analyzed the aesthetic style of the oil paintings themselves based on contemporary Impressionist paintings or those authentic Leonardo da Vinci works with clear origins, and finally came to "earth-shattering" conclusions.

It doesn't necessarily mean that everyone thinks of the same thing when writing.

But this is probably the only way to write a paper like this, and it is the only feasible research method.

Therefore, it will definitely attract a lot of doubts.

Gu Weijing is different from the tenured professors at Oxford University. He is a newcomer that no one in the academic world has heard of.

Therefore, the doubts his views will attract may be ten or a hundred times that of Martin Kemp.

As soon as Gu Weijing’s paper was published in "Asian Art".

Many people intuitively feel that this is a fake.

Fake News.

Van Meegeren fraud case, Ruffini fraud case, Knoedler Gallery fraud case...

There are too many similar examples in the art world.

First get an old painting of unknown origin, then find a research team to endorse it, and finally sell it at a sky-high price. This is considered a classic operation in the art market.

In some cases, the materials are questionable and do not seem convincing enough.

And there are many cases where these materials, even the paintings themselves... the entire research, are all fake.

It's simply a scam from beginning to end.

For example, the Knoedler Gallery in New York set up an entire fake research team, created a fictitious work of Jackson Pollock, and sold it to the mysterious "Mr. X."

The transaction price was a full $8000 million.

A few years ago, it was reported that a major auction house discovered that the paintings it sold in a private negotiation as an intermediary might have similar problems. The auction house had no choice but to grit its teeth and pay $1000 million, and bought the paintings back.

Swallow the broken teeth.

Regarding the view put forward by Gu Weijing and Sakai Katsuko, they discovered an early female Impressionist painter who had been forgotten by history.

Some people believe that a missionary's journal in the basement of an old church in Yangon in the 19th century is not enough to support such an important conclusion as "the first female Impressionist painter in history."

Some people believe that the authenticity of the missionary's diary is questionable.

Some people also think.

Not only the missionary journal, but also the oil painting of "Old Church in Thunderstorm" are very likely to be fake, all of which are pig slaughtering schemes. And Liu Ziming.

He is the last kind.

Unlike many researchers who focus more on textual research and the evolution of artistic styles, Liu Ziming himself is a first-line artist of very high level.

Among their four senior brothers and sisters.

Of the two female disciples, Tang Ning is the most ambitious, but has the least experience. She has been eager to take over her own teacher's class since the day she started.

So she only paints Chinese paintings.

He had already mastered the art before he was twenty years old, and his brushwork and movement all showed the style of a master.

Wei Yunxian occasionally paints some watercolors, but it is not her main occupation.

However, the two male disciples, Lin Tao and Liu Ziming, are the kind that combine Chinese and Western styles, and they have painted a lot of works with both Eastern and Western aesthetic styles.

Lin Tao is a skilled apprentice.

As early as when he became Cao Xuan's apprentice, he already had a pretty good foundation in oil painting.

Liu Ziming's family background was like this.

He is similar to Anna. He has learned everything since he was young. He has dabbled in many aspects and his level is very high.

Lin Tao is a professor at CAFA, and is exposed to the most cutting-edge art theories and academic viewpoints on a daily basis. His personal creative direction is also very international.

Lin Tao can paint avant-garde and abstract works, and has also done relevant research.

Liu Ziming's painting style is influenced by his own aesthetic preferences.

He prefers the old oil painting style and the solid and concise brushstrokes of early painters.

Uncle Sakai's creative direction tends to be neoclassical oil paintings. In the current mainstream art world, Kazunari Sakai is already a very "old-school" painter.

Liu Ziming's creative direction is even older.

He prefers the most traditional, old school, orthodox and authentic classical oil painting style.

Striving for the perfect geometric shape, rhythm and sense of order between the brushstrokes.

"Every stroke he made on the paper seemed to be measured with the most precise ruler." - Such a description may not be a compliment in the field of art.

Scorer.

If you say this to a painter who follows a school of painting that emphasizes spirituality, freedom, and unrestrained brushstrokes, he might think you are scolding him.

If you are a classicist, or a figurative oil painter like Mondrian who pays great attention to the control of the brush.

Such a description can basically be regarded as a sincere compliment.

On the solidity of oil painting brushwork skills.

Liu Ziming should be the best among his fellow brothers and sisters.

The recommendation in the buyer's guide of "Oil Painting" magazine says that Liu Ziming's works are not dull in rough places and are lively in smooth places, breaking the boundary between oil sketches and fine paintings - this was originally a statement used by the academic community to praise Rembrandt.

If Gu Weijing used calligraphy and painting appraisal techniques to look at the oil paintings Liu Ziming had exhibited in recent years, then he would have used the system's evaluation criteria.

His ability to use a pen has at least reached the level of "Second Master".

And this is not the first time I have entered this realm.

With Liu Ziming's sharp eyes, even though there were only some photos in the paper, he could tell at a glance that the painting "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" was of high quality.

Not tacky.

No matter what else happens, at least that oil painting is a good one.

There is no doubt about this.

"Fifty thousand dollars."

What Liu Ziming didn't know was that the moment Kazunari Sakai saw the painting, he offered to buy it from Gu Weijing for $50,000.

He valued the painting based entirely on his subjective impression, and it also happened to be worth $50,000.

The hero sees the same.

In today's art market, if you want to buy an old Impressionist painting of this level and quality, the price is hard to say...

It can be cheap if it's cheap.

lucky.

Maybe you can buy it for $100, $200, $500.

But Liu Ziming felt that, not counting the commissions paid to buyers for searching the market, he would have to come up with a purchasing budget of at least $50,000 to securely acquire an oil painting of this level.

in other words.

Throw away other factors, throw away the identity of the creator, throw away the era, throw away the meaning represented by the work, throw away all the additional meanings of this painting.

If this painting was placed in front of a player like him who is knowledgeable and wealthy, he would be happy to spend $50,000 to buy it.

Perhaps anonymous oil paintings are difficult to sell in the auction market.

But Liu Ziming knew that the picture was worth the price based on its expressiveness, and he didn't feel bad about signing the check.

But the "fifty thousand dollars" he estimated in his mind had another meaning.

Cost of counterfeiting.

If this is a fake painting, then the forger's brushwork is quite good!

Even though a painter's painting skills have never been linked to his net worth.

Having the painting level of a master does not mean having the fame or status of a master.

There aren’t enough resources for art.

Even the best painters can end up living on the streets.

But... Liu Ziming felt that it was a waste of time to invite an artist of this level to fake his works, plus the various traces of aging and the cost of packaging.

Zero zero total total adds up.

If he wants to see the painting "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" before his eyes, it might cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Fifty thousand dollars may not be much for the benefits it represents.

But considering the cost of making a fake painting, fifty thousand dollars is quite a lot.

It is enough to buy some serious artworks at the gold medal level of the Singapore International Biennale, and you can even buy a Picasso pottery jar at an auction house and take it home.

Under normal circumstances, if someone was willing to spend $50,000 to forge a painting, why would they create a painting by an unknown painter named "Carroll"?

Yes.

With this cover article in "Asian Art" as a foundation, no matter whether there is controversy or not, no matter how much money was spent on the forgery, there will definitely be no problem in recovering the cost.

But please, you can't count it this way.

People have started to fake paintings. Who doesn't want to make a fortune and live a carefree life? If you want to recover your investment, why don't you sell cabbage on the street? That won't be so troublesome.

Take the normal market price of Impressionist works in the international auction market today as an example.

The entry threshold for ordinary works by representative painters like Monet, that is, not the famous paintings such as "Water Lilies" and "Haystacks", is about 100 million US dollars.

The Degas and Renoir will be slightly cheaper, at $90.

Paintings by Marie Cossett, now recognized as the first female Impressionist painter, are slightly cheaper, at $70 to $80.

That is, if Carroll really does become the first of a new, undisputed female Impressionist.

That painting, "Old Church During a Thunderstorm," is worth about $800,000.

Things are rare.

There are many paintings by Mary Cossart that still exist.

If there was only one Carroll painting, it would probably be worth more than 800,000, but when calculating the cost of the counterfeit, we can only make a conservative calculation.

In addition, Mary Xart, a well-known legendary painter, is not comparable to Carroll, a new artist who no one has heard of.

The estimate of 800,000 is neither too much nor too little - this is without any dispute.

It is the work of the first female Impressionist painter.

This significance is worth $800,000.

But once there is controversy, doubt, discussion and uncertainty in academia, like now, it will depreciate rapidly.

Give me a 70% discount.

Collectors spend their money at the risk of losing all their money. If they want to sell it now, they should at least give a 70% discount.

There is only a profit margin of about $200,000 left.

After all this work and all this fanfare... you only make $200,000?
It’s not worth it.

But there are many better options.

When it comes to counterfeiting scams, there are ways that are lower cost, more low-key, and can make far more money.

If you really want to make money, there is no need to paint at such a high level, just tell a good story.

Wouldn't it be nice to play something that no one can understand?

Just like the case of using fake Jackson Pollock to defraud people, what was clearly described in court was "producing a pile of junk that no one could understand" and then selling it to a mysterious buyer, Mr. X.

The entire transaction was conducted privately through middleman negotiation, and a full $80 million was defrauded.

The cost of counterfeiting the work itself is probably only $50, let alone $50,000.

To put it in plain words.

Liu Ziming can look down on Gu Weijing for cheating people for a profit of $200,000, but he cannot look down on Sakai Katsuko.

Her father, Kazunari Sakai, is at least one of the top 20 masters in the world.

These three melons and two dates.

If Kazunari Sakai were to cheat people for $200 million, everyone would believe it.

For $20 million, maybe.

But for $200,000?

Ha ha.

There's no need for Kazunari Sakai to roll over and sit on you to death, his fans can just spit at you and spray you to death.

Why don’t you just go home and paint a picture and sell it for fun?

Kazunari Sakai's oil paintings certainly don't sell as well as Monet's, but they are not necessarily lower than those of the Impressionist painter Marie Xart.

In this sense.

This seems to have greatly increased the credibility of this paper.

With Katsuko Sakai's co-endorsement, the possibility of fraud for financial gain seems very low.

Liu Ziming doesn't think so.

Since it's not for money, then... it's for fame.

(End of this chapter)