Almighty painter

Chapter 821 Anna's decision to meet with disciples
Miss Elena pointed her finger at the folder on the table and said noncommittally, "Is there any conclusive evidence?"

"If you mean any information that can be used in court... well, of course there is none," Newzlan replied. "If there is, it has already been sent to the Creative Ethics Review Committee. It's nothing more than those random things. The original style of the picture, the source of the creative inspiration... After all, Cui Xiaoming's work was published online in advance. It's normal for others to borrow from it."

“Rubens and the Caravaggio-like charge.”

the woman said.

She was talking about an artistic case.

The light and shadow style and brushstroke characteristics of Rubens' works are quite similar to those of Caravaggio. Although Rubens himself does not like to admit the existence of this "imitation", some people still believe that there is a strong connection between Rubens' works and Caravaggio.

but.

Art is inherently interactive.

Similar controversy also exists between Renoir and Rubens. Some people think that Rubens' works are too similar to Caravaggio, while some scholars think that Renoir in his later years is too similar to Rubens.

One ring within another.

"Yes. It's the same accusation as that of Rubens and Caravaggio. The only problem is that our Rubens and Caravaggio participated in the same Biennale at the same time." Newzland's deputy editor-in-chief said with a smile.

“That’s where things get interesting.”

"No, that's not the interesting part." Anna said into the phone. "I've heard similar accusations."

"Has anyone slipped similar material under your door?"

Newzlan asked in surprise.

"Almost." Anna tapped her pen on the teacup, her eyes hiding something. "It's just the opposite. Some people also accused Cui Xiaoming of plagiarizing Gu Weijing's paintings."

"So, how are you going to handle this?"

"It would be a fascinating topic on the show," Newzlan suggested. "Especially for someone who is already in the middle of controversy."

"I heard that Kazunari Sakai's daughter seemed to have turned down an interview invitation. Does this indicate anything? Is this a signal of some kind? Is it her own decision or her parents' decision?"

The deputy editor speculated with the rigor of a detective.

"Is Kazunari Sakai not optimistic about this symposium? There is a conflict between the two authors of the paper, and the benefits are not evenly distributed, or... at that time, we should-"

Anna reminded softly: "Thank you, I will respect your professional opinion."

The woman said thank you calmly, but the expression on her face seemed to say - "Mr. Deputy Editor, remember? We just agreed that this is my interview, so how to interview is also my business."

Newzlan couldn't possibly see the expression on the manager's face. As an experienced media person, he still felt something, so he said awkwardly, "Of course, of course, ma'am. I'm just suggesting."

It is difficult for a news interviewer to not have any preconceived stance.

in other words.

"Without any preconceived position" is also a preconceived position. Just like "More than one million people died in Auschwitz during World War II" and "More than one million people were massacred in Auschwitz during World War II." The two sentences themselves seem to express the same meaning, but the emotional attributes in the semantics are naturally slightly different.

The same principle applies to the matter between Gu Weijing and Cui Xiaoming.

With the volume and authority of "Oil Painting".

Miss Elena mentioned this in an interview: "Mr. Gu, I noticed that your work and Cui Xiaoming's work have a certain similarity in temperament. What a coincidence——"

"——Does the existence of this coincidence mean that you think the painting style that combines Eastern and Western aesthetics is attracting more and more attention?"

"——Isn't this a bit too coincidental? How would you like to explain this similarity?"

"——It's probably not a coincidence, I heard an anonymous accusation that you plagiarized Cui Xiaoming's work ideas."

"——Maybe it's not a coincidence. I heard some rumors. Some people say that Cui Xiaoming plagiarized the idea of ​​your work. Are you angry? What do you think about this matter?"

They all seem to be saying the same thing.

But in the process of asking questions, every different way of asking questions, every different wording, and the seemingly unintentional definition of the matter in Anna's tone will greatly determine the audience's natural position and affect the direction of things.

Miss Elena herself is willing to define this incident as a coincidence, reference or plagiarism. She is willing to treat Gu Weijing as a victim or a suspect when asking questions, whether to ask him what he thinks about the rumor that "Gu Weijing plagiarized Cui Xiaoming" or what he thinks about the rumor that "Cui Xiaoming plagiarized Gu Weijing"...

Prioritize the primary and secondary.

A world of difference.

In the first few seconds when this matter was brought up at the interview site, the words that came out of Anna's lips lightly were more crucial than Gu Weijing or Cui Xiaoming explaining to the public for several hours with saliva flying, dry mouth and eloquent speech.

Even if these two young artists talked themselves into foaming at the mouth, it would not be as decisive as the effect of Miss Elena's random and seemingly non-partisan question.

This is the tremendous power of the top art review magazine, and this is the tremendous power held by the host Anna Elena.

Cui Xiaoming is very smart.

He grasped the core of the problem from the very beginning and knew who the key person was.

"Then can I ask, what are you going to do? Or take a look at these materials before making a decision?" asked the Newzland deputy editor-in-chief curiously.

The woman was in deep thought.

"You can give me these materials, but there is a high probability that they will not be used."

Anna chuckled.

A bit of joking, a bit of contempt.

"Because I won't do anything." The woman's tone was somewhat sarcastic. "They don't even have the courage to face me and fight for their own interests. Why should I care about them? Who does he think I am? A fish that can be easily hooked?"

"What kind of skill is it to hide your head and show your tail?"

"I don't care about these things. Whether it's Gu Weijing or Cui Xiaoming, no matter who wants to be Caravaggio or Rubens."

Miss Elena tapped her pen on her teacup, shattering the rumors that were spreading throughout the Biennale.

"can."

"Please tell me directly in person."

……

After hanging up the phone with the deputy editor-in-chief of Newzland.

Miss Elena sat back in her chair, staring intently at the floor-to-ceiling window outside.

Anna was thinking about the interview the day after tomorrow. The tip of her pen slid lightly and unconsciously across the note paper, leaving behind a series of crisscrossing ink lines.

Time control, interview rhythm, and question arrangement.

She went over everything in her mind one by one, making sure there were no omissions. Finally, Anna's thoughts fell on the face of the young man across the coffee table that day.

Anna picked up the phone on the table again: "Is this the hotel's concierge? Yes, I am... I need you to help me with something... um..."

The woman finally made up her mind.

She started writing on a notepad while she was on the phone.
-
Cui Xiaoming held his breath.

The suppressed and slightly suffocating feeling allowed him to better focus all his attention on the cards in his hand.

He gently pinched the two corners of the card with his fingers and placed it horizontally on the base.

Because of the tense muscles, his movement when he let go was a little too big.

The cards deviated by one or two millimeters more than expected, and Cui Xiaoming's heart tightened. Fortunately, no larger chain reaction occurred.

The Nine of Diamonds card had its intended effect, becoming part of the tower of cards that towered over the table.

Cui Xiaoming exhaled slowly.

His eyelids drooped under his long and thin eyebrows, and no one knew what kind of thoughts were hidden beneath them.

Cui Xiaoming casually picked up a card from the cards spread out on the table.

"Clover 6"

The young man glanced casually at the pattern and held his breath again.

Most of the six newly opened decks of cards beside him had been used up at this moment.

The cards of lies pile up one after another until a tower is made of sand.

Cui Xiaoming likes to smile when he is nervous or wants to lie. When he is very nervous or really wants to lie, he likes to do something that can divert his attention and immerse himself completely in it, which is what psychologists call "flow".

Usually he likes to play dominoes.

Cui Xiaoming has a complete set of dominoes at home in Berlin. However, this kind of thing is usually not common in stores. Cui Xiaoming just bought a dozen sets of poker cards at the concierge of the hotel.

The hotel has probably never seen such a strange guest.

"I'm learning magic."

Cui Xiaoming looked at the aunt at the concierge desk and said with a smile.

It's not a complete lie.

The essence of magic lies in that unpredictable uncertainty.

Whether playing dominoes or building a building with cards, it is also a game full of uncertainty. The purpose of playing dominoes is to achieve a grand chain reaction, and in order to make this chain reaction possible, it is necessary to avoid any mistakes that may cause a chain reaction in the process.

The same is true for playing building games with cards.

Of course, you can build architectural models with wood, nails and glue if you can tolerate the boredom of mechanical repetitive work.

Or. Use playing cards.

Using only light cards, if you can master the uncertainty and consider yourself proficient in the art of balancing force, several decks of cards that are less than the weight of a bottle of Coke can not only be pieced together to form a triangular pyramid, but an expert can even build some magnificent buildings in an hour or two.

For example, the "Sistine Chapel" in front of you.

In the 15th century AD, Pope Sixtus IV ordered its construction, and Michelangelo, one of the three great masters of the Renaissance, personally painted the dome painting for it - the famous "Creation of the World".

It has therefore become immortal in the history of art.

Naturally.

Architectural models built with playing cards cannot be overly refined or restored.

The so-called "Sistine Chapel" model, from a geometric point of view, is a long room-shaped building body, a small apse, and an additional smaller, nearly arc-shaped sloping dome.

It's complicated enough for a card game.

Cui Xiaoming failed twice.

This is the closest he has come to success. The apse has been completed, and the seven of diamonds just now is the last piece of the puzzle in the main rectangular building of the Renaissance church.

This is also the fastest construction speed Cui Xiaoming has ever built...

He ignored some potential risks at great risk.

Some of the cards were offset from their original positions, and some of the cards that served as walls and the cards that served as roofs were only half-mounted at an angle.

Cui Xiaoming knew that if he turned around and adjusted the "Nine of Diamonds", the entire fragile building might collapse during the wavering.

The risk is worth it.

Sometimes, for the greater good, people have to make choices.

Like if there was a choice.

He did not want to risk offending Mr. Cao by saying those words in public, nor did he want to go too far and accuse Gu Weijing of plagiarizing his work.

Please.

If given a choice, Gu Weijing would be willing to be stepped on by him and be a supporting role to highlight his own worth.

Cui Xiaoming didn't even want to offend Gu Weijing.

Why would you offend such a person?

But there is no way.

Who made him block my way? Who made me insist on winning the award at the exhibition?

Even if Gu Weijingfei forced him to do these things, he had no choice.

Of course he hoped to have a perfect tower of cards.

But between the perfect ruins and the crumbling Sistine Chapel—

If Cui Xiaoming makes a choice 10,000 times, he will choose the latter 10,000 times.

All Cui Xiaoming really needed to do was to build it and take a photo, which would become lasting evidence of his achievement.

All Cui Xiaoming really needs is to win this Biennale and take home the trophy, which will become the eternal focus of his future competition and debate with Gu Weijing.

"Da da da."

There was a knock on the door.

"Son, I have arranged everything. According to what you said, Oil Painting magazine should get those materials..." There was a knock on the bedroom door of the suite, and my father's voice sounded at the door.

Cui Xiaoming paused.

Not a word.

If everything goes well, if all the cards appear where they should be roughly according to Cui Xiaoming's wishes.

Then after ten minutes, the top dome will be completed.

All is done.

Cui Xiaoming didn't want to take unnecessary risks at this time just because of such a trivial matter as his father's.

There were several knocks on the door.

Cui Xuanyou outside should have realized what his son was doing and didn't want to be disturbed, so he quieted down and left quietly.

Cui Xiaoming listened to the footsteps fading away.

He gently placed the "6 of Clubs" in his hand on the "Seven of Diamonds".
-
“Have you ever seen a durian orchard?”

Bukit Timah area.

In the pergola under the villa yard, Liu Ziming picked up a piece of durian flesh from the plate with a fork.

"Durian trees are actually very tall. Many people who have never seen one often think that durian trees are like apple trees or peach trees in picking gardens or mulberry trees on the roadside. No, durian trees are more like camphor trees, and are even taller than camphor trees. Perennial durian trees in their natural state can be up to 30 meters tall."

“Well, some special varieties of durian trees may grow up to 40 meters? It’s hard to say. Malaysia is one of the important producers of durian.”

The middle-aged man showed a look of reminiscence.

"There is a private botanical garden at home. When I was a child, I would go there occasionally. There is a durian tree in it. The shade of the trees is large and it is very cool."

"In ancient times, some painters had a passion for bamboo gardens, some for plum gardens, and some senior painters liked to paint mulberry gardens, saying that the crisscrossing branches, the dots of new buds, and the plump, white and bright silkworms in the grass cages together formed the lines and tones of his brushstrokes for many years afterwards."

"You may not know that the most memories I have from my childhood are probably the durian trees. I loved staying there. Birds the size of canaries, a kind of blue-winged parrot, all flew between the durian trees... and there are almost no painters who paint durian as a subject."

Liu Ziming smiled.

“It should be fun to draw.”

There were four people sitting at the camping table under the awning in the yard. If the four of them formed a group and made their debut, their worth should be able to easily beat most galleries in the industry.

Lin Tao, Wei Yunxian, Liu Ziming, and Tang Ning.

Cao Xuan has four disciples currently alive.

The four brothers and sisters are all busy people. Even those with slightly lower net worth are famous professors at art academies or can become the main painters at the Ma Shi Gallery.

We don't see each other very often throughout the year.

It is even more rare that all four people can get together.

This time they all came to Singapore. Liu Ziming owns real estate here, so he is half the owner. It is only logical and reasonable for him to host the party and invite his fellow brothers and sisters to visit his yard.

"No smell?"

Lin Tao chewed a golden pillow durian and commented, "Although durian tastes good, it smells weird. Junior Brother Liu, you said you often ran under the durian tree when you were a kid. Didn't you find it smelly?"

"It's okay once you get used to it."

Liu Ziming shrugged.

“And as long as the fruit is not ripe, it smells no different from normal trees.”

"When does durian ripen?" Lin Tao asked curiously.

"It depends on the location and production area. The Thai variety is early and can be ripe in April. The Indonesian variety is later, not until October. The Malaysian variety is in between the two."

Liu Ziming poked another piece of fresh fruit flesh on the plate.

"June to September."

"Well, then I can't go this month." Lin Tao looked disappointed that he couldn't come to Singapore to see the exhibition and visit the durian tree that can grow to 40 meters high. "I have a lot of work pressure in the second half of the year. I have a project to do--"

Liu Ziming glanced at Lin Tao.

commonplace.

He sneered in his heart.

Professor Lin Tao is the oldest among their four disciples, but Liu Ziming always feels that he has a somewhat dull temperament.

“Controversial and Paradoxical Metaphors.”

Said the round-faced woman who was sitting across the table with her legs crossed.

"Ok?"

Lin Tao asked with a smile.

"I said if you want to paint durian, you should start from the perspective of contradictory metaphors. The shell, smell and flesh of the durian."

Tang Ning took a big bite of the fruit pulp.

“It has a natural filtering mechanism and is true to its origins… Durian and Duchamp’s urinal? I think these two artworks can be implicitly connected.”

Liu Ziming glanced at Tang Ning again.

vulgar.

He sneered in his heart.

(End of this chapter)