Almighty painter

Chapter 848 True and False Golden Fleece

"Oh, a third-rate scholar like you who can only make gimmicks to attract attention will not understand." - (British) critic Rosings, "2023 "Oil Painting" · Gu Weijing: The Discovery and Research of Impressionist Female Painter Carroll" Dialogue Interview.
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on the stage.

The heated conversation continues.

"In my thesis, I have detailed how Claude Monet seduced Camille to elope with him and exploited his wife's talent until she was tortured to death..."

"Carol is a Greek name, so I call this the Golden Fleece story," Alexander said.

The most classic story in Greek mythology:

In order to seek revenge, the heroic Jason made a bet with his uncle Palias, who had taken away his father's throne, that if Jason could complete the challenge of taking the sacred Golden Fleece, his uncle would be offered the throne.

"The bards and playwrights have spent a lot of time describing Jason's bravery and resourcefulness, and how he transformed from a naive little prince into a tough and wise warrior 20 years before his exile."

"Did he actually obtain the Golden Fleece by his own courage and strength? Of course not. In that famous epic poem, the only right thing he did was to shoot Medea, the princess of Colchis, with Cupid's arrow of love. That's all."

A playful smile formed on Alexander's lips.

"The king asked him to subdue the bronze bull, and Medea secretly took the magic medicine at night to smear his whole body. The king asked him to deceive the poisonous dragon guarding the golden fleece, and Medea told him the secret that playing the lyre could make the dragon sleep. They needed to sail away with the golden fleece, and Medea helped him avoid the pursuers. In the process, she even killed the general who was chasing Jason, the young prince of Colchis, and Medea's biological brother."

"Does his heroic deeds have anything to do with his hard training in martial arts and his wit and agility?"

"After returning to the country, his uncle refused to give up the throne. The epic says: 'Although Jason is a true hero, he can't do anything about this, but Medea is a cruel woman.'"

Alexander paused.

"Medea went to the old king alone and thought of a way to trick the king's daughter into being chopped into pieces in his sleep. And how did this story end? Jason turned around and abandoned Medea and the two children she had given birth to him like throwing away garbage, and ran off to happily marry the lord of Corinthus."

"What is Jason called in Greek epics? A talented prince, a great hero with great wisdom, and an outstanding avenger. What is Medea? A woman with a heart as venomous as a snake, a cruel witch. Her name still symbolizes destruction, death, and pain."

“Is this really fair?”

Alexander spoke passionately and stood up from his seat.

"This is how traditional European society, our religion and history summarize and describe capable women - Medea and others have made achievements, and then all the good names, her wisdom, her efforts, her courage, all became Jason's things, and then Diodorus, Apollodorus and Euripides (note that all three are playwrights in the Greek era, writing in Latin) called her a witch."

"That's what our Carol, Monet's wife Camille, faced."

He waved his arms vigorously, like an angry actor in the climax of an opera.

"She is the Medea in the Impressionist story, or even worse than Medea. Medea is at least terrifying, but Camille, Camille Monet, no no no, I don't want to use the name Camille Monet, let's change it to Carol, or, call her by Camille's original surname, everything that Camille Townsill faced."

The flash lights in the audience flashed like a waterfall.

Alexander was not angry at all.

An abundant sense of joy flowed throughout his body.

He enjoyed this moment, enjoyed the feeling of pretending to be angry, enjoyed the pleasure of pretending to be an angry bull and having the grease of the flash all over his body.

The pleasure of fame and fortune.

He understood that every word he said at this moment would be reprinted by the media reporters below, and his name would spread throughout the art world at the speed of light along with the circulation of the Internet.

He will step on this sensational conclusion and reach the pinnacle of his life.

Alexander glanced at the stage out of the corner of his eye.

Do what you want.

Do what you want.

Understanding the interviewer's preferences is, of course, what a candidate who receives an admission offer should do.

As the youngest art director of Oil Painting magazine, she has no reason and even no power to turn a blind eye to social issues.

Miss Elena's position meant that she should be moved by her own words.

The conversation she had just had with Gu Weijing perfectly proved this point.

She was willing to waste so much time arguing with that guy even over a simple alias issue, so how could his shocking inference that "Monet shamelessly exploited the fruits of his wife's labor" receive less attention?
As the newly appointed artistic director, doesn't she want to accomplish some outstanding and remarkable achievements during her tenure?

What a favorable topic he gave the other party.

This is the gift Alexander gave to the director when she took office.

He provided news value to the other party, and in return, all Alexander asked for was that the other party be willing to give him a little attention in the commentary article.

A very reasonable exchange, isn't it?
Alexander believed that what he was doing was what Miss Elena wanted him to do.

This is also the reason why Oil Painting magazine invited him to the interview.

It's ridiculous.

These audiences don’t understand, and even the guests in the audience don’t understand, that the most important guest on the stage at this moment has never been Dr. Gustav or the big troll Rosings.

It’s not even Gu Weijing.

It's him.

It was him from the beginning, it has always been him, and it has always been just him.

Compared to young people who simply have some good luck, he is the protagonist of the entire stage. Only he, Alexander, and only his views are worthy of Oil Painting magazine to devote so many resources and make such sufficient preparations in advance.

When the female host took out the boat ticket from her pocket, Alexander shouted excitedly and was ecstatic.

Because he believed he made the right bet.

The Oil Painting magazine is here to stand up for itself.

Only by proving in advance that the painter "Carroll" really existed in history would there be room for his argument to be developed.

Awesome.

He fully understood the host's meaning.

Alexander saw that as his words came out, the expressions of the guests on the stage changed dramatically.

Gu Weijing tilted his head, his cheeks were tense, his black hair roots were close to his temples, he sat there with a stern expression, and there was some blue stubble on his lips.

"He must be filled with regret, right? It must not be a good feeling to have missed out on real sensational wealth."

Alexander thought smugly.

This guy walked to the door that became the darling of the topic, but missed the key to open the door.

Treasure awaits the right person.

friend.

Treasure awaits the right person.

Alexander was immersed in the cameras and mobile phone lenses of the media and guests below the stage. Taking photos is prohibited for some performances in the opera house, and even for interviews, the use of flash is prohibited in principle.

this moment.

Faced with such news-making news, many reporters no longer care about filming regulations.

The serious academic norms suddenly turned into a catwalk show at Milan Fashion Week.

The light of the LED flash flashed again and again, as if it had become the actual product of the illusory fame and fortune in the material world, and the camera captured the expressions of the guests on the stage again and again.

Albert Einstein wrote down the formula E=MC2 on paper, but ignored the power it might contain and put it aside.

The "honor" of creating the atomic bomb belongs to Robert Oppenheimer and Feynman, a group of experimental physicists.

Nowadays.

This story will repeat itself again.

Gu Weijing picked up the original painting of "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" by "good luck", but he did not know how to cherish it.

Then, the power to create this atomic-bomb-like news in the art market belongs to him and Oil Painting magazine.

All honors will belong to him and only to him.

Alexander's anger was painted with a snow-white luster. In a trance, he seemed to have turned into an actor covered in white powder, and his whole body was about to melt in the shining light like the surface of the sun.

After all, Albert Einstein was the first person to write down the energy formula, and even if he didn't really understand what it meant, he was still considered a top scientist.

Gu Weijing is different.

This guy didn't paint "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" in 1876; he just picked up that painting by luck.

in other words.

Gu Weijing cannot be considered the person who wrote down the formula "energy equals mass times the speed of light squared". He was just someone who picked up this formula by accident.

Then.

He can really be forgotten.

At most, it is just an insignificant corner point in this story.

Alexander is currently at a critical juncture in art history. He will rewrite the historical story of Impressionism. In time, perhaps a movie will be made about the story.

"--Then Diodorus, Apollodorus, and Euripides called her a witch."

He revised this sentence several times on the plane to Singapore before he was finally satisfied with it. He felt that it was a statement that a brave scholar would make in a documentary film nominated for an Oscar.

Since Hollywood is interested in making a story about "The Savior".

There is no reason to leave such a good subject aside. He believes that he will definitely appear on the screen as the protagonist. Maybe the shooting scene is here, and the director will completely recreate this shot and his words.

"When the time comes, if the screenwriter wants to use my lines, I can generously waive the licensing fee."

Alexander had a mask of anger on his face, but a hint of smile flashed through his eyes.

The prerequisite is that the actor who plays him is big enough.

It would be best if Brad Pitt played himself.

Alexander likes Brad Pitt, he is very manly and his hair color is similar to his.

The only regret is.

Anna didn't give him any of the looks he wanted.

He wanted to find something on Miss Elena's face, even if it was not joy or approval, at least some subtle look that sounded like a secret code.

Nothing.

The woman's expressions and movements were almost identical to Gu Weijing's.

The only difference is that his expression is calmer.

She sat on the sofa, watching all the noise on the stage, quietly lost in thought, probably completely immersed in the points he made.

what.

Alexander noticed that the hostess was not in a trance.

Is she looking at Gu Weijing?
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"…although the entire Impressionist movement was influenced by Asian artistic styles, there is no record that Monet ever visited Asia…"

"We're not talking about Monet, we're talking about his wife Camille."

"There are very few records about her. Besides, in 1876, she should have been seriously ill. There are records showing that by 1877, when Monet painted "Woman with a Parasol", she had to stay in bed frequently..."

"That's why she needed a vacation, a long journey, and recuperation. As early as the 1870s, Monet kept mentioning in his letters that the doctor advised Camille to stay away from Paris, and she planned a long journey across the sea. This refers to this trip... Patients who are sick and recuperating have to book the best first-class cabin due to physical reasons. Everything is natural. Otherwise, there would be so many coincidences in the history of early Impressionism..."

"...Look at this record. In my paper, I quoted Monet's speech in an interview with a reporter in 1872. In it, he mentioned Camille's artistic talent. Now, I will read it to you..."

……

Alexander sat there and talked eloquently.

Just as he expected, Miss Elena rarely interrupted, and Gu Weijing had nothing to say at all.

When faced with questions from Rosings and Dr. Gustav, he also had sufficient responses. For Carroll and "The Old Church in a Thunderstorm", Alexander prepared a complete narrative system.

Starting from Monet's marital status and supplemented by some spliced ​​information, he deconstructed Monet into a cruel husband who said one thing in front of his wife and another behind her back, constantly showing the beauty and sweetness of his marriage in his works, but was extremely indifferent and exploitative to his wife in private.

"As early as 1875, their marriage seemed harmonious on the surface, but in fact, there were already huge problems... Monet's second wife Alice was the wife of Ernest, Monet's sponsor. As early as 1875, they formed a cohabitation relationship due to debts. Later, she became Monet's wife. Is this a coincidence?"

"Your condition is getting worse. You cough every day because of tuberculosis, and your husband is whispering sweet nothings to someone else right in front of you. If you were Camille, the one who eloped with him, what would you think? You have been using the harmonious relationship between the Monets to prove that Camille would not paint under a pseudonym to escape her husband. Monet would not intentionally cover up his wife's talent in the art world. Harmonious relationship? I don't think so at all."

Alexander said coldly.

He was typing away on his paper.

"Look at these records. Isn't this a remake of the Golden Fleece story? Once he got sick and was useless, he abandoned his wife and children and lived with the sponsor's wife—"

Rosings opened his mouth to say something.

Alexander just waved his hand.

"That's enough, Rosings. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Don't forget that you still owe me an apology. You have never respected my academic views. I told you so much strong evidence. I talked to you about the similarities between "Old Church in a Thunderstorm" and Monet's early works, and you said that this is a commonality unique to Impressionism and is not strong evidence. I told you that there are multiple records showing that Monet has a habit of buying expensive and high-end pigments throughout his life, and you turned a blind eye to this."

"it is good."

"I won't talk to you about these. I'll only talk to you about the simplest human nature. Can you imagine how many stereotypes and constraints a woman who was born as a model had to break in order to become a recognized painter in Europe in the 19th century? What kind of courage did she have to show? Take a look at these records. Read them carefully."

"When Monet painted Camille in Kimono, she was already suffering from illness, but Monet asked her to be his model and painted her light and romantic. From a psychological point of view, this reflects his escape from his wife... He never really knew his wife and only regarded her as a tool for painting."

"Can you really not feel the pain, Rosings?"

There was a hint of impatience in Alexander's tone.

"If you still choose to say, 'I don't fucking care' after all these things, then I can only say that I have nothing to say."

"You'll never earn the respect of someone who's prejudiced. Fortunately, I don't care about the respect of people like you."

After a moment of silence.

The big troll Rosings lowered his head helplessly.

Some topics are inherently dangerous. There is no definite conclusion about Carol's identity, but Alexander has a complete theory.

There was something going on at the beginning.

Rosings didn't want to be accused of questioning for the sake of questioning with stereotypes in his heart.

Dr. Gustav also acted very cautiously and did not speak at this moment.

"Then—at least, everybody thinks that this is—"

Just as Alexander took a sip of water and felt that he had won a great victory in today's debate.

Gu Weijing made a move that seemed incredible and even a little funny to him.

He raised his hand.

Yes.

He raised his hand like a student in class.

"Sir, I care about what you say, I care about the pain, and that's why I can't agree with you."

"I don't think Monet is such a cruel person, and I don't agree with your inference."

(End of this chapter)