Almighty painter

Chapter 852 Mixed Doubles (Part )

Alexander was stunned.

He pretended not to care: "Don't be impulsive, Gu——"

"Okay. Mr. Gu..."

The man originally wanted to provoke him, but for some reason, when he met the other person's eyes, Alexander was involuntarily forced to change his mind at the last moment. After a brief hesitation, he subconsciously changed his address again.

After the words came out.

He narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

He doesn't like this, he doesn't like the feeling of being led by the nose by the other party.

He reminded himself that there should be no mercy to any extent, and since he had already made the other party a target, he must persevere to the end.

Alexander knew again.

His hesitation at that moment was not out of pity, but for some other reason.

Gu Weijing's aura shocked him for a moment.

It felt like someone was convincing him in the most serious manner that "if he didn't do what he said, he would be in trouble."

This feeling made him feel very ashamed.

So in order to save face, Alexander forced himself to keep smiling.

"This is a dialogue interview. I have the right to point out the facts to the public." He shrugged his shoulders and repeated, "I am a very open-minded person. If you feel uncomfortable, you can also use the same words to attack me. Anyway, I don't care..."

"I would not attack you with such words, Mr. Alexander."

Gu Weijing shook his head slowly and lightly.

His voice sounded very thin on the huge stage, but somehow, the power contained in it made it drown out Alexander's laughter.

Alexander is louder.

Gu Weijing's voice is more melodic and peaceful.

If you close your eyes and listen carefully, in a noisy hotel room facing the street, you can still hear the slow and eternal ticking of the quartz clock hands, or you can hear the sound of an organ pulling the guitar case amid the harsh sounds of gongs and drums.

"You can't be called Fascism, or Hitler."

Gu Weijing said.

No.

No, to be honest, it's not that bad.

Alexander was just a third-rate scholar who wanted to gain benefits from his sensational inferences.

"You are a clown who seeks attention." Gu Weijing looked at Alexander and his eyes gave his answer.

but.

He didn't say this out loud. Not everyone has to behave the same, and not everyone has to act like a Netflix variety show in front of the camera.

Gu Weijing said to himself silently.

“I’ve also read every one of Monet’s letters.”

then.

He changed the subject.

"In order to find Carroll's true identity, Ms. Sakai and I looked for a lot of information. We read with respect the correspondence of most men and women related to Impressionism. This includes Monet's collection of letters compiled by art historians in their papers and books, as well as the electronic archives of Monet's manuscripts and original letters provided by the Marmottan Monet Museum in Paris."

Gu Weijing said.

"Including the ones you just cited as evidence. Do you believe that the content of each letter you just cited may not be accurate, but I can roughly know when it was written."

What Gu Weijing said was not empty talk.

Camille herself left almost no written records in history. As the most famous woman in Impressionism, she also left a lot of historical gaps.

She is both extremely famous and quite mysterious. She has a close relationship with Impressionism, but also remains a marginal figure, circling like a satellite in the records of art history. Sometimes she seems to be illuminated by the light of Monet's research, revealing a corner of her face, and sometimes she disappears into the darkness.

In a sense.

She does have certain similarities with the image of the female painter Carol in Gu Weijing's imagination.

It's not just Alexander.

Gu Weijing once very much hoped that Monet's wife was the creator of his painting "Old Church in a Thunderstorm". He was thinking about the problem from the perspective of artistic legend, and if so, it would be perfect.

Later scholars can only restore Carroll's image through Monet's letters and his friends' memories.

As the most important documentary material in existence, Gu Weijing repeatedly read all the letters he could find, and he and Alexander had access to the same research materials.

Alexander shook his neck.

He didn't want to dwell on this topic any further and wanted to say that it was none of his business whether he had read it or not.

Unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth.

"Is that so?"

Someone said beside me.

Miss Elena seemed to be very interested in this topic. She asked, "Have you studied Camille's life carefully? Have you read the profiles of women related to Impressionism?"

"As best as I can."

Gu Weijing said.

"Everyone can tell lies."

"I noticed that when Mr. Alexander mentioned Camille, he described the twisted emotional relationship between them and quoted Monet as saying - '... Camille is a typical Parisian girl, she has ..."

The female host flipped through the paper in her hand and read it word by word.

"Do you know when this letter was written?" she then inquired.

"The year? I don't remember the exact year." Gu Weijing said, "But I remember this letter. 'The Woman in Green'? This description should have appeared during the period when Monet created the Impressionist work 'The Woman in Green', outlining their early emotional relationship, which should be around the mid-1860s."

"I think the answer should be 1866," said Miss Elena.

She neither said that Gu Weijing's answer was good nor bad, but simply replied: "That year, the 18-year-old Camille became a model for the Gleyre Public Studio in Paris. She not only appeared in Monet's paintings, but also occasionally in the works of Renoir, Cézanne and other painters."

"Then what about this letter..."

……

Miss Elena picked out a few letters from Alexander as evidence and read out a few sentences from each letter. Sometimes she would ask about the time when the letter was written, and sometimes she would ask about the background, causes and consequences of the writing of the letter.

then.

She began asking questions about material that Alexander had not mentioned, about things related to the Impressionist men and women.

She never judges right or wrong, nor does she give encouragement or criticism.

Only after Gu Weijing gave his answer did Anna calmly give her own answer, and then handed over the power of judgment to the audience in the opera house.

Miss Elena didn't even just ask Gu Weijing questions. Occasionally, she would also ask Alexander.

……

“The woman I cherished so much was waiting for death, and finally, death came.” Anna read softly: “At that moment, I was very surprised, because I found myself instinctively pursuing the change of color.”

"——This is a very simple question. This letter was written in 1878. To be more precise, the background is the day Camille died in 1878. The answer is at the bottom of the puzzle."

Before Miss Elena finished speaking, Alexander spoke impatiently.

He became impatient.

In this simple game of question and answer, he was in a very disadvantageous position.

It doesn't mean that Gu Weijing defeated Alexander in this process, presenting a one-sided situation.

Alexander may not have had cunning intentions, but he was not stupid. In order to closely link his name with the story behind "The Old Church in the Thunderstorm" and to cope with the interview with "Oil Painting" magazine, he made sufficient preparations in advance, sorting out the materials in his hands over and over again, intending to piece together the content that best suited his ideas.

He also put his heart into it.

His performance was no worse than Gu Weijing's.

This is exactly where the problem arises.

His performance was not obviously better than Gu Weijing.

Miss Elena is a very difficult person to deal with, and she is very ruthless in her interviews.

It was like a TV quiz contest, with the ultimate prize being the right to be named as Carol's true identity.

Sometimes, when it comes to Monet, Camille, and the entire Impressionist movement, her questions are very tricky.

They don’t get every answer right, nor do they know the correct answer to every question.

Alexander knew.

Gu Weijing doesn't need to get 100 points. He just needs to beat himself. No, he doesn't even need to beat himself. At his age, he only needs to get 60 points.

Gu Weijing was only eighteen years old.

This is a disadvantage.

The audience will naturally feel that their opinions are more authoritative than those of an eighteen-year-old young man, and that what Alexander says is naturally more convincing than what Gu Weijing says.

But as the questions and answers progressed——

The audience will gradually understand that this eighteen-year-old young man has really studied the relevant materials of Impressionism seriously.

As he puts it, he has studied the lives of nineteenth-century male and female artists with respect.

The audience will realize that Gu Weijing, the first discoverer of oil painting, had seriously studied Camille's life, the marriage relationship between Monet and Camille, and had really faced the choice of Carla or Camille.

Alexander realized that this was not a good thing.

and so.

On the one hand, he hoped that this stage would pass quickly.

On the other hand, Alexander seized every opportunity, like a peacock spreading its tail, showing himself in front of Miss Elena and in front of all the audience.

"Your wife who has been with you for ten years is about to die. The reason for her death is that she got pelvic cancer due to poisoning when she gave birth to your child. She died in pain, what did Monet do? He drew a picture next to her, and then wrote to his friend, telling him, wow, I understand the true meaning of color change. Throughout the ten-year marriage of the two, Monet always regarded Camille as his tool and his obedience. This cruelty in his character and the hypocrisy of his feelings are vividly expressed in this letter."

"very good."

Miss Elena listened patiently, nodded, and commented: "It seems that I don't need to ask any more questions."

"Both guests have expressed their own opinions. Then, I will end with one last very simple question. I think you should all be able to answer it. For professional researchers, this is a very simple question."

"When I was studying art history, I found that there were many love stories in Impressionism, but only a few of them were happy and harmonious. Sometimes, I have to admit that Monet, at least from the outside, makes people feel like a cruel husband."

Anna spoke as if she believed in Alexander's point of view.

"I am deeply impressed by one thing. In a letter to Zola, Monet compared Camille to Paris. He equated his love for Camille with his love for Paris. He said, "I love you, dirty capital! Prostitutes and robbers, they often bring me all kinds of happiness that ignorant vulgar people don't know..." - This is one of the clearest written records of Monet's explanation of the relationship between him and Camille. "

"Although it's a bit hidden, I believe that any scholar who has seriously studied Camille, Monet and Impressionism should have a deep impression of this letter and must have his own opinions. What do you think of this letter... Is the content of this letter a symbol of the duality of their relationship? Is it a metaphor for the two paintings he later painted for his sick wife, "Woman with a Parasol" and "Camille on the Dying"..."

Miss Elena looked at the two guests.

"This is an open question. It can be understood as a mockery of Camille, or it can be understood as a kind of love mixed with melancholy. Everyone must have their own opinions. What do you think?"

"Mr. Gu?"

Miss Elena stared at Gu Weijing.

Gu Weijing was stunned.

"Ok?"

The host made a nasal sound that sounded like urging, "This is a very simple question. I don't think it requires too much thinking time."

"I……"

Gu Weijing hesitated for a moment.

"Answer me. Everyone's time is precious." The woman said impatiently, "What do you think? Just give a simple analysis."

"I—I don't know."

said the young man.

"Don't know? That's your answer." Miss Elena said playfully, "Why?"

"...I didn't pay attention to this material." Gu Weijing hesitated and said, "I don't know the background of its creation... You mentioned robbers and prostitutes... I, I think..."

"You don't know about this letter? But you said that you have carefully read all the letters related to Monet. This letter should be recorded in Vimes's Monet Documents and the document archives in the Marmottan Monet Museum."

The hostess seemed to not want to listen anymore. The incredible look on her face seemed to say -

That's it?

You just made a big promise not long ago, but you were exposed on such a simple issue.

"I'm sorry, but I—"

Anna was too lazy to listen.

She looked at Alexander expectantly.

"Mr. Alexander, what do you think?"

"Yes."

The Dane thought for a moment and spoke slowly, "This is very important testimony. You said it very well, Miss Irene... I think this letter is a rare expression of Monet's true feelings... Robbers and prostitutes... Would you compare the people you truly love to robbers and prostitutes? Think about it, would you call your teacher, your elders, your sisters like this? Monet used such words for Camille... I feel very angry every time I read it..."

Miss Elena listened patiently to the Dane's point of view.

She seemed interested, not satisfied.

"Very profound insights." She encouraged: "Prostitutes, lunatics, criminals, Duras used these three types of people as metaphors for bought love, voluntary madness and sinful death. When you were studying this letter, did you feel the existence of this similarity like I did..."

"Of course, of course..."

"We all know that Monet and Zola were friends, and his true feelings are revealed..."

Miss Elena told Gu Weijing impatiently that everyone's time was precious, but the female host and Alexander discussed the research related to the letter for a full five minutes.

The scene was extremely lively at the beginning.

But gradually, from a certain point on, Miss Elena slowly stopped talking.

The excitement and joy all disappeared from her face, as if it were an illusion.

She looked at Alexander in silence.

Not a word.

"...Miss Elena, you said it very well. The strong smell of absinthe is floating in the air... It is appropriate to use absinthe to describe the relationship between my wife and Monet. We all know that absinthe is essentially a hallucinogenic drug for the poor in 19th century Paris."

Alexander licked his lips.

"So, I understand that you liked this letter very much when you were studying it before?" Anna asked.

"Of course. I feel exactly the same as you do," Alexander said.

He noticed Anna's gaze, and suddenly became a little unsure, and asked slowly: "You must think so too?"

"I."

Anna paused.

"I don't know," she said, "because I just made up this letter. I started out saying, it's a very simple question."

(End of this chapter)