Almighty painter

Chapter 856 It doesn’t matter, Anna will take action (Part )
Anna looked at Gu Weijing without saying a word.

There is a long ladder... The Tower of Babel that leads to the sky in the epic was never actually built, but in the world of classical European art, in the hundreds of years of art history, that tower has always been there.

always there.

A long ladder connects the tall tower, which in turn reaches into the clouds.

As for where the cloud is, it depends on the era. On the night when Henry IV stood in the snow, it was in Rome, in the Papal States. When Henry IV returned with his German cavalry, it was still in Rome, but on his sword. Later, when Henry IV fled to Liège and Pope Gregory VII died in Salerno, for a brief moment, maybe the inhabitants of the top became the Normans in Sicily?
Who can say for sure.

In this way, the end of this long rope ladder sometimes connects to Rome, sometimes leads to Paris, and sometimes the end of the tower is the Vatican Palace opposite St. Peter's Square.

Sometimes it’s Schönbrunn Palace, Versailles Palace or Sanssouci Palace.

The residents of the top and second-highest floors are constantly changing with the changes in the situation on the European continent.

The names that follow closely behind are relatively stable.

The Medici, the Valois, the Sforza, the Borgia, the Doria of Genoa, the Bavarian and Wittelsbach of Munich... and, of course, the Irene family of Gleize.

Among these famous names, to be modest, the Elena family should actually be ranked in the lower middle position.

They came onto the stage of history relatively late. Unlike the Medici or Valois, they did not become sponsors of Leonardo da Vinci, nor did they have the opportunity to promote Titian. They also did not have the opportunity, like the Borgia, to climb to the top of the tower as a Spaniard rather than an Italian, to sit on the throne of Rome after Innocent, to wear the triple crown symbolizing great wealth, responsibility and authority, and to have the top of the ladder tied to their fingertips.

But they are always there, at the place where the clouds meet the sky, leisurely fiddling with the long rope, watching those on the lower level climb up and those on the upper level fall down.

One stay is six hundred years.

Further down, the residents in the sky are lords and nobles from all over the place. They choose their seats from high to low according to the level of their titles, the closeness of their relationship with the royal family, and the size of their positions in the palace. By the way, priests of all sizes also live in these layers.

Then it started with the rich, big and small businessmen, from North American rubber plantation owners to Florence real estate developers... and all the middle-class citizens who could afford to invite themselves to paint.

Further back.

Ordinary citizens stand together in the mud of the mortal world.

They looked at the tall tower and the rope ladder hanging outside it.

For a few hundred years, the entire history of European art, or even the entire history of European literature and art, seemed like a game of climbing a tower by grabbing a long rope.

Those who can find sponsors are more awesome than those who can’t.

It is more impressive to find a high-level sponsor than a low-level sponsor.

Someone who could paint a portrait of a baroness somewhere was definitely more impressive than someone who painted a portrait of a businessman who ran a small dye workshop. But all of them combined were far less impressive than Leonardo da Vinci or Titian, who could paint angels for the Church.

This is a long ladder of mutual contempt, with people stepping on those below and looking at those above.

and so.

The most classic story template in the entire history of European literature and art was born - "Go, go, go, don't be afraid, climb up the ladder and into the lady's window!" Julien shouted heartbreakingly.

The most awesome, the most successful, the one who makes your peers want to embroider your name on their socks and step on you every day to express their envy, jealousy and hatred of you, can definitely transform yourself.

Be your own resident and your own buyer.

Changing social class through marriage and love sounds a bit soft and low.

However, in "The Red and the Black", Julien's behavior of jumping through the window several times and achieving class transition by hooking up with the mayor's wife and Miss Mathilde seems to be a humorous metaphor for the entire hierarchical society.

There is a risk of the rope breaking and a risk of losing the hold.

In this rope climbing game, only those who actually jump into the window can solve the problem once and for all.

Madame de Warens and Rousseau, Francisco Goya and the Duchess of Alba, the famous Voltaire and the Marquise de Chatelet, and of course the ballet dancer from Tsarist Russia, who was born the daughter of a serf in a stable and was betrothed to someone else by her father at the age of sixteen. However, she was noticed by the lord the night before her wedding, and thanks to Swan Lake, she eventually became a marquise... These stories may of course contain courage, true love, and efforts to break the secular rules.

It may also involve pain and choices.

Maybe, maybe... there are some unknown little thoughts, and maybe behind the happiness, there is also the cruelty of art history... maybe the dark side of cruelty.

Who can explain it clearly?
How many people have truly found happiness?
But undoubtedly, all of these have become the most classic pages in art history.

It has become a narrative logic template that has lasted for a long time in the history of art. In the ball salons of Paris, there are many cool young artists who want to hook up with aristocratic ladies, wearing tailor-made suits and dressing themselves up.

In this regard, the great writer Balzac always remained honest with himself and was very clear-headed.

Throughout your life.

He has always regarded being with a rich woman as one of the most important goals in life.

Keep real, Man!
Keep real!
Don't feel tacky.

We need to eat! Eating is a very realistic thing.

In Europe, artists who truly “served themselves” did not appear until the 19th century or the second half of the 18th century. Before that, most people could only make a living by painting for others.

Even a boastful person like Leonardo da Vinci had to make money by drawing portraits for others.

It's a buyer's market.

The painter is Party B, a pendant climbing on the rope ladder. As Party B, as the person holding on to the rope, the closer he is to the torrent of wealth, the easier it is to make money.

Starting from this point, let’s talk about it from a more critical perspective.

The history of early oil painting art... maybe it was a game of climbing a tower... a game of wealth, or...

It's a power game.

People in the towers sat by the windows gazing at the sea of ​​clouds, while white-haired painters waved their brushes, painting their walls according to their wishes.

Today on the stage of Oil Painting magazine, he said to her:

Carol is Carol.

She's just Carol.

It doesn’t matter whether you will take action or not, and it doesn’t matter what you think.

Whether you, Alexander, Irena's family, or anyone else, want to put "The Old Church in the Thunderstorm" on the top of a high tower or throw it in the mud, it will be equally unfair to her.

Someone tried to climb into the tower through the window.

Some people also wanted to throw the painting out of the tower.
-
"We can easily find a hundred or a thousand similar stories about wealthy female patrons and their favorite, talented artists in history. It runs through every period of the history of oil painting art, some come together, some don't, some simply have similar aesthetics, some are confused lovers, or some are platonic love. There are all kinds of them, all kinds of them, Liszt and Princess Wittgenstein, Mozart and the beautiful princess from Austria... The relationship between Anna Elena and Gu Weijing seems to be a repetitive narration of those standard routine templates. You know the ending after seeing the beginning -"

"They seem to be different from everyone else. It's like a retelling of an old story, but also a new one."

——The Power of Art·Fifteenth Edition·Volume 51——Gu Weijing and Anna Irena: Follow Your Heart to the End, page
-
“That’s very well said.”

It was Dr. Gustav who first spoke to break the silence between the two.

The doctor waved his hands lightly, taking the lead in expressing his approval of Gu Weijing.

"This is just a discussion. Beyond the discussion, there is still a lot of research work to be done. Perhaps we can continue to discover many surprising new materials, just like what the Oil Painting magazine did..." Gu Weijing nodded slightly.

Yes.

He felt a sense of relief. His words might not impress Alexander, or even Elena's family.

But in the end.

He still impressed some people who were willing to listen to him, such as Dr.

That’s what communication is all about.

“Yeah, not everyone is academically uneducated.”

It wasn't just Gustave.

Rosings seemed to be touched as well. He seemed to be encouraging Gu Weijing, but his eyes were looking at Alexander——

"Some things really have nothing to do with age."

He uttered another loud and sarcastic sneer, his expression clearly saying.

See?
Uncle, there is a reason why I am willing to apologize to Gu Weijing but ignore you.

Gu Weijing may not be a liar, he is a sincere person.

But you - you are what I call a third-rate scholar who is just seeking to attract attention and lacks academic qualities. I am talking about you.

Rosings had his "nine heads" chopped off directly. With the nourishment of Gu Weijing's words, it seemed as if new snake heads began to grow out from the broken ends with fangs and claws, reviving his true nature as a big sprayer.

"Anyone can say nice things—"

suddenly.

Alexander, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

"Why don't you take some real action, Mr. Gu?" His voice was soft, but there was a kind of resentment brewing in his tone.

"Yes."

Alexander suddenly said.

He slowly raised his head and spoke in a slow and gentle voice, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

"I just made a small mistake, and I would like to express my deepest apologies. I know it sounds a bit like I am making excuses for myself, and yes, I made a mistake. But... I hope everyone can understand."

Alexander glanced around at the audience seats.

"Sometimes, wanting to fight against evil can make people too impatient."

"Ms. Elena said that it is a question that anyone who has seriously studied the relevant information can answer. This statement can easily be misunderstood. I am worried. I am very afraid that if I fail to answer that question, it will give everyone the impression that I am unprofessional, which will lead to misjudgment."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend Miss Elena here."

Alexander glanced at Anna and said slowly, "I'm not saying that you asked the wrong question. I didn't mean that at all. You are not wrong. I am completely wrong. I lied, but I hope everyone can understand this."

"Because what I did was not out of vanity, but out of fear. I was afraid that I would lose to the devil—"

"That's enough. That's enough. Stop being so unreasonable. I feel embarrassed for you. Please, I rarely say this. Please, save some dignity for yourself."

Seeing that Alexander was still trying to struggle.

How could Rosings tolerate this bad habit? He bit it off on the spot.

"I didn't hold it against you, but you have no shame at all. This is really clownish. I feel so embarrassed for you."

Alexander ignored Rosings' spit.

He said as if no one was around.

"The bombing of Coventry. During World War II, in order to paralyze the German army, you British people allowed German bombers to carry out a devastating bombing of Coventry for ten hours, even though you had cracked the bombing information. In order to protect the precious code book, tens of thousands of houses were destroyed in the sea of ​​fire."

"I did make a mistake just now, but it was not my intention. Even if it was a mistake, it was a Coventry bombing mistake. It doesn't matter if I lose this debate. What I am worried about is that everyone loses this debate, and it is Kamel who loses this debate."

"So, you must have a code book, too?"

Rosings continued to take bites.

"Yes, I do."

Alexander looked up.

"Evidence that proves Mr. Gu Weijing is never as honest and sincere as he appears." Alexander actually nodded.

"It was because I knew what kind of person he was that I had no choice but to lie at that moment."

Gu Weijing slowly frowned.

"It doesn't matter if I lose, but Camille can't lose, and the truth can't lose."

He said firmly.

"I hope everyone can accept my apology and forgive my mistakes. If you don't accept it and don't forgive me." Alexander grumbled painfully in his throat, "I can understand that."

"But I have already paid the price for my dishonesty! But what about him? He pretends to be sincere but is actually full of lies. Isn't he more terrible?"

"What do you mean? I don't think I lied in any way." Gu Weijing asked directly.

Alexander took a deep breath.

He continued to ignore Gu Weijing and just looked at the audience beside him.

"I actually didn't want to say this. I'm a scholar, and I didn't want to mention things that are irrelevant to our discussion today, but I still feel that it is necessary to tell the truth to all the judges and audience present here."

"These two days, after arriving in Singapore, I accidentally heard a truth——"

"——It is said that Gu Weijing's works in the exhibition are plagiarized imitations?"

Gu Weijing shook his head slowly.

"Please don't think that this matter is irrelevant to the topic we are discussing. On the contrary, I have been trying to tell you the truth today. This is the quality and accusation of a scholar. I am sorry that I lied on the last question. It is my fault. But that was the only wrong sentence I said today, for a very just purpose."

Alexander said: "I have always wanted Mr. Gu to face his true self, a person who pretends to be a sympathizer but has no sympathy in his heart. Everyone can say nice words, but the key is to see what your actions are and how you do it."

"I just want to ask one question. He keeps saying he's an artist, but he can't even be honest at an art exhibition, so how can he be honest in his essay? Can you understand my anxiety?"

(End of this chapter)