Almighty painter

Chapter 933 Cao Xuan and his new apprentice
"So - within a few days on the island, you have already decided on the first work for your solo exhibition?"

The old man sat on the sofa, looking at the pages of the book in his hand, and asked with a smile.

Yang Dekang stood by the window, peeling an apple with a paring knife in front of the waste paper.

Gu Weijing still found it inconvenient to get out of bed.

When there was a visitor, the nurse set the upper part of his bed to a tilted position. He leaned on the pillow with his upper body sideways to answer Cao Xuan's questions.

"Yes."

The young man said.

Gu Weijing certainly knew that Cao Xuan had come to Singapore.

He had met Cao Xuan during an interview at the opera house. At that time, one was on the stage and the other was off the stage. If the Griffin case had not been so sensational, the reason why Cao Xuan came to Singapore to see the exhibition would have been the focus of the art media in recent days.

This was his first face-to-face private conversation with the old man since the international project ended at the beginning of the year.

Cao Xuan came to visit Gu Weijing early this morning, and his mood was very calm.

She didn't mention much about what happened on the boat, nor did she ask him about his well-being. Instead, she talked to him with great interest about the idea for the art exhibition that came to her when Gu Weijing was on the island.

"In his early years, his clear poems exuded the fragrance of Ban and Song. In his middle age, his noble spirit flowed into the tide of Suzhou, Hai and Han."

The old man thought about it.

He commented: "The scenery locks the emotions, and the myriad brilliant images are all compressed into a drop of water under a banana leaf. He is less than 20 years old, but his works are filled with a gorgeous yet cold style."

"Rare."

Cao Xuan closed the "Oil Painting" magazine in his hand. Although he was old, his back was hardly hunched. He did not lean against the back of the sofa and sat very straight.

Unlike Miss Elena, who needed to stare at the lines between Gu Weijing's fingers and study them bit by bit, Cao Xuan seemed to have completely imagined what kind of work Gu Weijing wanted to paint after just listening to the young man's description.

"Do you feel bad?"

Gu Weijing asked.

"Your art exhibition and your works, what you think is good is more important than what I think is good." The old man said calmly, "I don't think it's bad either. It's quiet but not stale or decadent. As long as it's lively enough, it's a good work. On the contrary, I think the fact that you can paint on the beach is great in itself."

“The art of living is to live an artistic life.”

“The essence of painting lies in self-expression. It is not just a painting, but also a spirit, character, and attitude towards life.”

Cao Xuan was very talkative today.

After all, he is an old gentleman who has the energy to speak for an entire class at the podium.

“The theme of time is a little big, but it is not a big enough theme for my first art exhibition. Condensing thousands of moments into one day is a good way to please people.”

“The selection is good enough.”

"I had a chat with your grandfather before. I heard that your family's ancestral home is in Jiangnan, and can be traced back to Gu Kaizhi?" Cao Xuan asked casually.

"I don't know if it's true or not. It happened so long ago. Maybe it doesn't matter."

Gu Weijing said very frankly.

"It is said that there was a painter named Gu Junzhi in the Southern Dynasties. He would only paint when the weather was fine. If the weather was gloomy and it suddenly rained, he would not paint." Cao Xuan said casually, "Later, when Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Records of Famous Paintings of All Ages", he highly praised this and believed that this was the style of a great man and the character of a true scholar-official. But now it is no longer the case. Anyone can paint. He said - today's painters, their brushes and ink are mixed with dust, and their colors and blues are mixed with mud, which only stains the silk. How can it be called painting?"

"When Zhang Yanyuan finally summarized the six principles of painting, he put forward a very general statement -"

Cao Xuan pondered for a moment.

It seems like he is recalling the past seriously.

"Since ancient times, those who are good at painting are all nobles, hermits and sages. Only in this way can their works become famous for a time and be passed down for thousands of years. This shows that painting is not something that the lowly people in the common people can do." Old Yang, who was peeling fruit, immediately interjected.

The old man pursed his lips.

"Yeah, it's really boring to summarize it this way." Cao Xuan shook his head.

"It is said that in the early years, some literati rated different painters when commenting on the pros and cons of the brushstrokes of various painters. According to some evaluation methods, Gu Junzhi could be rated as the first in the second rank, while Gu Kaizhi could only get the third rank. There is a gap between the two Gus."

The old man continued.

Gu Weijing listened quietly.

"I am not here to rank Gu Kaizhi and Gu Junzhi, which is actually a very, very boring thing to do. And as far as I know, all of Gu Junzhi's works should have been lost."

"Gu Kaizhi's greatness needs no further explanation. Gu Junzhi is said to be one of the founders of plant, flower and bird paintings. They must be excellent painters. But what I want to say is that if we look at the works of famous historical figures and conclude that they are good at painting because they are masters, then that is ridiculous."

Cao Xuan smiled.

"I believe that both painters are foolish. They have made painting a part of life. Painting is about the ink being mixed with dust, and the color being mixed with mud. Because life is full of dust and mud, as long as you are willing, you can feel the joy of art on a desert island or on the sand. And everyone, anyone, has the right to feel the joy of art."

"I think you're pretty good too, you're crazy about artworks."

Cao Xuan gave his affirmation seriously.

“This painting.”

The old man patted the magazine in his hand. "The painting you mentioned, and the two paintings in the exhibition hall, all illustrate this point."

“I hope you can continue to maintain this love for art.”

Mr. Cao said slowly.

"This is the first lesson I'm going to teach you."

Gu Weijing stopped talking.

Old Yang's fingers paused.

"Brother Gu, would you like to have an apple? It will help you to get more nutrition." He held the big apple in his hand and raised it like a treasure.

Gu Weijing smiled and shook his head slightly.

pity.

Brother Yang, you are first-rate at peeling apples!

"I...I have something to say..."

The young man was silent for a long time before he spoke again: "I have something that I have been struggling with."

"speak."

Cao Xuan nodded.

"Tanaka Masakazu... Old man, do you still remember him?"

Gu Weijing asked.

"Ha, the past is all in the past."

Old Yang suddenly waved his hands.

“Crack!”

Yang Dekang took a big bite of the fruit, his face full of disappointment.

This kid, this kid...Brother Gu is just not smart!
Your brother Yang is so good at peeling apples, it's such a pity that you are hesitant and don't eat it.

Mr. Cao laid out such a good line, but you were hesitant to follow it and insisted on mentioning that guy who ruined the mood. It's such a pity.

This is a typical case of not being able to read the air.

What the hell is Tanaka Masakazu!

In such a serious occasion, the old man expressed himself so kindly. Did he ask you to bring up the matter of Tanaka Masakazu?
To hell with Tanaka Masakazu and all that.

As for the clever Old Yang, as soon as Mr. Cao said "this is the first lesson for you", Yang Dekang fell to the ground in a cool voice, and the first thing he said was - I have been wandering for half my life, and I have never met a wise master, righteousness... uh, no, I'm wrong, and the first thing he said was "Master, please accept my disciple's greetings."

Why call him old man? Call him teacher or master!

What the hell is Tanaka Masakazu!

Old Yang was worried about the young man. If he spoke with such low EQ, he would suffer in the future. "Go on."

The old man suddenly spoke.

"Finish what you want to say."

Cao Xuan looked at Lao Yang seriously, as if he was looking at a Chihuahua happily rolling in the mud and trying to make peace with it.

Gulu.

The apple suddenly got stuck in Lao Yang's throat, and he immediately started coughing softly.

"I remember Tanaka Masakazu."

Cao Lao turned to look at Gu Weijing: "On the first day of the mural restoration project, the young man who fought with you."

"Yes."

Gu Weijing was looked at by the old man with eyes that were clear and straightforward like a baby's, as if he was seen through.

He lowered his head a little uneasily.

"I'm sorry I lied that day. I deceived you the moment I opened my mouth—he—"

"He didn't actually scold me, did he?"

Cao Xuan interjected.

Gu Weijing nodded.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It turns out that Mr. Cao had seen this point very early on.

Old Yang shrugged helplessly.

Not only Cao, but Yang Dekang had also seen this a long time ago. He was trying to smooth things over in front of Old Yang, but he didn't even consider how powerful the Horse King was. That's why he just jumped out and tried to smooth things over.

Yang Dekang was really worried about Gu Weijing.

Some things are over and done with. Mr. Cao doesn't mean to hold a grudge against you for some minor offenses.

Why do we have to bring up old things in such a happy occasion?
"sorry."

Gu Weijing said.

"I actually did a lot of wrong things that day. The first thing I said to you when I saw you was a lie."

"Tanaka Masakazu didn't insult you. He insulted my grandfather."

said the young man.

"I see, this is indeed a wrong thing to do. Then why did you lie?"

Cao Xuan did not touch Gu Weijing's head and forget about the matter like a kind old man doting on his disobedient child. He also did not say anything like "the person who was scolding was your grandfather and it was too much."

The old man asked.

"Subconsciously." Gu Weijing said.

"Because you feel insecure inside, because you are afraid." Cao Xuan said: "You don't trust this world. You think I don't care that your grandfather was insulted, and I only care about myself. Because you don't believe that you will be treated properly."

"You're afraid."

Cao Xuan said: "So you chose to protect yourself, so you chose to lie."

Gu Weijing remained silent.

"Why do you want to apologize today? You have obviously got what you wanted, haven't you?" Cao Xuan asked again.

"I feel guilty. After everything I've been through, I don't think I made the right choice. I want to seek forgiveness."

Gu Weijing said.

Cao Xuan nodded.

"very good."

The old man laughed.

"I'm actually very happy that you took the initiative to mention this to me. This is good, really good. People who can face themselves are braver than those who avoid themselves."

"But I don't forgive you."

Mr. Cao shook his head again.

"You have to forgive yourself."

Cao Xuan stared at Gu Weijing.

"I want you to always remember how you felt at that moment. I want you to always remember the guilt you felt when you found out you had done something wrong. I want you to always remember the fear and hesitation you felt when you saw me and wanted to speak to me on the first day we met."

"Because one day—"

“Someone will come up to you and anxiously ask for your help. By then, you may have become a great painter, the host of an international art project, or you may be at your own grand art exhibition. You can’t think that he is wasting the precious time of Gu Weijing, a great artist, so you kick him away like trash.”

"You can't think that you are my disciple, Cao Xuan. If you can sell a painting for one million, ten million, or even one hundred million, you will become a different person."

"You should at least be patient. You should at least understand that the person in front of you is your former self. Because you have made mistakes, and you are just as fearful as he is."

Cao Xuan said.

"That's when you'll truly forgive yourself. That's the meaning of being a teacher. A teacher should make a person a better person, not the other way around."

“That’s what art is about.”

“If you lose patience with the world itself, and with things that seem to be covered with ‘dust’ and ‘mud’, then I don’t believe that he is a foolish person, and I don’t believe that his works themselves have any meaning.”

"Today's painters mix their brushes and ink with dust, and their colors and blues with mud, which only stains the silk. How can this be called painting?"

Cao Xuan raised his eyes childishly.

“That’s painting, of course.”

"It seems that the effect of our first class is much better than I had imagined before. I am very pleased."

Gu Weijing stared at the old man in a daze.

"Old man."

"Call me teacher." Cao Xuan said gently.

"Teacher, thank you."

Mr. Cao smiled.

"Theoretically, I should give you a gift. When Tangning won the gold medal, she liked cars, so I gave her a car. Is there anything special you want?"

The apple in Lao Yang's mouth suddenly lost its fragrance.

Is the old man so straightforward?
This kind of opportunity to make a wish is not always available.

This is a wish that Cao Lao clearly expressed to fulfill Gu Weijing. If Yang Dekang used the comic method to express it, bubbles would start to pop out of his head.

Those bubbles are filled with big sailboats, big sports cars, big villas...

of course.

At this time, saying that he wanted to completely inherit Cao Xuan's legacy, or that his wish was to have Cao Xuan fulfill a hundred of his wishes, would definitely be an extremely stupid and low EQ behavior.

The most appropriate request would definitely be a painting by Mr. Cao.

A fine work of Cao Xuan's is equivalent to a large sailboat, a sports car, and a large villa.

Old Yang is so greedy.

(End of this chapter)