Almighty painter

Chapter 974 The Person Being Criticized

“There are professional judges and non-professional judges. For example, a scholar with a background in painting-related disciplines is a professional judge when interviewing applicants in that field. When interviewing applicants in the field of photography, he might be considered a semi-professional judge. In the field of music or pure literature, he is an amateur judge. He plays different roles in three different situations.”

“Many modern artists have spanned different fields in their lives, such as John Lennon. If you read the details of the art project, you will understand that the difference from previous art projects is that the Master Project was established with the intention of providing a multi-faceted and composite perspective. The masters are not just performing for people in their own disciplines.”

The agent tilted her head and swept her short hair to one side of her forehead.

Then she said with a smile.

"Of course, that's a high-sounding way of putting it. From my personal perspective, I told Willie... dealing with all sorts of different people is just part of the job. A banker might not know anything about music, but he might be willing to shell out $2000 million to sponsor the renovation of Lincoln Center or to name a family arts center or something. So, that's how it is—if you want to get something, you probably have to put up with other people's criticism."

The agent patted Gu Weijing on the back in a way that was affectionate but didn't cross social boundaries.

"Mr. Gu."

She turned and called out, "Could you teach Willie how to deal with the art director of 'Painting' magazine? After all, you have experience, and you were really great."

Gu Weijing smiled.

He didn't know how to deal with Sarah. He could tell that she wasn't really asking for his secret, but was just flattering him casually.

"This is not okay."

then.

Gu Weijing politely replied casually, "That's a trade secret; we're competitors, after all. Unless... Mr. Willie would be willing to give me some pointers on playing the violin. Oh, was he just playing Sibelius? I heard—"

"Music is different. Playing the violin isn't just about pleasing the judges to win an award."

Williams, who had been staring blankly out the window, suddenly spoke.

His voice is a little loud.

Many people in the hall heard his voice, and the agent and Gu Weijing, who were talking, all stopped talking for a moment.

The conversation suddenly cooled down.

I believe that.

Gu Weijing turned to look at Williams and said calmly, "Just as I believe in fine arts, I think the violin piece you played in the hall was definitely not to please the judges."

The female agent looked a little embarrassed and tried to say something to Gu Weijing.

Williams had already turned around and strode back to his classmates at the music academy. His agent gave Gu Weijing an apologetic smile, then followed him, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered something to him.

"I've said it so many times... I don't like this. Go talk about it if you want. Did I ever give him permission to call me Willie?!"

A faint murmur of argument could be heard from among the music academy students.

Gu Weijing stood still, waiting for Viktor to come out of the room.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered something like this in his life. There were many kind classmates at school, as well as outgoing people like Viktor.

But while some people like him, others don't.

He's not an angel.

When there is a zero-sum game of competition, it is natural for others to show hostility towards him. This may not be a magnanimous act, but it is also a very natural thing.

Williams simply didn't like him.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Coincidentally.

After getting to know him, Gu Weijing didn't really like him either.

In the past, Gu Weijing would usually just ignore the other party when faced with such situations.

Those who are clean will be clean by themselves.

The turbid remain turbid.

Now, Mr. Williams was making sarcastic remarks about himself, and Gu Weijing immediately shut him up.

He spoke in a calm tone, saying something very frank, yet it had an excellent effect of sarcastic mockery.

This is a new skill that Gu Weijing learned from Miss Elena.

……

Fifteen minutes later.

Viktor wandered out of the room with lifeless eyes. When he went in, he looked like Spartacus; when he came out... he looked like Spartacus nailed to the cross.

Is it really that scary?

Gu Weijing asked.

"Quite terrifying."

Viktor sniffed. He wasn't very tall, and his build was even a little petite. His eyes were slightly red, making him look somewhat like a pear blossom in the rain.

"The art director of 'Oil Painting' is in there."

"Then I understand."

Gu Weijing nodded.

"No, brother, you don't understand. If the evil level of a final exam suddenly includes content beyond the syllabus, that's 5. Mr. Kozens' evil level is 10."

"That old lady..."

“It’s 100.” Victor covered his nose. “I’d rather take twenty of Kozens’ classes in a row during Christmas than do it again. Kozens is like a docile kitten in front of her.”

Gu Weijing recalled the awkward scene in the art studio that day.

He sympathetically handed Viktor a tissue.

"I felt I had no other choice, so after graduation I interned at the magazine 'Oil Painting'."

Viktor recounted his experience during the interview, where he was subjected to a harsh trial by the judges, with every aspect of his resume being scrutinized and even criticized.

These judges were full of complaints, nitpicking over the smallest details.

They examined Viktor's school transcripts and looked at his portfolio. As for the former, they wondered if Viktor's focus was too scattered, while the problem lay in the latter.

The judges felt that Viktor's portfolio... lacked a clear theme.

Lack of key artistic thinking.

During the entire interview, Sarah only spoke once, when she asked the interviewer to name her watercolor portfolio.

Victor thought for a moment and then answered, "Watercolor."

"What do you mean? You named your watercolor portfolio 'Watercolor'?"

Gu Weijing pondered this answer.

It sounds a bit unoriginal.

Naming a collection of watercolor works "watercolor" is like naming an object "thing".

Viktor regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. The judges criticized his portfolio for being too broad and lacking a clear theme, and this... was probably one of the broadest names in the world.

Viktor explained to Gu Weijing that his mind went blank because of nervousness.

He actually had a very complicated set of considerations.

He stammered as he explained to the judges that he chose the name much like the magazine "Oil Painting" is to oil painting; in his mind, the former is a distillation and refinement of the latter's spirit. The entire collection is called "Watercolor," and he hoped that the whole collection would convey a hazy imagery and atmosphere related to watercolor.

Sarah's reaction to his unconventional answer can be seen from her pale face.

"Sarah said last."

“She thinks I misunderstand art, and I misunderstand the magazine ‘Painting’,” Victor groaned.

“I saw that she wrote a ‘U’ on my resume.”

U is an abbreviation of the German word Ungenugend, meaning not meeting the standard.

In Germany, classroom grades are typically between 1 and 6, contrary to popular belief that lower grades are better.

1 point is S.

Excellent, superb, far exceeding requirements.

U is 6 points, meaning failing.

“Maybe she just likes to give everyone low scores?” Gu Weijing comforted her. “Besides, she’s just one of the judges. Giving everyone low scores or giving everyone full marks makes no difference. Scoring is just a supplement; the most important thing is the judges’ overall impression.”

The interviews were conducted in two separate rooms.

Saturday is for individual interviews, where a general impression score is given, while Sunday is for a group discussion among the judges.

Because the judges scoring in the two interview rooms are completely different, the score may not be the decisive factor.

For example, if there are five sponsorship slots, A and B each select the top five scorers from yesterday and eliminate the rest.

Then scoring becomes meaningless.

Everyone will gather their resumes together and discuss to select five more spots.

The scores are only for the judges to use as a preliminary reference.

"Is there anything worse than failing?" Victor asked sadly.

……

The interview time varies from person to person.

The shortest interview, from entering to leaving, took less than ten minutes, while the longest was Williams, who stayed in the interview room for nearly an hour.

The entire interview seemed to turn into a private concert, with piano music coming from the room every now and then.

but.

I don't know if this counts as good news.

Williams didn't seem to have won Sarah's approval either. Gu Weijing thought that as a non-professional judge, Sarah would just stay silent or applaud and say a few words like "Well played," "Wonderful," or "Excellent."

Obviously.

When Gu Weijing sat in the interview room and faced Sarah's questioning, he realized that the old lady's understanding was completely different from what Gu Weijing had thought.

……

After entering on the 11th.

Next up is Gu Weijing, number 12. They all stared at the two doors on the left and right.

Viktor sensed something was wrong.

Number 11 went through the left-hand door, while Sarah was in the right-hand interview room. Victor suggested that Gu Weijing go outside for a walk and wait until the interview in the right-hand room was finished before calling the next person. He then told the staff that Gu Weijing wasn't feeling well and had gone to the restroom.

Let others go first.

Gu Weijing said no.

Perhaps it was luck, but Number 11 only stayed inside for less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before coming out. Victor let out a small sigh of relief and congratulated Gu Weijing.

Gu Weijing stood up and walked towards the interview room. He wasn't afraid of Sarah, nor was he interested in deliberately making things difficult for himself.

It's better if we can't meet.

He calmly walked in and closed the door.

Then, a minute or two later, the door on the right opened, but it wasn't the student who had just gone for the interview who came out. Viktor watched in horror as a terrifying old woman with white hair turned out of the door, calmly opened the door to the next room, and went inside.

WTF?

Bro, how come you can still bring an auto-luring monster?
"Good afternoon, Mr. Gu, it's nice to see you again."

Sarah went into the room.

The judge who had just asked Gu Weijing to wait a moment to make a phone call immediately stood up, wanting to offer his seat to the other person.

Sarah waved her hand.

"Thank you, no need."

"Young man, could you do me a favor? Could you move that chair in the corner for me?"

Gu Weijing walked over, dragged an IKEA chair over, and placed it next to the long table.

"Thank you."

Sarah nodded, and the old lady sat down. "I hope seeing me on this occasion hasn't surprised you too much. If you've looked closely at your acceptance letter, you'll know that the Muse Project Foundation, affiliated with the magazine 'Painting,' is one of the most important sponsors of this year's Master Artists Program."

"I thought magazines only provided funding for established artists?"

"No, Sir Brown, in order to make a show of support, has provided millions of dollars in sponsorship to similar student programs over the past two years."

The old lady smiled.

"This is a lot of money."

"I hope this large sum of money didn't cause my friend Victor to be deliberately given a low score," Gu Weijing said earnestly, staring at the old woman's face.

The interview judges present looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were absolutely stunned.

Many people know Gu Weijing; Williams and Gu Weijing are the two most famous students in this art program.

Most of them had read the interview between the magazine "Oil Painting" and Gu Weijing, and thought that Sarah had come all the way here to take care of Gu Weijing.

But what's with this tense and hostile conversation between the two of them?

The other judges didn't quite understand what was going on.

"That student who wants to intern at Oil Painting magazine?" Sarah shook her head noncommittally. "Mr. Gu, given your status, if you wanted him to intern at Oil Painting magazine, there are clearly better ways, aren't there? For example... making a phone call."

“I am who I am, and everyone has their own personal space. I never offer any opinions on the magazine's operations. Moreover, Viktor has very clear personal plans and his own goals. He has never asked me to do anything for him.”

"Moreover, these are two different things."

"Whether or not to make a phone call, and whether or not Victor was treated unfairly because he is my friend, are two separate things that do not affect each other."

"What if that's the case?"

Sarah asked.

“I will be very angry,” Gu Weijing said.

The old lady smiled.

“I don’t think it’s that funny.”

"No, it's not funny. But I'm an art critic, and I have the right to dislike your work or his work, the right to dislike you or her. Just like you have the right to feel angry."

"I laughed, but the tone sounded familiar. That day... Miss Elena wanted to say the same thing to me. If someone's work was treated unfairly because of me."

"She will be very angry."

(End of this chapter)