Almighty painter

Chapter 978 Anna Picks Up Her Cane (Bonus Chapter)

(Thanks again to You Luting for being the patron of the alliance; there should be more tonight.)
"The preview is next month, and the good news is that we've almost finished all the preparations..."

Midway through the New Year's Concert.

As the conductor on stage lowered his baton, applause erupted throughout the hall. Behind a curtain in one of the nineteen private boxes on the second floor of the Golden Hall, two people clapped and talked quietly.

"Another piece of good news. Look, two real big bills."

Gu Weijing took out his wallet, pulled out some banknotes and handed them over—one red banknote and one gray banknote.

"Keep it, at least we won't have to worry about baguettes anymore." He handed it to the woman next to him with a show of pride. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

Anna took the banknote from his hand, feigning surprise as she looked at it repeatedly. She blinked as she gazed at the Roman-style bridge on the back of the banknote and the large number "10".

"One note costs five euros, but this one, could it be the legendary ten-euro note?"

Miss Elena exclaimed in shock, "I've never seen such a large denomination of money before!"

“Hey, I may be proud, but your performance is a bit too exaggerated,” Gu Weijing said, turning his head to the side. “It sounds like you’re mocking me, Miss Elena.”

“No, not at all.” Anna smiled. “I’m very proud, but—this is the first time I’ve known that cows not only produce milk, but if you play the violin for them, they can also spit out euros. It seems that cow is really a treasure. When we get back, please, please demonstrate it for me again.”

Gu Weijing laughed loudly.

"Is that amazing?"

This 15 euro was the result of his practice over the past few days, setting a new record for income in violin playing and allowing them to now afford to eat Arabic flatbread like nouveau riche.

Needless to say, this wasn't just Gu Weijing's violin playing skill; it had reached a level of utmost sincerity and dedication, where the heart's desire could move even the most obdurate heart. Finally, the Dutch cow that Gu Weijing was playing had a change of heart, bellowed, rushed out of its enclosure, and returned from the street with a ten-euro note, kneeling down and begging the great artist to stop playing.

Instead, he finally met a kind person.

An uncle who manages the warehouse lives on the ranch. He listens to Gu Weijing playing the violin there every day, and occasionally his family builds a snowman together.

They met frequently, but they only nodded to each other and never spoke.

Christmas day.

Gu Weijing played his violin as usual, and the uncle fed the cows as usual. The uncle didn't leave immediately after feeding the cows; instead, he stood there attentively listening to the music for a while, glancing at the sign Gu Weijing habitually placed at his feet, then at the cows beside him. He pondered for a moment, seemingly seriously considering whether this was some strange performance art.

a long time.

He pulled his pants pockets up, hesitated for a moment, and then put a ten-euro note into his violin case.

Gu Weijing kindly said to the other party, "Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need for a gift."

The middle-aged man with olive-colored skin silently waved his hand and told Gu Weijing that he didn't celebrate Christmas, so this wasn't a Christmas gift; he just thought Gu Weijing played very well.

These words almost moved Gu Weijing to tears.

Gu Weijing asked the other party if it was true.

The uncle said, "It's true."

He had studied violin as a child, but his teacher said he had no talent and his family didn't support him, so he gave it up. As an adult, he tried to pick it up again several times, but each time he gave up halfway through for one reason or another, which he now regrets.

"It's not that Gu Weijing played so well, but that he played so earnestly."

"Although you don't play very well, I still hope you can keep going. Persistence will always pay off."

Actually.

This uncle is quite bad at speaking. If he could omit the first part of each sentence, it would sound like a compliment.

The second five euros was more like a pure surprise.

The Christmas holidays are also the holiday season. Along the Elbe River, there are many guesthouses around the ranch, including this ranch, which was previously owned by someone who worked for Airbnb.

When Gu Weijing was playing the violin the day before yesterday, a couple who had brought their child to play accidentally wandered into the ranch and listened to the music for a while.

Neither of them said a word.

But Gu Weijing had an extra five euros in his violin case.

If you don’t open for three years, you can make a living for three years after you open.

This was an unexpected surprise, or as the uncle put it, "good luck brought by perseverance."

In just two or three days, Gu Weijing's "earnings from playing the violin" reached fifteen euros.

Fifteen euros!

Gu Weijing was so happy that he wished he could make a separate frame, mount the two banknotes, and hold an exhibition so that all the "duds" from the Hamburg Art Academy could come and see them.

Who would dare to say that now?

He was driven mad by Kozens and switched to abstract art.

"really not bad."

After listening to Gu Weijing's explanation, Anna clapped softly again and looked down at the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic on the stage. "They earned a total of 1.5 euros before. In less than six months, that's increased tenfold. Ten times 1.5 euros is 15 euros, ten times 15 euros is 150 euros, and ten times 150 euros is 1500 euros. A major performance by the Vienna Philharmonic earns approximately 50 to 100 million euros."

"If you do the math, in just a few months, by the time you graduate from university, it won't be you sitting in a box listening to others perform, but Mr. G sitting in the audience listening to you perform."

well.

Miss Elena has mastered the essence of Gu's calculation method: "1.5 euros a day, 300 euros in 200 days."

Anna was even more ruthless than Gu Weijing; she calculated an exponential curve.

Gu Weijing did not answer; his CPU was running at high speed, analyzing whether Miss Elena was being sarcastic or not.

Probably not.

Because he heard Anna say next.

"I'm not kidding. You know what? Performing at the Golden Hall, that's something that so-and-so dreams of. But really, it's not that big of a deal. Even playing the violin, if you want, you can be better than him."

Miss Elena said, her tone turning cold, the wit and humor gone.

A comparison of their tones.

Gu Weijing understood that Anna was actually being sarcastic and sarcastic at this moment.

"Who is it? Gabriel?"

“How could it be Gabriel?” Anna gave him a strange look. Gabriel hadn’t done anything to her. “You should know who I’m talking about.”

Gu Weijing began to understand.

She was referring to the conflict between Williams and him.

"You actually heard about it? Did Yang Dekang tell you?"

Gu Weijing leaned back in his chair, looking down at the audience, and casually asked. The Vienna Golden Hall was much smaller than Gu Weijing had imagined; this famous concert hall resembled a long, rectangular drawer placed vertically, with two levels.

The first floor consists of the stage and audience seating.

The second floor has nineteen private rooms arranged in a circular pattern.

"No, I have my own sources of information. Besides, gossip always spreads incredibly fast, and if someone is interested, they'll always find a way to know. And what about this self-righteous guy who likes to stream his critiques of others on YouTube?"

"Thank you. So you were following him."

Gu Weijing said.

Miss Elena went through all that trouble just to comfort herself.

“It’s alright, I’m your agent. Keeping an eye on what people are saying is just part of my job,” Anna said.

"Did he say something extremely offensive to me again?"

Gu Weijing never expected that this matter would reach Anna's ears.

"Excessive? Perhaps."

Anna said calmly.

"On his social media account, he complained a lot about the lack of truly authoritative judging standards in the art industry. He felt that the industry was a mixed bag, and that all kinds of awards always mixed talented geniuses and mediocre people together for various reasons, which was very unfair."

“Williams hasn’t participated in any music competitions recently. If he’s unhappy about anything, then he must be unhappy about the Master Project,” Miss Elena thought for a moment.

"Didn't he already get first place in the stage review? His overall score is higher than mine."

Gu Weijing was a bit strange.

"If I understand correctly, shouldn't this criticism be directed at the judging panel?"

"It depends on how you want to interpret it. I only glanced at it briefly and didn't pay much attention. I can't be bothered to pay much attention to people like that," Anna said.

“Oh,” Gu Weijing said.

There was silence for a few seconds.

“Williams, he cited Bach’s example in Germany,” Miss Elena couldn’t help but say again, her fingers gripping the slender cane beside her.

obvious.

Anna wasn't as indifferent to the other person as she claimed.

Ah.

He's offended the abbot... uh, no, he's offended Miss Elena, and this guy still wants to run away?
The last person who dared to do this has already gone to work in Africa, you know?

He said that in 1723, Bach was in Hamburg, Germany, and was auditioning for the position of music director in order to gain entry into high society. The whole process was full of unpleasant twists and turns. The member of parliament who conducted the audition, because of some personal relationships, thought that he lacked sufficient international prestige and court connections, and deliberately gave Bach a low score while giving his competitor a high score.

"Furthermore, the senator uttered that famous quote from music history about Bach—"

"Since the best candidates cannot be found, mediocre candidates are also acceptable."

"Of course, justice will prevail. Bach still managed to get the position through his own talent. I'm just telling this story casually, but sometimes, this is a reflection of the entire art world."

"Remember, all that glitters is not gold. The best candidate in the council's evaluation has disappeared into the long river of history. Bach, who did not receive recognition, would seize the slightest opportunity that presented itself and display dazzling energy."

Anna gently raised the tip of her cane.

I poked the ground.

"Two hundred years have passed. Let us always remember Bach. A true musician should always pay tribute to Bach, because true gold is always better than foolish gold."

"It doesn't sound like it was just a quick glance," Gu Weijing joked.

"That person didn't just tell this story randomly."

Miss Elena said.

"Someone replied to him that the place name in the story was wrong."

"In 1723, the story actually took place in neighboring Leipzig, not Hamburg," Annado explained.

Williams apologized in his reply. He said he had made a mistake and accidentally confused Hamburg and Leipzig. At the time, some members of parliament believed that the person competing for the position with Bach, or even considered more 'worthy' of the chief artist position than Bach, was someone he couldn't quite recall.

"But he clearly remembered that this guy had a background in the Hamburg court, so he naturally had good relationships with members of parliament, and he thought this incident had also happened in Hamburg."

Miss Elena said, not without sarcasm.

"All that glitters is not gold; it's just that someone has brushed on a layer of gold dust." (Shakespeare, *The Merchant of Venice*). As for his piano playing skills, I don't know. But his satirical talent is quite impressive.

"He was practically going to explicitly name someone and add their name to the note after 'Fool's Gold'."

"I do not like him."

Anna said.

“Me too,” Gu Weijing said.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t like him,” Anna said. “You’re not in direct competition. You’re a painter, and he’s a musician.”

This is the downside of the "Master Artist" program.

There will never be a unified standard of evaluation that can convince everyone. No matter how well someone plays the violin, others may not like it; no matter how good a painting is, no matter how exquisite or outstanding the technique, others may still not like it.

Art appreciation is inherently subjective. Even if everyone plays the violin, paints, or even plays the same piece of music, or copies the same work, if their skill levels are similar, it's perfectly normal for the judges to disagree. Some might think this one is good, while others might think that one is good.

When it comes to different fields, it's like comparing apples and oranges—there's simply no comparison.

Gu Weijing and Cui Xiaoming can be compared.

He could also set a goal to beat Deckard Anron, who works at the same gallery, with an exhibition in the same venue.

How can you compare oil painters with Lacybelius?

Williams understands this perfectly.

If we have to find a standard for evaluation, in terms of influence and overall assessment, like this Master Project—sorry, he won.

True gold will always shine.

He was determined to be superior to Gu Weijing; both were sponsored artists of the "Master" program, but his name had to be listed before Gu Weijing's. Regardless of the circumstances, Bach ultimately secured the principal position, using it as a springboard to write a new chapter in art history.

In terms of influence, Williams was the more influential one, as they both had illustrious child prodigy resumes.

just now.

Williams has already released a classical music album, while Gu Weijing hasn't even made a splash yet.

Why should Gu Weijing be dissatisfied?

(End of this chapter)