Almighty painter

Chapter 982 In the Studio
Deckard Anron knew that Miss Elena disliked him. Mr. Anron had read Anna's art reviews about himself... and even heard rumors that there was a fabric tarpaulin in Gu Weijing's studio with his own photograph on it, and that his agent would pin curatorial plans to his face.

They are now colleagues at the same gallery.

Gossip often spreads faster within certain circles than wildfires in autumn.

Deckard Anlen wasn't the only one who had heard this rumor.

Deckard Anron had heard more than just this one rumor; there were even more outrageous ones, like Miss Elena practicing darts with his headshot in her spare time, and now hitting the bullseye from five yards away. Or that there was a terrifying beast in the studio that would tear apart any artwork it didn't like…

Rumors in the art world always become more and more outlandish as they spread, and they are often part of a carefully crafted commercial myth.

There are countless rumors surrounding Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa, aren't there?
If there are enough rumors, if they circulate widely enough, and if they capture people's interest enough, the power of gossip can transform an old, worn-out copper pot into Aladdin's wishing lamp.
After Mr. Anlun flew here, he made a point of observing it carefully.

Practicing darts and keeping wild animals in an art studio are obviously mindless nonsense. This is the middle of nowhere in Hamburg. I might believe it if the Elena family had a private zoo on their ranch in Australia, keeping lions and tigers. In a place like this, they'd be lucky to keep a single cow.

Deckard Anlen actually found a three-meter by two-meter green woven board on the wall of the lobby on the first floor of the building.

There was nothing on the green woven board.

Before the guests were even invited, everything had been systematically removed by Elliott.

Miss and Mr. Gu pinned the exhibition schedule to Deckard Anlun's face, which was a kind of professional quirk between them. But for the person in question to come to their door and still do this would be a blatant slap in the face.

Anlun stood in front of the board, picked up a pin from the neatly arranged, colorful pile next to it, held it up to examine it closely, and wondered if it had "pricked" his face not long ago.

He could feel the gloating looks from the other people in the room as they looked behind him.

There was more than one person who had heard the rumors.

There was more than one person who saw this board.

Who wouldn't want to grab Superman's cape or even slap him as he falls to the ground, proving that they are stronger than Superman?
Deckard Anlen had to endure all of this.

Even those art directors of the magazine "Oil Painting," even those who were relatively unimportant and unremarkable in history, were superhumans in the industry, gods among comic artists...

They are the offspring of the combination of the muse and commercial society.

At least.

He is also a demigod in the art world.

Watching Miss Elena being berated by Sarah, Deckard Anron actually felt a pang of sympathy, a strong sense of... empathy.

She will lose too.

Anna now is just like I was in the past, the one Anna used to relentlessly berate.

When a demigod reveals his vulnerability, which is just like that of a mortal, the legendary myth of invincibility is shattered.

Regardless of whether she destroyed Vandoorne or won a verbal battle against Sir Brown.

Whether she falls into the sea or not, she can fly back.

just now.

A truly indestructible, invincible superhero appeared, capable of lifting artists' private jets with one hand and making ancient Italian architecture sway with her pen and fingers.

"And who wouldn't want to grab Superman's cape or even slap him as he falls to the ground, proving that they are stronger than Superman?"

……

Everyone came for the art exhibition.

Regardless of differing perspectives or how the conversation went, everyone still had to look at the painting.

Logically speaking.

It was expected that Gu Weijing and Anna, as the owners of the art studio, would exchange pleasantries and then give the guests a tour and introduction to the studio. However, because the atmosphere had been too tense earlier, everyone intentionally staggered their times.

Those who are curious about Gu Weijing can stay in the lobby and continue socializing.

The studio on the second floor is also open; those more interested in the artworks themselves can go directly to the studio to take a look. Deckard Anlen spent a while in the living room before wandering upstairs.

He came today representing the Maes Gallery, and he made this suggestion to Maes III, who readily agreed. Maes III then spoke at length to Dyke Anlun about the loving and supportive relationship between the two artists.

Deckard Anlen didn't believe it at all.

He guessed.

Even the sincere and earnest Maestro III himself probably didn't believe it.

Pop art's motto is "Fifteen seconds to create an art myth," and "The art society is a commercial society."

From a business marketing perspective, the wealth market is a market of "storytelling," and artists are the "storytellers," the ones who blow up wealth bubbles.

Deckard Anlen tried his best to blow colorful bubbles in the sunlight.

just now.

Gu Weijing also wanted to come and blow this bubble.

If two bubbles collide and don't burst, they will either swallow one of them or be swallowed by the other.

Marcel Maestro III still gave Deckard Anlun the opportunity; presumably, he had also heard the rumors. The big boss was quite curious to know how Mr. Anlun, as a "competitor" and one of the bubbles in the bubble, would evaluate Gu Weijing's work.
-
How to evaluate it?

Deckard Anlen had no idea how to evaluate it.

"It's pretty good, probably not bad."

Mr. Anlun stood in the studio, looking around at the ten paintings in total, all of different sizes and types. The largest was nearly 120 centimeters tall, while the smallest was a small sketch.

“Sunrise, Midday, Sunset…Rhapsody on the Sun, Rhapsody on the Night…”

Deckard Anlen's gaze swept over the watercolor painting surrounded by roses.

It's a good piece of work.

What else?
No matter how much Mr. Anlun disliked or hated Gu Weijing, he didn't expect to see any truly awful works here today.

impossible things.

Picasso was a child prodigy, Rembrandt was a child prodigy, Titian was a child prodigy… Throughout history, half of the artists who have truly reached the pinnacle and become the most prominent names in the art world were child prodigies. More than a third of them displayed artistic talent far surpassing that of their peers while other children were still playing in the mud.

Gu Weijing? He is undoubtedly a genius.

Regardless of whether he was the discoverer of "The Old Church on a Thunderstorm," and regardless of whether any scandalous stories unfolded on that island, the most basic requirement is that the person who could make Anna Elena resign from her position as artistic director of "Paintings" to become his personal agent is a genius with extraordinary artistic expression.

Deckard Anlun could only hope that Gu Weijing would go out driving and get hit and killed.

But Deckard Anlen did not expect that Gu Weijing would ruin his exhibition; it was simply against common sense.

Even though the exhibition had been postponed twice, he still believed that as long as they thought the works met the standards for holding an exhibition, then they must be good.

as predicted.

Each of those works was beautifully painted, far superior to his in technique, composition, and every other aspect. Deckard Anlen knew this would be the outcome before he even arrived.

He will neither rejoice over it nor feel particularly saddened by it.

His main focus was Pop Art. While there are painters in Pop Art who possess exceptional technique and a strong foundation in line and color, Pop Art as a whole has never been a painting movement that particularly pursues "exquisite brushstrokes." Perhaps it could even be said that...

In a sense.

Pop art pursues something completely opposite to the "refined brushstrokes" of traditional painting.

A Coca-Cola bottle can also be considered a piece of pop art. Does it require some exceptionally complex and sophisticated technique to own a Coca-Cola bottle?

Before he even entered the studio, he was convinced that Gu Weijing's works must be excellent.

The same is true.

The interplay of light and color, the passionate imitation of nature, and the feeling of time contained within a drop of dew—all these are exquisite.

It's not even a matter of good or bad in itself.

Gu Weijing's painting is so good that it can be called a good painting.

What kind of painting by Gu Weijing would be considered bad?

Miss Elena... is his agent! Even if there were just a row of blank art books here today, under certain circumstances, it could turn into a wonderful art exhibition.

Mr. Anlun turned his gaze to the watercolor painting in front of him.

It's really good.

Roses are an incredibly cliché subject in painting, but what's most remarkable is that this cliché subject, in this painting, contains a passionate quality. They cluster together, transcending the two-dimensional plane, becoming three-dimensional, or even four-dimensional.

It has an added spatial dimension.

The flowers and leaves extend between the folds of the lines, emerging from the soil and growing among the flowers and leaves.

It adds a time dimension.

The growth, blooming, and withering of a flower are all condensed into a work of art. This is not a flower field, but rather a self-replication of a rose. The shadows of this rose under the sunlight of the past thousand springs and the shadows of this rose under the sunlight of the next thousand springs are layered together to form this flower field.

"No... if you look closely, it's not just the flowers and leaves, it might also include the soil."

Deckard Anlen studies this interesting work.

Flowers and leaves are living soil.

The soil is made of dead flowers and leaves.

In the hazy hues illuminated by the sunlight, even the soil seemed to carry the scent of roses.
-
"Scattered into mud and ground into dust, only the fragrance remains the same."

—Lu You, Song Dynasty—
"This composition is very novel. Think about it, maybe it draws some inspiration from Dali's style... um..."

Deckard Anlen shook his head.

He burst into laughter.

Why look so closely? Why think so much? It's pointless. Was he here to see this? Did King Maximilian III send him here to see this?
neither.

He didn't care about Gu Weijing's works.

Doesn't Maestro III know what kind of works Gu Weijing has created? If the big boss wants to hear an interpretation of an artwork, shouldn't he call Miss Elena instead of sending him by plane?

The former art director of the magazine "Oil Painting" is here; she participated in the entire creation process of the work from beginning to end.

In a sense.

This is also Miss Elena's art exhibition. If you want to do art analysis, asking her is much better than asking Deckard Anron.

If there's anything in this studio that resembles Dali, it's not the composition of this painting.

It's a rather strange tradition.

In his later years, Bernini took on commissions and often passed them on to his disciples, who in turn passed them on to their junior disciples.

Marquis Dalí also had such a dark history in his later years. It is rumored that he had many works painted by others, added his own signature, and then put them up for sale. It is said that they sold quite well.

The collector doesn't care who the painting belongs to or what the painting is about.

Only the top part has the four letters "Dali".

This is a good painting.

Deckard Anlen is someone who can see through appearances to the essence, and the outcome of today's preview does not depend on the quality of Gu Weijing's paintings.

It depends on Sarah.

Sarah is here; all she has to do is make a comment, sign her name, and say she thinks it's a good painting. Then it's a good work. If she thinks it's a bad work, then it's a bad work.

The important thing is not how well the painting is done, nor what the content of the painting is.

Rather, the certainty of whether or not "Sarah" exists is something Dali could never have done more.

The reason Deckard Anlun came up alone wasn't because he was particularly interested in Gu Weijing's work or wanted to engage in art appreciation, but rather—

"Ms. Sarah?"

He hesitated for a few seconds, then stepped forward and greeted them.

"Hello, Mr. Superman."

Sarah replied.

"That was all when I was young."

Dale Anlun smiled. His fondness for Superman is no secret; many people know about his quirks.

Think about it, when Deckard Anlen became famous, Sarah was already semi-retired.

He thought this greeting was a good start.

At least that explains it.

He wasn't "nobody," and Sarah continued to keep an eye on him.

He was certainly not a "nobody." How could an artist who was once among the world's top 30 most influential be a nobody? But in front of Sarah, Deckard Anlen really didn't have that confidence.

"Do you like these works, Mr. Anlun?"

The old lady remained kind and amiable when facing Deckard Anlen.

"It's okay."

Deckard Anlen thought for a moment, “Mársh Gallery has signed some very interesting young people in recent years, and Gu is probably the most noteworthy one among them.”

"Really?" the old lady asked.

“Okay, I don’t like it.” Deckard Anlen gave a wry smile.

“I heard that you don’t like these works either.”

(End of this chapter)