Almighty painter

Chapter 995 Gu Weijing's Exhibition (Part 1)
Artists choose biographers.

Biographers also choose artists.

Robert spent six months preparing, searching and sifting through artists all over the world.

Successful candidates are not acceptable, nor are unsuccessful candidates. Candidates who are too old are not acceptable, nor are those who are not old enough. Candidates who are too smart are not acceptable, nor are those who are not smart.

Don't choose those who are too successful, because if they're already so successful, why would they need to write their own biographies?
Don't write a biography for someone who isn't successful, because if he can't even succeed, why should I write a biography for him?

We don't want the old ones.

Because this is an old tree with a crooked neck.

Young people are not acceptable.

Because he might not have the chance to grow into a crooked old tree, what if he writes for two years and finds that the other person has changed careers to sell car insurance? So he also changes from art books to commercial works.

Ok.

This was Robert joking; selecting a suitable subject for writing is a complex process.

Very famous artists are probably not good subjects for writing.

They've already been turned into ready-made furniture that carries relevant evaluations and social impressions. The more important reason is... I simply can't compare to them.

Going to find an unknown amateur artist is also not a good idea.

Robert wanted to document "Picasso," the complete journey of a man becoming an artist who influenced the world. There are a million art graduates in the world, and if Robert just randomly picked one from the roster, he could tell which one of them could become the next "Picasso."

Why is he still writing those art biographies in such a miserable state? Why doesn't he make Sir Browne of the magazine "Painting" kneel down and call him "Dad"?

Is it because you don't like it?

Robert picked and sifted.

He emailed more than 30 artists at seven galleries.

Ultimately, only the agent from the Maes Gallery replied to him, saying that the artist was willing to make time to give Robert a chance to meet during his vacation.

Deckard Anlen was one of the most famous artists on his long list of nominees, so receiving a reply from him was a pleasant surprise.

On the plane to Abu Dhabi, Robert not only created a new Word document, but also browsed all the online reports about Deckard Anron, from how he came to New York with his artistic dreams, how he achieved a series of successes, how he became a media darling, and how he fell into a frenzy of pessimism.

"It's you I've decided on, Deckard Anlen."

"You are the art master who will influence the world, you are my Pikachu."

Robert was most impressed by an interview photo.

When asked how he felt about Elena, the editor of the magazine "Painting," calling his exhibition in Abu Dhabi a terrible disaster, he was met with a response.

In the shot, Deckard Anlun's face is cold, he glances at the camera sideways, and his narrowed eyes reveal a flame of displeasure and rage.

The man in that photograph was Robert's first Hamlet.

In his heart—

Deckard Anlen seems ready to beat up any wild animal that might jump out of the bushes while he's out for a walk.

He is a superman with the strength of a sliding tiger.
-

Deckard Anlen's overall demeanor was very strange.

His forehead was slightly lowered, and he was wearing loose hotel pajamas. The jacket Robert couldn't recognize the brand of, but guessed it must be very expensive, was crumpled up and thrown on the sofa. It was broad daylight, and the curtains were drawn tightly, so he was curled up in the sunlight.

He looked as if he was walking along the edge of the grass when he was beaten up by a wild animal that was out for a stroll, and then, on his way home, he was slid over by a tiger.

The dejected man sitting on the sofa is Robert's second Hamlet.

It's perfectly normal for a "celebrity" who frequently appears in the spotlight to have a different public image than their private demeanor.

Such a big difference?

rarely seen.

Of course, Robert hadn't met many celebrities in private. The most famous person he knew before was the external coach of the school team, who had played in the fourth-tier professional league.

Robert has never met any painters like Deckard Anlen who have been interviewed by The New York Times.

He anticipated that the other party would be difficult to deal with, that the other party would be arrogant, and that the other party would say strange things that he couldn't understand at all.

No matter how he imagined it, he thought he would meet a domineering figure who could withstand the pressure of the "Painting" magazine and push up the Leaning Tower of Pisa with his bare hands.

Robert never expected this.

What I saw was a middle-aged good-for-nothing, and he looked quite tired.

"The first time we met, the person sitting in front of me wasn't Superman. I saw a scruffy Clark Kent, and it seemed like he had just been fired from the Daily Planet."

Robert was mentally preparing his response.

He tried to smile.

"Please think about what I can do for you—have you read 'The Moon and Sixpence,' a fictional biography by Maugham based on Gauguin?"

Robert said, “Mr. Anlun, if Gauguin had a journalist by his side who clearly recorded the most important moments of his life, faithfully restoring the reader to the historical scene, and who sealed away each article after it was written, until one day, when they were all pieced together, they would finally form a silhouette of his life.”

"What a magnificent work this must be!"

“Gauguin?” Deckard Anlan shook his head. “I don’t want to be Gauguin. He died of syphilis, which is like HIV, oh, how horrible.”

An eerie silence fell over the room.

"Excuse me. Picasso? Da Vinci."

Robert tried changing his name.

"I can't be Picasso, and I can't be Leonardo da Vinci. I don't have their kind of talent."

Deckard Anlen shook his head critically.

"Do you know why I came to Abu Dhabi during my vacation?" Deckard Anlen sank into the sofa, rubbing his temples.

“I have suffered a crushing defeat here before, and now I am here to witness another crushing defeat as described by the magazine ‘Painting’.”

In the dimly lit room, Deckard Anron said this.
-

Miss Elena did not visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi!
Miss Elena did not visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi!

Important things should be said three times.

Anna Elena, the former art director of the magazine "Painting," heiress of the Elena family, Gu Weijing's personal agent, and curator of the exhibition, did not come to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi!

Before the exhibition opened, inside information was circulating in the Maes Gallery.

When I heard the news.

Deckard Anlen was stunned for a full ten seconds, and then he burst out laughing.

I heard that Gu Weijing and Anna Elena had a falling out.

This is the true temperament of a rich heiress: all she does is play, nothing else.

If someone's willing, we can hold an art exhibition together. If they're unhappy, even the art director of *Oil Painting* magazine can quit whenever he wants. What is Gu Weijing anyway? Now, someone's going to be sweating bullets. Even though he'd already seen the exhibited paintings privately, Deckard Anlen still rushed to get VIP tickets and flew all the way to Abu Dhabi just to see this spectacle.

Before the exhibition opened.

Deckard Anlen realized that the fun didn't end there.

Not only did Anna Elena not come, but Gu Weijing... he didn't come either.

Is this a prelude to running away?

In theory, exhibitions often last for several months, and it's normal for some artists to be too busy to attend.

But this is a solo exhibition, and his first solo exhibition ever!

The art exhibition opened, but the artist and curator all disappeared. It's absolutely outrageous!

In short.

It's like a movie premiering at a film festival, with the director and the entire creative team absent, or like someone in an American pharmacy holding a dentist's handwritten prescription for amphetamines and morphine.

It has happened before.

But at least... it's not exactly a normal sign.

This most likely means the movie is so bad that even before its release, everyone is already prepared to scramble to avoid it, afraid of having anything to do with it anymore. But if a movie is really that bad, why even bother with a theatrical release? Holding a premiere would be utterly absurd.

"It's not that bad, young man, it's really not that bad."

It's a terrible mess.

Even Deckard Anlun couldn't help but say a few words of fairness for Mr. Gu Weijing. His art exhibition really wasn't that bad, and the quality of the works was actually quite good.

They shouldn't be so lacking in confidence that they're afraid to come, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand.

Learn from your predecessors. Deckard Anlen was slammed by Painter magazine, but he's still striking Superman poses, isn't he?
This is what a super strong heart looks like.

Deckard Anlen also understands Gu Weijing very well.

For a young person like him, it's his first solo exhibition, and he's already being attacked by a vicious old critic like Sarah. It's no wonder he's under a lot of pressure.

A novice surfer, holding a surfboard for the first time, was ready to experience the waves of the art market. Then, standing on the beach, he looked up and saw a tsunami, dozens of meters high, crashing towards him.

Success was due to Xiao He.

Xiao He was the one who brought about Xiao He's downfall.

Deckard Anron believes that the exhibition's immense attention and pressure stem from the Elena family. If... Gu Weijing could leverage the resources of the Elena family, he might be able to handle these challenges, and even turn them into an asset.

just now.

Miss Elena has already run away, what are you waiting for if you don't run away?

Besides, brother, Miss Elena has already run away, why are you still concerned about the art exhibition? Isn't that picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon? If it were Deckard Anron himself, he wouldn't care about anything else; he would have to do everything in his power to win Miss Elena back.

She is more important than any art exhibition.

The tide is receding.

Only then did we realize who was swimming naked.

Here? Here? You think you can compete with me here? No matter how unlucky I've been these past few years, I'm not someone who can be used to rip you off with my first solo exhibition.

It was a real-life Batman v Superman. Both were ready to exchange punches, but then Batman looked down.

Huh?
Wayne Enterprises is gone, and so is his Bat Armor. Gu Weijing stands naked in his underwear in the night wind.

Superman wears his underwear on the outside, but that doesn't mean anyone who wears their underwear on the outside is qualified to be Superman's rival.

Just because he and Gu Weijing held an exhibition in the same exhibition hall doesn't mean that Gu Weijing is qualified to stand on the same level as him.

Dyke Anlen entered the museum with this mindset during the media exhibition before the opening.

At that time, Deckard Anlen thought he knew what he would see.

But he hasn't really realized what he's going to see.

A person may think they are smart enough, or mature enough to understand the world. However, there is always a moment when a good work of art can turn a person into a child again.
-

A few months ago, one evening.

Gu Weijing asked Yang Dekang what exactly are the qualities that a true artist must possess.
Yang Dekang raised his hand and arrogantly declared that it was a stupid question.

Then he told Gu Weijing.

do not worry.

People make foolish mistakes, and many people have probably experienced this kind of confusion. He originally thought that Gu Weijing would only experience this kind of confusion when he reached Deckard Anlen's position.

Yang Dekang seemed to know very well where Gu Weijing's inner confusion lay.

As a caring older brother figure, Lao Yang might not be able to give Gu Weijing the answer he wants.

He couldn't tell him whether a successful artist should be a soft-hearted person or a hard-hearted person, a person full of self-doubt or a person full of narcissism.

These answers are both correct and incorrect.

They cannot even be distinguished by concepts like good people or bad people.

in case.

That day, he asked Mr. Cao. Yang Dekang didn't know if Mr. Cao would give a firm answer: only certain people with a compassionate heart can reach the top of the industry.

Since he asked Old Yang.

Old Yang would give him a more sincere, and even more pessimistic, answer, in his view...

Sorry, that's not true at all.

Some people succeed without even realizing it. They may have no personal charisma or artistic talent, but they simply appear in the sight of a curator at a certain point in time and then ride the wave of the art market.

One painting earned him the money that an ordinary person would earn in a hundred years.

That's it.

This is going to happen.

Everyone has their own unique perspective. Some art critics will find a hundred reasons why a work has become the focus of attention, and they will analyze the painting from different angles.

But if you ask Lao Yang...

Brother Yang doesn't associate with him.

In his view, it is really difficult to associate a certain personality trait with an astronomical price in the art market.

He is no more resilient than the average person, no more sensitive than the average person, no more... "artist" than the average person.

What are the reasons for his success as a successful artist?
If Gu Weijing wants to hear the truth.

Yang Dekang's answer might be... this guy was just lucky.

(End of this chapter)