Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

"Two men in suits and a frank woman are sitting on the grass. In the distance there is a woman standing in the water, perhaps washing her feet." Jacques commented without hesitation while standing in front of Manet's masterpiece.

Jiang Zhe was trying hard to hold back his laughter.

"The idea behind this painting, to put it simply, is plagiarism. He is completely copying a pastoral concert by Titian and Giorgione, which hangs behind the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. The movements of the characters in the painting are based on those in a copperplate engraving designed by Raphael. The only modification made is to dress the people in modern clothes."

Jiang Zhe recalled these classic works and after comparison, he found that Jacques was not wrong.

“The difference is that the woman in the Pastoral Concert is an inspiration, a goddess, while Manet deliberately threw the woman’s clothes aside to let everyone know that the topless woman he painted is not a goddess, making people feel that she is afraid of the heat.”

Because this view is so straightforward, some visitors nearby looked at it as if it were a monster.

Jacques seemed unaware: "I said before that Manet's fame was due to luck. Do you know what happened at the official art salon in 1863?"

Jiang Zhe shook his head: "I don't know, I just know that Manet became famous in that exhibition."

Jacques said: "At that time, there were too many artists in Paris who wanted to become famous. That year, more than 5000 works were submitted to the Salon for review, but half of them were rejected."

Jiang Zhe nodded: "It's cruel."

"For a painter, if his paintings are rejected, it means a year's hard work has been wasted. You can imagine the impact of more than 2000 paintings being rejected," said Jacques.

"All those who were not selected pointed the finger at Napoleon III, on the grounds that the Salon's criteria were said to cater to his aesthetic tastes. For example, he had paid a lot of money for Cabanel's works.

In 1863, Napoleon III saw that so many people questioned his aesthetics, so he decided to hold an exhibition of rejected paintings, hanging up all the more than 2000 rejected paintings for everyone to comment on.

"This is indeed an accident." Jiang Zhe heard another interesting story.

“Most of the works that were not selected were of poor quality, but there are exceptions.

Manet's work was unexpectedly included in the exhibition and became an instant hit.

This process inspired people like Monet.

They found that there were other ways to become famous besides the official art salon. So, those who were rejected by the salon united and held an exhibition, which was the first Impressionist exhibition.

Of course, they were still criticized by the Salon painters. For example, Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" was criticized by academic critics as an unfinished wallpaper, so they simply gave the work a confusing name, and thus Impressionism was born.

Jiang Zhe knew about the birth of Impressionism and said with some emotion: "The relationship between Manet and Impressionism is actually like a guide. Although he is called the father of Impressionism, he does not actually belong to Impressionism. There is actually no unified style of painting within Impressionism. Everyone's painting method, painting subject matter, including personal hobbies, and background are completely different."

Jacques said: “Before they became famous, they were just a group of down-and-out painters who happened to get together.

I learned one thing from watching the success of Manet and Picasso.”

He waited until Jiang Zhe turned his gaze to him before he gave the answer: "Learn to plagiarize."

Jiang Zhe couldn't help laughing.

Jacques also laughed happily.

He took Jiang Zhe to see Monet's "Luncheon on the Grass".

The painting was divided into two pieces, but they still hang together.

Jacques explained: "The painting was originally very large, but due to poor storage it became moldy, so I simply cut it into two pieces."

He pointed at the woman in the painting and said, "The woman sitting is Monet's wife. Guess who this fat man is?"

"Is it Courbet?" Jiang Zhe observed the image that Jacques was referring to and made a bold guess.

"Courbet," Jacques replied.

"How did he become like this?" Jiang Zhe said, "It's very different from his self-portrait."

"As a man, you tend to gain weight after you become successful. Do you know why this painting is moldy?"

Jiang Zhe shook his head. "Because Bazille also died on the battlefield of the Franco-Prussian War. Monet could no longer borrow a studio, but he finally succeeded."

"He should be considered Monet's benefactor." Jiang Zhe said.

Jacques didn't understand the meaning of nobleman.

After Jiang Zhe explained in French, he smiled and said, "Every successful painter has such a benefactor. Including you and me."

Jiang Zhe instantly thought of many people who had helped him.

"Let's go look at some happy paintings," Jacques suggested.

The two walked into an exhibition hall and saw Renoir's Ball at the Windmill.

"Both Van Gogh and Picasso visited this restaurant. This painting is also very large, but Renoir was not a rich man. Monet relied on Bazille's funding, and Renoir simply placed his easel in the restaurant." Jacques looked at the work, his tone becoming more relaxed.

Jiang Zhe's mood was affected by the atmosphere of the picture and became cheerful. "Renoir was about 25 years old when he created this painting. The painting is full of friends of his age. You can feel the youth blowing in your face."

Jacques pointed to a woman in the painting and said, "The woman covering her face with a fan is Morisot, one of the two female painters in Impressionism. She was a daughter of a noble family. She later married Manet's brother and participated in all eight Impressionist exhibitions.

If you study art history carefully, you will find that some seemingly unrelated painters actually have various connections.”

Jiang Zhe's comment is: "Renoir has a talent. His paintings always exude an inexplicable sense of happiness."

"I can't explain how he does it, but I can recognize it from a distance."

As they walked and talked, they saw a portrait of Cézanne.

Jacques said, "Remember the Impressionist exhibition I mentioned before? Monet's Impression, Sunrise was ridiculed. However, critics were too lazy to criticize Paul Cézanne's paintings, but he didn't care at all and always followed his style from beginning to end.

He said that he wanted to return to the balance of Poussin, but the works he created were in a style that ordinary people could hardly understand. Do you know how he became famous? "

Jiang Zhe said, "I'd like to hear more details."

"He had a friend named Zola, the best-selling author. He wrote a novel about Cézanne, but he didn't write about the part about Cézanne inheriting his family's fortune.

The Cézanne in the book became depressed and committed suicide.”

Jiang Zhe suddenly realized: "I remember a book, The Moon and Sixpence, which was based on Gauguin. It turns out that Cézanne also had such an experience."

Jacques said: "Gauguin is in a bad situation. We can talk about him when we have time. Let's go back to Cézanne. When the novel became popular, everyone wanted to see what the painter's works were like. Later, Picasso was influenced by Cézanne.

That is why Cézanne is called the father of modern art.”

Jacques paused and asked Jiang Zhe: "Do you know what I did when I heard about Cézanne?"

Jiang Zhe asked: "Did you change your style? Or did you find someone to package yourself?"

Jacques smiled: "Have you also thought of finding someone to write a novel for you?"

Jiang Zhe smiled and nodded.

“I not only thought about it, I actually did it,” Jacques said.

As he spoke, he was also recalling his past experiences.

“At that time, I felt that I had what it takes to be a great painter, so I looked for someone to try to package me, but I still failed.

Many failures have made me realize that it is difficult to copy other people’s success.”

After hearing this, Jiang Zhe deeply agreed.

(End of this chapter)