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

Chapter 753: The impact of the exhibition, the honor level is improved

New York's Kennedy Airport.

Jiang Zhe looked at the electronic screen from time to time.

The joint art exhibition is about to begin, and domestic painters participating in the exhibition and a group of members of the China Artists Association will soon arrive in New York.

Being in a foreign country, he has some friends from his hometown coming over today and he wants to see them first.

The electronic screen showed that flight CA981 landed fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, and he withdrew his thoughts.

I scanned the passengers leaving the airport and finally saw a familiar figure.

"Here!" Jiang Zhe saw Wang Zhen, Professor Qin, and several friends he knew. Judging from the travel hats they wore, there were more than 30 friends from China.

Professor Qin was wearing a dark grey coat with the Binhai Academy of Art’s school badge on it.

He and Wang Zhen saw Jiang Zhe waving his arms and immediately waved back with a smile.

The others were reminded by their companions and saw Jiang Zhe and the people who came to pick them up at the airport.

"Teacher Qin. President Wang." Jiang Zhe quickly stepped forward and took the luggage.

In the one and a half years since he came to New York, he only returned to China once, and only briefly met with Professor Qin and other school teachers. Although they kept in touch, he cherished the opportunity to meet more.

"Jiang Zhe, thank you for your hard work." Professor Qin patted his arm affectionately, but his words were meant for others to hear. Seeing his most proud student, he was no exception.

Jiang Zhe hurriedly said modestly. Because there were other people waiting to greet Jiang Zhe. So, Wang Zhen simply greeted him.

Some of the other participating painters knew Jiang Zhe, while others were famous but did not know him. Although those who could come to the exhibition were not simple, everyone knew that Jiang Zhe was one of the initiators, so they were very willing to establish a good relationship.

The person who picked us up at the airport met the exhibition team and rushed to the hotel.

Everyone got into several cars.

Professor Qin and Wang Zhen took Jiang Zhe's SUV.

The three of them finally had time to have a good chat.

There is always endless topics to talk about, whether it is Jiang Zhe's study and life in New York, Professor Qin's recent experience, or Wang Zhen's recent work.

As the car entered the Queens Tunnel, Professor Qin rolled down the window to feel the atmosphere of the city.

After the conversation, he clearly felt that Jiang Zhe had become more mature in the past year and a half. Fierce competition really tempers people.

Jiang Zhe wants Wang Zhen and Professor Qin to live in his house.

Professor Qin shook his head: "We all came to New York together, I don't want any special treatment." Wang Zhen also felt that for work purposes, he should live closer to the team.

In front of the revolving door of the Westin Hotel, Wang Zhen looked up at the huge advertising screen outside the glass curtain wall, where a new advertisement for a certain cola was playing on a loop.

"here we go again."

The room the team booked was of good quality.

Jiang Zhe saw that Professor Qin and Wang Zhen's rooms both had views of the park outside the windows.

Several people sat down in Professor Qin's room.

The tea leaves are brewed with hot water, and the tender buds stretch out in the porcelain cup like willow branches in early spring, with a lingering fragrance.

Professor Qin held the cup and said slowly, "You made the right choice to come to Columbia University. Your current achievements have exceeded our expectations."

“I have to thank you for your training.”

Professor Qin took a sip of tea and said, "This is the result of your hard work."

Wang Zhen chatted for a while and went out to answer the phone.

"About the number of exhibitors this time." Professor Qin finally said what was on his mind. "For an old man like me who is about to retire to be included in the list, you must have talked to the organizing committee a lot, right?"

Jiang Zhe said: "Your level and ideas should be known to more people. This exhibition needs you to be in charge."

"Okay, I can't argue with you." Professor Qin knew that he was the oldest among the painters who came. According to gossip, the domestic art association hoped that young and middle-aged painters would participate in the joint exhibition. He was an exception, and Jiang Zhe's role was self-evident.

"You have to research topics, create works, and have the energy to participate in the preparation of such a large exhibition?" Professor Qin asked.

"Fischer is the curator. He has brought together a large number of professionals to take charge of different things. He is very relaxed. I just need to send a work to him and I don't have to worry about it. It's much easier."

Soon, the leader called a meeting of the members.

Everyone please pay attention for a moment, we will rush to the exhibition to check the preparations.

……

Jiang Zhe and other domestic painters came to the newly renovated art center, where many cars were parked and people preparing for the exhibition were coming in and out.

Professor Qin looked up at the newly welded glass curtain wall on the rusty steel frame. Jiang Zhe told him that this was an industrial relic that the organizing committee had deliberately preserved.

“Jiang Zhe!” Wang Zhen came over and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. “Art Weekly listed your work on the recommended page!”

Jiang Zhe knew that it was the work that was auctioned last time.

“This is a pre-publicity campaign.”

Professor Qin said: "You use oil painting to express the steel forest of contemporary cities. Some people in China have already coined the term 'industrial lyricism'."

The team leader contacted the organizing committee, and a staff member came out to guide everyone into the preparatory site.

The tall and spacious exhibition hall is filled with the roar of forklifts moving display cabinets.

Jiang Zhe's exhibition work "Echoes of the Hudson River" was placed in the main booth.

On the canvas, which is over two meters high and four meters long, cobalt blue and iron gray oil paints are layered to depict the morning and evening on the riverbank. Under the influence of the light in the hall, the brushstrokes in the painting actually emit different metallic cold lights.

"Mr. Jiang!" Curator's assistant Kevin came running over, the Klein blue folder in his hand particularly eye-catching, "The people from MOMA want to discuss it. They want to hang Echo in the booth next to your work."

Jiang Zhe looked at the environment and considered that it would not affect him. Since it was an internal dispute among the other party, he did not object.

Many exhibitors were on site, adjusting the booth lighting in an attempt to bring out the best in their works.

After Jiang Zhe saw the display of his own work, he went to see other people's works.

Several mixed media works from the "Abstract Lyrical" series are spread out along the wall. These are works by a group of young painters in New York.

When everyone saw Jiang Zhe coming, they greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Jiang!” A reporter from Art News stopped him.

With Jiang Zhe's consent, a brief interview was conducted.

The organizing committee informed us in advance, so Jiang Zhe and I were prepared. Is this a metaphor for the oppression of individuals by globalization?

“…I hope to paint something with more warmth.”

"Thank you."

Many painters from China were jealous when they saw Jiang Zhe being interviewed.

Wang Zhen recorded this scene with a DV.

Curator Fisher arrived on the scene.

Many people surrounded him, talking about various things.

Fisher saw Jiang Zhe and his companions and walked over to them.

Jiang Zhe took the opportunity to introduce him to the domestic painters and members of the Artists Association participating in the exhibition.

Wang Zhen recorded it again with DV.

In the camera, dozens of participating artists were communicating enthusiastically with the curator, with Jiang Zhe at the center. That night, the leader of the domestic team invited some members of the organizing committee and members of the domestic participating team to participate.

Jiang Zhe also participated.

Because there are activities tomorrow and everyone just arrived in New York and is very tired, so we ended it early.

In the next two days, Jiang Zhe took time to attend activities with Wang Zhen and Professor Qin.

The morning of the joint art exhibition opening.

A large number of visitors gathered in the square outside the exhibition hall.

Due to different cultural customs, art exhibitions abroad are not as lively as those in China.

Painters from China find it a little difficult to adapt, but it is understandable.

Although the atmosphere was a little worse, there were still many visitors.

After the launch, the publicity did not stop.

In accordance with the curator's publicity requirements, Jiang Zhe was surrounded by more than a dozen microphones in the media area of ​​the exhibition. When asked about his creative concept, he said the lines he had prepared long ago with a relaxed expression: "...Painting should enter the lives of more people..."

After the interview, Jiang Zhe was dragged by a few friends to look at paintings and chat.

The crowd suddenly surged toward the main hall.

Jiang Zhe was pulled over by his friend. Before he saw his work, an old man in a camel-hair coat was observing the details of the picture.

Mr. White. Same name as the Columbia professor.

Fisher was accompanying him on the tour.

Jiang Zhe remembers this collector and art critic.

The old man saw Jiang Zhe coming and asked, "Why do you paint more than ten layers of cross-strokes in the vent?"

“Because the Manhattan subway ventilation system has 19 main hubs,” Jiang Zhe said, “it symbolizes the penetration gradient of industrial civilization into urban space.”

White's face gradually calmed down. When Jiang Zhe finished speaking, he pointed at the canvas and said, "This is another kind of poetry! You remind me of the painters in the 1970s, but more..." He said carefully, "more fucking wild!"

Many people looked at Jiang Zhe with envy and jealousy. Being noticed by this collector in such an occasion meant that he was destined to be remembered by more people.

Fisher invited White to continue visiting the exhibition. Jiang Zhe could relax a little.

However, Miller, Susanna and others came to support Jiang Zhe one after another, so he didn't have much time to rest for the whole morning.

On the opening day, a cocktail reception was held and a lot of promotional materials were sent back to China.

That night, he invited Professor Qin and Wang Zhen to his studio.

Professor Qin looked at the many drafts, exercises, and completed paintings that were piled in the corner.

He knew that Jiang Zhe would destroy the works he was not satisfied with. Every one of the works that remained was great.

Wang Zhen pointed to a very special painting.

“This is a rare subject.”

The painting depicts a few young people in riveted leather jackets on a city street corner. The girl in the lead has a cold nose ring and is spray-painting on the wall.

"They are street artists in the Bronx," Jiang Zhe said. "I was curious, so I went to see them once. After I came back, I drew this picture based on my memories."

Professor Qin said: "Although the content is a bit strange, this is the heartbeat of New York! Looking at the work, you can feel the young people hitting the gasoline barrels they carry with them, and the industrial noise vibrating in the concrete space. The girl threw the rusty paint bottle over and scattered the dark red powder into the air. These are all real life."

Because they were having a great time chatting, Professor Qin asked Jiang Zhe to bring paper and pen so that he could try to paint.

He came to New York, saw a lot of new things, and became eager to do research.

Jiang Zhe and his friends chatted, painted, and gave each other advice. From the 50-story building to the ship on the Hudson River, they actually forgot the time.

It was not until Wang Zhen reminded them that Jiang Zhe and Professor Qin remembered that there was an event tomorrow.

The next day, Jiang Zhe came to the exhibition hall where domestic painters gathered and saw many people reading newspapers. It should be said that they asked people who knew foreign languages ​​to help them translate.

When several people saw Jiang Zhe coming, they smiled and congratulated him.

"Jiang Zhe, your work is in the newspaper."

"Yes, and there are newspapers that published yesterday's interview."

Jiang Zhe responded one by one.

Wang Zhen came over with a few newspapers and motioned for him to read them himself.

Jiang Zhe took the newspaper and glanced at the media that the organizing committee had contacted. They were very influential in the art review circle.

“…When most immigrant artists were busy deconstructing oriental symbols, this painter from China chose to face the steel bones of New York. His brushstrokes are a combination of welding guns and dance skirts, allowing viewers to feel the impact of industrial civilization at the same time…”

He had read another feature.

"It is interesting to note that Jiang Zhe refuses to be categorized as an 'Asian artist'. His works never feature cheongsam, calligraphy or landscapes, but are instead filled with industrial imagery of New York city life and the wildness of rural pastures. This courage to remove labels is precisely a testament to the maturity of contemporary art - we no longer need to rely on selling exotic customs to break into the art circle, but rather cut the pie of globalization with an equal edge."

Apart from these two, other reports about the exhibition only mentioned myself without any special introduction.

Wang Zhen told Jiang Zhe that the news of the opening of the exhibition was transmitted back to China on the same day, and various media had already begun reporting on it.

This propaganda will continue for some time.

Wang Zhen said, "Because of the publicity, especially seeing the impact of the exhibition, many people have gone to the Artists Association and even several cultural departments to inquire. Can this form of joint exhibition continue? If it can continue, can there be more places in the future? In my opinion, these domestic painters attach more importance to this matter than those in the United States. I guess more people will come to you."

Jiang Zhe didn't know whether the joint exhibition could become a regular form of cooperation. He had only thought of cooperation on a whim, and he didn't want to worry about it in the future. However, the greater the impact of this exhibition, the better. His honor value level would soon face an upgrade. He needed more honor points.

Time flies.

On the last day of the joint exhibition, painters from China and the United States gathered in the square in front of the exhibition hall before withdrawing the exhibition and prepared to take a group photo.

During the exhibition, thanks to the publicity, all the participants had a great time. Many painters sold their works and even reached more cooperation intentions.

For those who are truly capable, this joint exhibition has brought them real benefits and allowed them to demonstrate their strength.

Because Jiang Zhe was one of the initiators, his circle of friends expanded again.

When taking group photos, everyone pushed each other. Jiang Zhe was pushed to the front row near the center, standing with the curator and several people from the organizing committee.

Everyone's faces were filled with enthusiasm and happy smiles. The photographer recorded this moment.

After three days of sightseeing in New York, the Chinese team was ready to return home. Jiang Zhe went to the airport to see Professor Qin and Wang Zhen off.

Before saying goodbye, in addition to giving various instructions, Professor Qin also suggested that Jiang Zhe return to China to work after graduation.

Jiang Zhe watched his friends go through security check and then returned to his studio, where he heard the long-lost system prompt.

Your honor value has met the requirements for upgrading your honor level.

This is the long-awaited upgrade. In recent days, he has been paying attention to the honor value experience bar. The cursor seems to have reached the end, but there is no prompt.

It is estimated that the impact of the joint art exhibition played a promoting role.

He opened the system, found the honor value page, waited for the upgrade to complete, and immediately checked the changes after the upgrade.

The current honor level has been upgraded from well-known to famous both at home and abroad.

As your honor level increases, the rewards you get from learning and accumulating knowledge will also increase, and the system functions will continue to be enriched. Some functions need to be tried by yourself.

Of course, if you want to upgrade again, you need more honor points.

(End of this chapter)