I have a Tantric panel

Push open the heavy oak door and enter the exhibition hall.

Anthony first looked around.

The number of paintings in this competition seems to be greater than last time.

The White Canvas Award is open to submissions not only in Beijing.

Professors from other universities in Albion also have a quota for recommendations.

Moreover, as the award gained more recognition, more nobles applied for entry slots from the academy.

Therefore, the number of entries was not small.

But Anthony was somewhat dissatisfied with this situation.

Because he knew that a significant number of newcomers recommended by nobles had absolutely no chance of winning an award.

They were just pushed into it.

It's just adding the title "participated in the White Canvas Award" to one's resume.

How can art be done well with contestants like these?

But the old man couldn't do anything about the current situation.

After all, the Royal Academy of Arts also needs the support of nobles and upper-class people; it can't afford to offend them all.

It is unrealistic to expect art to be free from politics.

The judges will have to suffer a bit and look at a few more paintings that offer no real substance.

With this mindset in mind, Anthony began walking past the easels one by one.

This first round of review is actually just an initial screening.

Simply put, it means quickly browsing through all the submissions.

If he is not satisfied, he will put an X behind the frame, which means it is rejected outright;

A circle indicates that the matter is pending.

If no marks are left, it means that the case has directly entered the final trial.

Of course, the academicians behind him also have the right to review.

If there are any objections to Anthony's results, they can be corrected with chalk, thus proceeding to the next round of review.

But generally speaking...

The old chairman's eyes are the ruler.

A yardstick for measuring artistic value—precise, efficient, and ruthless.

Few academicians would give drastically different results.

Anthony walked quickly, passing by the first row of ten easels in no time.

He marked eight of them with an X.

The remaining two are pending.

The second row was of even worse quality.

Only one pair made him pause for a moment; the others were basically eliminated after just one glance.

Anthony frowned. "The level of this year's contestants is a bit low."

"They're all complete novices."

The "outsider" he referred to wasn't just referring to art, but also to complete ignorance of what lay behind the curtain.

Their paintings didn't even touch the edge of the curtain, let alone touch the spirituality of others.

This situation left him quite disappointed.

"Your Excellency, your standards are too high."

Behind Anthony, a red-haired female professor pushed up her gold-rimmed monocle and said with a smile.

"Most of these children haven't taken that first step yet; it's already quite good if they can show a bit of inspiration in their paintings."

"Besides, the real geniuses are yet to come."

"I hope so."

Anthony nodded without refuting, his gaze continuing to sweep over the easel in front of him.

Finally, in the third row of paintings.

A painting caught the judges' attention and made them take notice.

In the center of the image is a torn white military flag, the edges of which are filled with charred jagged edges by flames.

The background is the twilight of a battlefield, a mix of dark red and deep gray.

Crushed red and white petals were scattered on the ground.

The judges could all see that this painting was a metaphor for the War of the Red and White Roses.

It was a bloody civil war in Albion.

The warring parties, the House of Lancaster and the House of York, used the red rose and the white rose as their coats of arms, respectively.

Hence the name – "The War of the Red and White Roses".

The war dragged on for more than thirty years.

Ultimately, the Lancaster family won, but not completely.

The new king married Elizabeth of the House of York and combined the red and white roses into the red and white Tudor rose.

This war also left a significant mark on the history of Albion.

But Anthony knew more.

Behind the visible history, the shadow of a veil always remains hidden.

According to some ancient records, the two families were not simply fighting for the throne, but also vying for the direction of the path!

That's right.

Even the same path can have different definitions and forms.

For example, before [Emptiness and Fullness], the pillar god of the Path of Beauty was actually another, more cruel and insane being.

At that time, the path to beauty was not even a legitimate one recognized by the world.

Those who embark on this path often go mad and will stop at nothing to pursue beauty.

For a long time, they were treated as cult members.

This situation only changed when [Xu Ying] came to power.

To make it more inclusive and harmonious.

Both are about pursuing wealth.

The concepts of taking the right path and taking the wrong path are quite different.

The War of the Red and White Roses determined, in fact, the different paths to the same destination.

To dare to choose this as the subject of a painting requires some real skill.

Anthony paused in front of the painting for a moment and asked.

Who is the artist of this painting?

Another bald judge, Reid, flipped through the roster.

"It's Annabella's 'The Ashes of the Rose'."

Annabella?

Anthony raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, this princess seemed to possess the bloodlines of both major families, which explained why she dared to paint this picture.

"The theme is good, but the technique and inspiration are lacking."

"However, there's definitely no problem getting to the final appeal."

Anthony gave a brief assessment and continued walking forward.

Not long after, he saw a special painting.

What's special is...

This painting is exceptionally large!

Due to the time constraints for submissions, most participants opted for small to medium-sized canvases.

But this one is different.

It has a very large area, which can take up almost half a wall.

The content of the painting made Anthony's lips twitch.

This painting is not only large, but also exceptionally rich in content.

It depicts a grand city and the battlefield outside the city.

The city not only has fluttering flags, but also luxurious palaces.

Many nobles dressed in fine clothes were drinking and making merry there;

Meanwhile, on the battlefield outside the city, the flames of war were burning, and the two armies were engaged in fierce fighting.

Judging solely from the content of the painting, there is actually no problem.

The visuals are rich and detailed.

It can be said that it fits the theme of "fire and flag".

But the question is, how was such a large painting, with such detailed content, created in such a short time?

Anthony immediately knew the answer.

That is, to start drawing before the competition topic is even released.

Prepare for six months to a year.

Anyway, as long as you draw enough and the canvas is big enough, you can always relate to the theme.

"How did he even come up with this idea!"

Anthony chuckled and cursed, but his tone wasn't too angry.

The White Canvas Award doesn't particularly shy away from this.

In previous years, there have been contestants who relied on predicting exam questions, but this is the first time he has seen someone win purely by sheer volume.

All I can say is that when you've been a judge for a long time, you're bound to encounter a few oddballs.

Of course, this kind of shortcut is a disadvantage for Anthony.

It can proceed to the final review.

But don't even think about winning the jackpot.

Anthony continued looking at each row.

Several paintings with a touch of brilliance appeared one after another, but none of them had that definitive feel.

Until a painting appeared.