Persona: Devil Summoner

"Besides, being admired and respected by thousands of people is the ultimate pursuit of artists, right? - I am the same. I want money and fame. I also wonder why those people can make a lot of money while I am unknown."

Kitagawa Yusuke said calmly. The more Kawabe Akio listened, the more excited he became. He held Yusuke's hand and said, "I knew it! You agreed! We..."

"No, I'm not going to agree to that."

Kitagawa Yusuke gently pulled his hand out of his palm.

"No, didn't you just say that you also want money and fame?!"

"Yes, I have realized that I am just one of the common people. However, I don't want the small profits gained by such means. If I want to make money, I must become the best painter in Japan, no, the world. If I want fame, I must take the whole world into my pocket. I will conquer everything with my brush, and I will not be satisfied with the hype created by others."

To anyone who heard what Kitagawa Yusuke said, it was just a child's rhetoric, full of young people's unrealistic desires and fantasies. But as soon as Yusuke opened his mouth, Jiang Tianwei couldn't help but start to fantasize with him:

One day in the future, Yusuke will hold an art exhibition all over the world. People of all races, including yellow, white, and black, will wander around the exhibition hall filled with Yusuke's paintings. It doesn't matter if they don't speak the same language, because art and sensibility are the same.

As if frightened by him, Kawanabe Xiaosheng froze, and an indescribable expression appeared on his wrinkled face.

"You, are you serious about this?"

"Of course. I was confused and in pain before, but now I understand. If you had said this to me a few days ago, I would probably have been indignant and scolded you, but now, I understand."

This is not a casual remark.

If you want to transcend human nature, you must first understand human nature.

If one wants to draw the ultimate beauty that will amaze everyone, then as a creator, one must first become the [ultimate human being]. One must understand what a human being is before one can understand what a human being wants to see.

As the saying goes, true beauty is love. No matter how beautiful a garden is, if it is occupied by ignorant insects and voles, they will only treat it as food and will not understand its beauty.

Without [sensibility] and [audience], beauty cannot exist independently.

If you want to pursue the ultimate beauty, you must first explore human nature to its fullest, and finally, transcend human nature. Although Yusuke didn't sleep all night, he now feels more refreshed than ever before.

"As expected of you, Madarame's disciple. That guy's only first-rate vision."

Kawanabe Akio smiled calmly. He did not scold Yusuke, on the contrary, he showed great admiration for Yusuke.

Because...the words he said before were testing him, or rather, testing him, from the very beginning.

Kawanabe Akio was once a fellow traveler with Madarame Ikryusai in the pursuit of art.

But, in the end, they parted ways because of their own interests... and were even suppressed by Madarame.

When he saw Yusuke, who was also a victim of Madarame, he couldn't help but feel that as a victim with the same suffering, he should help him.

But now it seems... this boy has grown much faster than I expected.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 716: It is not shameful to acknowledge the objective facts.

Growth is an eternal topic for mankind.

It doesn't necessarily have to be physical growth, spiritual growth is also a kind of growth.

It is said that children grow up in the blink of an eye, often not referring to the physical level, but the spiritual level.

This is especially true of Yusuke's maturity, he has grown so fast.

When Kawanabe Akio first saw his paintings, his brushstrokes were still just on the surface. And Yusuke himself seemed to be satisfied with such works...

He has seen too many people like this in his long artistic journey.

Whether an artist or an actor, as a public figure, if he is surrounded only by flatterers, then he is doomed.

People have seven emotions and six desires, and there will always be one or two times when they feel "floating". Throughout the ages, no matter how powerful a person is, they will have similar situations. Therefore, there is a way to harm people, called "killing with praise". They will lift you up high and then throw you down hard.

Moreover, in the art world, modern Japanese have an overly "polite" approach to things. When they don't know, understand, know, or have no ability to evaluate something, they prefer to use a gentle approach. For example, when they encounter a painting they don't understand, they prefer to say "very artistic!" instead of "really rubbish!" When they see a painting that is passable but not top-notch, they will say "really amazing", "really beautiful", "great touch".

Such an environment often makes these people complacent and feel that they are good enough. This is why many modern artists have works that look good at first glance, but the more you look at them, the more you feel that something is missing. There are even some people who have debuted as artists without even mastering the basics of human anatomy and composition. Anyway, there are always people who support them.

That's why Kawanabe Akio was prepared to put on a half-black face and give Yusuke a warning.

Including deliberately using worldly and vulgar interests to test Yusuke and stimulate his fighting spirit, but found that in just a month, his spiritual level had grown to this point...

This made him think of Madarame.

Back then, he and Madarame were friends. At least that's what he thought.

In his early years, Madarame was not a bastard full of desire for money. He also had artistic pursuits and aspirations to rewrite the chaotic art circle with his own efforts... But in the end, he was integrated into this big dye vat, and the dragon slayer eventually became the evil dragon.

He was once suppressed by Madarame due to customer base and financial disputes, and completely faded out of the industry until Madarame repented and returned to his old job.

So when he saw Yusuke was confused, he thought about bringing the young man back before he went astray. Unexpectedly, he already had such a guiding light.

"It seems that I don't understand romance. You will definitely succeed."

Kawanabe Akio looked at Yusuke's new mental outlook and understood the young man's awareness.

At the same time, although he had no reason, he could not help but begin to believe that Yusuke would become the top artist he talked about. Now he has this kind of appeal that touches the heart.

"If you encounter any financial difficulties, the Japan Art Support Foundation will always open its doors to you. Yusuke, let me see the world you envision. - Young people are really amazing, haha, how great it would be if you were born fifty years earlier..."

Kawanabe Xiaosheng shook his head and walked into the art gallery silently.

Jiang Tianwei looked at Yusuke, wondering if they should disband if everything was alright. But Yusuke suddenly spoke up: "I have another place to go. Can you accompany me?"

"Of course. Now that I'm here, I'll stick with you till the end, even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire."

“It’s probably somewhere like that.”

"Fuck, are you serious?!"

Of course, Yusuke used a metaphor, he didn't really want to take Jiang Tianwei to the mountain of swords and the sea of ​​fire, but given Jiang Tianwei's ability, he would be more comfortable going to these two places...

Because the two people are now in the prison's meeting room.

Yusuke has no friends in prison, so when he comes here, there is only one person he can see...

Madarame Ikryusai.

Normally, plagiarism does not lead to jail time. Usually, it is a crime that can be settled with money and an apology, and at most, a charge of "eliminating the influence" will be added. However, Madarame's crime also included one more thing: he copied Sayuri himself, and then secretly sold the fake painting to collectors as a real painting, which is definitely suspected of fraud.

Madarame Ichiryusai's mental state was surprisingly good. Jiang Tianwei thought that this person would never recover, but after thinking about it carefully, he had changed his mind and was similar to an ordinary person mentally. Presumably, the labor reform in prison gave him a sense of atonement, and he was mentally relaxed, right?

"I never thought that you would come back to see me, Yusuke...you...look like you've gained some weight."

Yusuke nodded: "Because I have a friend who always treats me to dinner."

"Friends, yes, we should make more friends. We rely on friends when we are out there, and more friends mean more paths to take."

Jiang Tianwei silently watched this pair of master and apprentice who looked like father and son. Who would have thought that one was once a representative of Japanese painting, and the other was now a talented emerging artist, and the two of them would actually communicate about such trivial matters.

"Teacher, how about you? Are you eating well here?"

Yusuke's words made Madarame burst into tears: "Now, are you still willing to call me teacher?"

"Oh, of course. After all, I learned the most important painting skills from you."

In the past, Yusuke might have thought that having such a teacher was a dark history, a past that he couldn't bear to look back on, and an existence that he needed to deny. But now that his horizons have broadened...he is just a past in his life.

There is no need to deny or erase anything specifically, just like the strokes and dots on the Preface to the Lanting Poems. These minor details will not affect its value at all.

"You, you have grown up, you have made it, you are more promising than me and all the artists I know..."

As Madarame spoke, he couldn't help but start crying again. Although the way he cried this time was exactly the same as when he cried at the press conference that year, the emotions behind it were different.

Yusuke silently took out his phone and flipped through a photo. It was a sample photo he took this morning after he finished the painting. Through the glass of the meeting room, the image could be clearly seen by the other party.

It looks similar to the picture Yusuke drew before, of people eating around a table.

But this time, there was no character highlighted, no emotion highlighted, no central idea highlighted, and everything became dull.

Theoretically, this painting should have become mediocre, but it has an eye-catching attraction, making people can't help but associate with the painting and combine it with their own life experiences.

After all, who would go to an art exhibition without also having a dining experience?

There are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people. Now, there are a thousand kinds of Yusuke's paintings in the eyes of a thousand people.

Yusuke finally understood where he was wrong... He was wrong in that he wanted to truly show the "individual" of Master Liu. No, he is not an individual, he is a microcosm of the entire warm and empathetic human nature.

Seeing the big picture from a small detail, and knowing the autumn from a single leaf, is not simply describing a person, but presenting him as a microcosm of human nature...

Therefore, even if the composition and technique are not very different, only the intention has changed, and the painting will be different at that time.

After all, Madarame was once a big shot in the art world. If you want to plagiarize others, the first prerequisite is that you have to have your own aesthetic sense. You have to know which paintings are great and which are worth copying, right?

He recognized the technical content of Yusuke's painting at a glance. Because Madarame himself couldn't help but be attracted by the painting, as if the old man holding the hot soup in the painting was himself, and sitting by the table were his former disciples, with a passion for painting, no confusion, and a firm and energetic smile...

"Yusuke, this, this is what you drew?"

Madarame was crying so hard that he couldn't open his eyes. He realized that he was the one who destroyed this peaceful and happy life with his own hands.

"Ah. I drew it."

"I knew you were a talented person."

"My paintings cannot be expressed with just the pixels of this inferior mobile phone. Come to my art exhibition one day and see it with your own eyes. I will wait for you."

"Ah, I remember, Yusuke, I will definitely, I will definitely make a good change, I will definitely go to your art exhibition and appreciate it..."

The meeting time came, the police took the crying Madarame away, and Yusuke also left with Jiang Tianwei. Neither of them spoke. At this time, the two who had experienced a lot together did not need to speak.

The famous painting "Sayuri" stolen by Madarame once illuminated Kitagawa Yusuke's life.

Now, Kitagawa Yusuke's competition work "Dinner" has also given Madarame faith for the rest of his life.

This can also be considered a kind of inheritance and romance unique to artists, right?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 717 How important it is to have a good father!

What exactly is the so-called trend?

No one can explain it clearly, because some things become popular for no apparent reason and then suddenly disappear.

Perhaps, we can only say that conforming to the perception of most people at the time is a trend, right?

But is the perception of most people necessarily correct?

Moreover, is it really true that the cognition of most people has not been exploited by various parties with ulterior motives?

Shinjima lay weakly on the table of the student union and couldn't help but sigh.

She is not a person who likes to dress up, so naturally she will not follow the trends, let alone start to sigh about trends for no apparent reason. The reason why she has such an idea today is because "China fever" has inexplicably become popular in the student union.

Now, only I and the secretary of the student union are still wearing school uniforms. The other members, the girls all wear cheongsams and buns, and those with short hair have to buy a bun headband to wear. The boys wear Tang suits and Zhongshan suits.

Even when people get together, they discuss Chinese culture.

This one says: "[I want to buy osmanthus flowers and carry wine, so that the king will not come to court early from now on]" and that one says: "[I am not afraid of the floating clouds blocking my view, I want to keep my innocence in the world]", have you recited the ancient poems wrong? Do you know that if you recite like this, the Chinese teacher will call you up and punish you to stand for the whole class!

The boys discussed why the Zhongshan suit is called Zhongshan suit: "Because it is named after a great Chinese man, Shanzhong." "Isn't it Zhongshan?" "Tsk, you are stupid, foreigners' names should be read backwards!" "You must be smart."

This cultural atmosphere, which seems very Chinese at first glance, but is so annoying upon closer inspection, is almost driving Niijima crazy.

Because she has seen serious Chinese students studying abroad, and they are not like this at all!

As for why China fever suddenly broke out...we have to start with the culprit, Jiang Tianwei.

By the way, there is a very cool routine in the old game "Uncharted Waters", which is that you buy a lot of a certain product first, and then go to a place where people may not be interested in this product. You can use various methods to incite popularity here, and then take the opportunity to sell it.

Although what Jiang Tianwei did was not intentional, it did achieve a similar effect.

As mentioned before, Jiang Tianwei and Fang Zexia were going to perform lion dance, and Fang Ze Jin was going to do food tasting. Originally, this should be a normal club activity. But a caring sister suddenly had an idea: "I say, my dear sister, if you cook in traditional Chinese clothes, wouldn't it be better to show your charm?"

Well, it's easy to imagine that for Japanese people, the so-called Chinese style is cheongsam and buns. This stereotype is just like when you mention Americans, you think of white people. (In fact, Americans have all kinds of skin colors...)

In short, based on what her sister said, Jin was a sensible child and listened to her sister's words. She immediately put on a violet-toned Chinese cheongsam.

Back then, cheongsam was once a popular fashion in China. It is said that this women's clothing promoted by the Manchus can highlight the beauty of women's lines and curves, and can highlight the charm of women to the greatest extent.

This can be seen from the fact that after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, China continued to be fond of cheongsam for a long time. Indeed, at least the male friends at that time agreed with this view.

As an artistic gymnast, Sumire Yoshizawa is naturally graceful and elegant. It is only because she is not an actress that she would be described by the Japanese media as a "beautiful girl who appears once every thousand years". Such a beauty, combined with a cheongsam, is extremely lethal!

Originally, it was nothing for couples to wear this dress occasionally to show their romance!

But the problem is that Sumire Yoshizawa actually wore the cheongsam under her school uniform to save time. On this day, there happened to be a physical education class. So when Sumire Yoshizawa changed her clothes, she was naturally seen by her classmates. She was wearing a cheongsam under her school uniform, which attracted attention at the time.

Everyone knows that Jiang Tianwei is Chinese, a phantom thief, and he started his own club. But back then, no one was very interested in Chinese culture, and now it's too late to start being interested, because the club is not recruiting people. So we can only envy the only one who joined the club, Sumire Yoshizawa.

Today, when we saw Sumire Yoshizawa wearing such an outfit, we were all excited. It was clear in everyone's mind that this meant that Kaito Brother liked this kind of outfit!