The Versatile Master Artist

But if it’s a likeness in the ordinary sense, this standard is really too low for professional painters.

What is a basic likeness then?

Nowadays, there are quite a few oil painting villages around the world.

These villages rely on specialized reproduction of oil paintings for a living. Many workers have never attended school, working in three shifts every day, with bare shoulders crowded into cramped, stuffy studios, earning meager wages to copy famous paintings like Van Gogh’s self-portrait.

The work process presents factory-like assembly line management. Some people are responsible for painting eyebrows, and after finishing the eyebrows, they pass the painting to the next person to paint the eyes, then pass it again for the nose.

A single village can produce over a hundred thousand ”self-portraits” in a year, accounting for more than ninety-five percent of the Van Gogh reproductions circulating online worldwide.

These paintings look similar to ordinary people.

But if professional painters also reproduce works to this standard, then the aesthetic education they underwent would have no meaning.

Reproduction is a cross-temporal pursuit, a feeling both real and dreamy.

The pursuit should be of a resemblance in essence.

Not likeness, but truth.

When a painter feels as if a predecessor from a hundred years ago has stepped out from the canvas, standing behind you, holding your hand and painting together.

When your thoughts, your mood, your heartbeat merge with theirs.

Then your reproduction skills have truly matured.

Gu Weijing is still quite far from this standard.

He feels that for his first reproduction, to achieve over twenty percent resemblance rating this time, it’s largely thanks to his decent sketch skills.

Also, with the aid of calligraphy and painting identification skill, he’s grasped the formula for pairing purple-grey tones like those during a thunderstorm.

As for the main colors of the building’s details—here the color changes are more complex and precise than the expansive purple-grey palette of thunderstorm skies.

No need to speak of what progress another use of calligraphy and painting identification skill might bring.

Gu Weijing’s faintly aching temples tell him that if he appreciates tier two grandmasters’ artworks three times a day, he might end up being carted to the hospital by ambulance again.

If this continues, Gu Weijing truly fears he won’t hold up mentally; the grandmaster hasn’t been reproduced yet, and he might end up becoming a lunatic first.

Gu Weijing clicked to claim the basic treasure chest.

As the chest opened, a knowledge card popped out.

[Item: ”Royal Court Dance Step Diagram” — Louis XV]

[Quality: Knowledge Card]

[Special Effect: Upon acquiring knowledge type cards, you will instantly comprehend and understand the corresponding content.]

[Equipment Requirements: None]

[Description: Court life, until the twentieth century, has always been an essential component of oil painting. Court dances are known for their graceful postures and sumptuous clothing, long being a focus in Rococo style paintings. Without good dance foundation, one cannot become a good imperial painter.]

[Note: After my death, who cares if the floodwaters are high... I may not be a good emperor, but in dancing, I am a professional.]

To paint the human body requires learning anatomy; painters of ”Wrestler” have truly wrestled; for oil paintings of professional topics, having a professional foundation indeed feels completely different.

Especially when painting classical dance parties, the rotation of ankle muscles, the exchange of glances between characters, these cannot be recreated without truly having danced.

”The dance guide provided by Louis XV, in a sense, really meets professional standards.”

Gu Weijing couldn’t help but comment on the system’s dark humor.

This Emperor Louis XV was known throughout his life for his romantic and gifted nature, famous for loving grand balls and pretty mistresses. He held countless balls and salons, ultimately leading the Bourbon dynasty to ruin.

Although it was his successor Louis XVI and Queen Mary who went to the guillotine, most historians believe the decline of the Bourbon dynasty began with Louis XV, earning him the reputation of the French version of Emperor Huizong of Song.

However, devious as he was, Gu Weijing still cheerfully pocketed the knowledge card.

Painters of professional subjects have always been esteemed; this kind of knowledge is like Professor Lin Tao’s casually jotted notebook of painting references, the more, the better.

You might not always need it, but when you do, having it or not makes a qualitative difference.

...

The next morning at Gu’s Painting and Calligraphy Gallery, there came three unexpected visitors.

”Oh, Professor Yajima, what brings you here?”

Gu Tongxiang, who was minding the shop behind the counter, blinked.

Once he donned his reading glasses and confirmed that the large blob he thought he saw in his gallery was actually a person, he quickly walked over in delight.

He grasped Uncle Sakai’s plump hand: ”An honor, an honor, welcome.”

To have an artist of this caliber appear in their small gallery is as precious as a giant panda.

Despite Uncle Sakai’s rotund appearance like a ball,

when he steps into any small gallery corners of the world, he attracts attention more than handsome men and women.

Like ancient poets entering a brothel, as an analogy, being welcomed.

Whether it’s for writing inscriptions or taking photos, even a picture of him simply admiring the paintings in the store is a silent advertisement.

Even tips written by Picasso for a coffee shop can sell for a few hundred dollars.

The luckiest was a Brazilian hotel that once housed Ligia Clark, the founder of new realism, who casually painted on its wall, now worth seventy thousand dollars.

Uncle Sakai didn’t reply; he was staring at a painting on a display in the gallery, in a trance-like state.

”Hmm... this is your family’s shop.”

It seemed Uncle Sakai finally had enough of looking at the painting.

He turned his head, looked at Gu Tongxiang, his face showing a playful smile: ”So, the one who bought a painting at the calligraphy and painting market yesterday was Gu Weijing?”

Gu Tongxiang was taken aback,

He knew his grandson spent two thousand five hundred US dollars to buy an oil painting yesterday afternoon.

But he didn’t inquire about the specific buying process.

This money was meant for his grandson’s practice, whether the purchase was a loss or a gain, all left to his grandson to handle.

Only his elder son returned home with a peculiar look on his face, appearing as if wanting to say something but ultimately said nothing.

”My father saw a fine piece at Yangon’s calligraphy night market, but it was bought out by a young student-like individual.”

Professor Yajima’s companion, Yakai Gangchang, softly explained the situation: ”My father came today because, before leaving Yangon, he wants another look at that painting.”

Yakai Gangchang spoke with a very complex tone, following the gallery address given by the translation lady to Boss Wu hosting the market, unexpectedly leading them to Gu’s Calligraphy and Painting Shop.

Koizumi Katsuko didn’t speak,

Her entire focus was captivated by the two oil paintings hanging and drying in the gallery.

One oil painting depicted a realistic car model, which Koizumi Katsuko felt was in a class with clear advantages and disadvantages.

The whole oil painting’s spatial composition was excellent, but the brushwork was not mature, and the use of color seemed quite average. Perhaps it’s decent, but Koizumi Katsuko had seen too many excellent painters, making it less noteworthy.

The second painting... was much more interesting.

This was an extremely rare impressionist painting with a dark and somber palette, its background cohesive yet not scattered; especially the base colors, very imaginative.

”Can you see what this painting shows?”

Uncle Sakai noticed his daughter’s gaze and asked softly.

”It’s an impressionist painting. It’s curious, why would someone use such dark tones? This completely conflicts with the concept of Impressionism; wouldn’t using classical techniques with glazing and whitening be much better?”

Yakai Gangchang looked at the oil painting, rubbed his chin and commented.

”Clouds.”

Koizumi Katsuko was noticeably more straight to the point.

She had been staring at this painting, contemplating deeply.

A painting often has its foreground and theme infused with more of the artist’s effort, but this oil painting completely reverses that.

The sculpting of the cathedral as the subject of the oil painting is done well enough, but pales in comparison to the thunderclouds in the sky.

These clouds that seem to have flow...

How exactly is it depicted?