The Versatile Master Artist

Uncle Sakai’s suggestion—their paper should present a most eye-catching hypothesis concerning Carol’s true identity to enhance the paper’s value and fill its pages.

In plain terms, it means making as big a splash as possible.

Camille is the wife of the most renowned artist of Impressionism, Monet, and the subject chosen under the guidance of Professor Yajima for Koizumi Katsuko.

In comparison,

the mistress of an unknown small studio... seems indeed too ordinary.

”Do you have any reason to insist on doing this?”

Koizumi Katsuko slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.

To gather enough seemingly plausible evidence for the paper, she put in considerable effort, finally arranging the timeline of Camille and Monet’s time abroad logically.

”The main reason is we haven’t found any record of Camille doing anything besides art modeling. With her relationship to Monet, something like that would surely have been documented.”

Gu Weijing put down the notebook and retrieved relevant data from the document manager on his tablet.

”I did notice in a letter from Degas to a friend, he inadvertently mentioned that the owner of the studio at 203 Licorice Street was a noblewoman whose talent was astonishing, with hair like dawn... her brushwork was dreamlike and grand like ukiyo-e. Perhaps one day, her work could change the Parisians’ stereotypical view of female painters.”

The daily letters of these great painters, as research materials, have already been meticulously organized and published by later generations.

Finding this document content wasn’t difficult for Gu Weijing.

”Dreamlike and grand, like ukiyo-e... does it make you think of anything?”

Gu Weijing smiled.

In the late nineteenth century, ukiyo-e swept through Europe.

The mysterious and fresh Eastern Art deeply influenced Impressionist painters.

Monet even constructed an Eastern-style garden, inspired by ukiyo-e, in his home, with a wooden bridge spanning a pond filled with water lilies,

where his famous work ”Water Lilies” was born.

Oil paintings in the ukiyo-e style were a key feature in the early formation of Impressionism.

”But...”

Koizumi Katsuko lightly bit her lips, as if wanting to say something.

”At first, I thought Degas was talking about Miss Mary, but after checking the Paris Telegraph Company’s register list at the time, I found that the studio at 203 Licorice Street was rented by someone named Kara.”

Gu Weijing looked directly into Koizumi Katsuko’s eyes.

”Miss Shengzi, knowing Degas, possessing hair like dawn, astonishing talent, Impressionist painting techniques. With these conditions combined, I believe we are very close to the truth. At least, her likelihood of being Carol is much greater than Monet’s lover. Don’t you think so?”

”But she’s not called Carol.”

”The spelling difference between Monet’s lover Camille and Carol is not small either. Initially, we explained it as a nickname, which is not uncommon in art signatures, though not prevalent.”

Koizumi Katsuko shook her head and sighed, ”This is a choice made out of necessity. Ever since I started preparing to write the paper, I have diligently looked through all available related materials. There is no target that completely fits the name Carol.”

”Now, why the signature is not Kara, but Carol—this question is also explainable. Considering the social atmosphere at the time, the possibility of a young noblewoman wanting to be a painter without using her real name was quite high.”

Gu Weijing pointed to a line in the telegraph register.

”Shengzi, look here, the owner of the studio at 203 Licorice Street left no surname other than the name Kara, unlike other registrants, which aligns with this hypothesis, doesn’t it?”

”But...”

Koizumi Katsuko looked back at Gu Weijing, ”Sorry, I don’t quite understand, why do you care so much about the true identity of this female painter?”

Is the true identity of the painter Carol important?

Important, yet not important.

For the value of this paper in the eyes of reviewers and the public, her identity is important.

But for whether this person indeed painted the ”Old Church on a Stormy Day,” it’s actually not that important.

Whether it’s judges or collectors.

What people need is just an identity.

”Even if this article exposes, the possibility of truly verifying the identity of the painting’s owner is not high. Such matters are not rare in the art world. The usual practice is to associate it with the biggest name available.”

Koizumi Katsuko seriously reminded the young man next to her.

”If this painting is by Monet’s wife, or by an unheard-of small painter named Kara, the market’s reactions would be entirely different. Even for that famous ”Salvator Mundi” by Da Vinci, the true author is uncertain. But both buyers and sellers prefer to treat it as the great painter’s authentic work; we all understand the reasons.”

”Don’t hold any reservations in your heart, this does not count as academic fraud. Everyone, whether scholars, auction houses, or art galleries, operates this way. No one would sacrifice substantial benefits for a little personal perseverance.”

She bowed her head and spoke softly.

The Salvator Mundi Miss Shengzi mentioned,

translates to ”Savior.”