The Versatile Master Artist

Gu Weijing closed his eyes and felt the rich content covered in this ”Essence of New Style Painting” provided by the system.

Brush holding techniques for Chinese paintings, oil painting brushes, color mixing, brush usage, focal perspective...

An immense amount of information flowed through his mind,

causing colorful illusions to appear before his eyes, as if he had walked into the Forbidden City of the Qing Palace three hundred years ago, witnessing firsthand how the foreign painter, granted the Third-Grade Imperial Hat with Peacock Feather by Emperor Qianlong, created his artwork.

The ”Mojie’s Handwriting” that Wang Wei once gifted him.

That book was more like a collection of literary notes from traditional Dongxia scholar-officials, brimming with literary charm.

Though it contained some insightful painting tips,

it was still far less comprehensive and detailed in explaining the painting techniques of Lang Shining’s works compared to this ”Essence of New Style Painting.”

The works of Lang Shining, as an imperial painter, were systematically preserved, akin to official kiln porcelain, rarely reaching the folk.

Therefore, the Forbidden Cities of Taiwan and Mainland Dongxia, as well as museums in the United States, Japan, and France, have preserved more than ninety percent of Lang Shining’s artworks, most of which are well kept.

There is no shortage of experts and scholars specializing in studying the techniques of New Style Painting both domestically and abroad.

However, whether to reconstruct painting techniques from completed artworks or to study the painter’s own insights,

the difficulty of both approaches differs significantly.

The rich colors and magnificent visual impressions of the artworks are woven from the most intricate brushwork.

To reverse-engineer them is like deducing how the first violinist gently plucks the hair-thin strings in a grand symphony.

It’s not entirely impossible, but exceedingly difficult.

In history, there are quite a few painting techniques from which paintings remain but the techniques themselves have been lost.

Chinese painting’s double hook and heavy color techniques, certain pigment formulas of Western egg tempera, light perspective techniques from the Renaissance...

Some are lost due to wars, others due to intricate skills, some because of obscure sects keeping to themselves, or simply because certain pigment minerals were depleted centuries ago.

Leaving later scholars in futile sighs, racking their brains to deduce and restore.

Gu Weijing didn’t know either,

whether this artistic theoretical work was a reconstruction and summary by the system based on Lang Shining’s artworks, or if the artist Lang Shining actually wrote down his insights, then got lost in history unknown to outsiders.

The specific painting techniques of Lang Shining himself seemed like a black box.

The literature records many of his painting characteristics—”grand scenes, blended brushwork, detailed paintings, no flawed strokes,” and so on.

Yet, detailed painting techniques are hardly recorded.

In the memoirs of Nian Xiyao, the vice minister of works and a great painter from the Qing Dynasty, he mentioned learning Western heavy color techniques alongside Lang Shining, gaining much benefit.

And in the ”Qing Daily Life Records,” it was recorded that Qianlong once ordered, ”Select six intelligent and bright children from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to learn sketching alongside (Lang) Shining, these painting techniques are quite sophisticated and refreshing, they should not be lost.”

Later generations can only find these fragmented historical records, sparking endless imagination.

Gu Weijing deeply understood the preciousness of this reward from the system.

In Dongxia history, professional art ”textbooks” were actually very rare.

The famous ”Painting Scripture” and ”Six Painting Techniques” more often than not just described artistic philosophy on a macro level rather than teaching techniques.

To learn something real.

Either be born with good fortune.

Or serve five to eight years bearing tea and water as a painting boy with a teacher, then become an apprentice for a few more years, finally testing one’s character, passing multiple trials, and even being considered fortunate if a great painter accepts five or six true disciples in his lifetime.

A disciple was more important than a son.

This is why Elder Cao’s acceptance of disciples would be a groundbreaking event in the art circle.

In ancient times, when literati or painters of the scholar-official class accepted their last disciples, even the emperor might pay attention.

Imperial painters who relied entirely on painting for a living were even less inclined to teach their unique skills to others.

Passing from father to son, son to grandson, inheriting the iron rice bowl.

As long as the craft isn’t lost, they won’t starve.

Until when Gu Weijing learned painting as a child, his grandfather taught him the family-inherited Chinese painting techniques, not that they were extremely profound, but even the uncle who wasn’t in the profession wasn’t allowed to listen.

This meticulous and detailed ”Essence of New Style Painting” explaining painting techniques is undoubtedly worth a fortune.

In ancient times, just comprehending this book was enough for a top painter to found a sect. In martial arts novels, this would be akin to a peerless manual capable of causing storms in the martial world.

With this book,

the sense of disconnect troubling his fusion painting style should now have a solution.

Gu Weijing suppressed the excitement within, quickly discarding all random thoughts from his mind, calming down.

He knew,

the system provided only a Knowledge Card, not a one-stop skillset.

Understanding how to paint and actually painting vividly on paper often requires extremely tedious practice and effort.

The tips in the ”Mojie’s Handwriting” were more experiential than technical.

Take stirring vermillion with a finger, for example; discovering this trick requires a wealth of experience, but once known, even a kindergartener can easily do it.

Even so,

Gu Weijing spent a whole afternoon just mixing the right color for the ”Buddha Worship and Protection Painting” mural.