The Versatile Master Artist

”What do you mean?”

”What else? Just try to please her as much as possible.”

”I guess they’ll ask you to talk about your creative mood, the inspiration and essence or something, just say how you painted. If necessary, you can also mention that more of your works will be showcased at Ma Shi Gallery... never mind.”

Hanks hesitated for a moment and then changed his mind, ”Let’s not say that yet, at least not during the first conversation. It would make you seem too eager to latch onto their wallet.”

”Got it. Wish for their support but don’t express it right away, that would be too blunt,” Gu Tongxiang nodded.

As an old man who has seen the ups and downs in Southeast Asia, he didn’t really need Hanks, this young kid, to teach him how to deal with people.

”Exactly, anyway, maintaining good relationships with big buyers like this only has benefits.” Hanks chuckled twice over the phone. ”Back when you ran a gallery, you’d also keep contact information for generous customers, maintaining those relationships, building your base, it’s the same thing now.”

Gu Tongxiang fully understood the intention behind Hanks’ call.

Not only is being an artist a profession where connections are king, but galleries are also a people’s business.

Gagosian Gallery, Ma Shi Gallery, these top-tier galleries in the industry, their biggest asset is not their nine or ten-figure annual sales.

It’s a list of big buyers with whom the gallery maintains good relationships and transaction records.

On Gu Tongxiang’s most pinned contacts on WhatsApp and WeChat is a counselor from the South African embassy in Johannesburg and a gem merchant from Dongxia. These gentlemen once supported Gu Weijing and Gu Lin’s Fitz tuition for several years.

The South African counselor later got promoted and went to Russia, losing this big client who loved Eastern art was really a pity for old man Gu.

”I thought becoming a contracted painter for Ma Shi Gallery would be somewhat different... like, cooler.” Gu Tongxiang shook his head.

”We’re indeed pretty aloof with ordinary buyers, but except for the real bigwigs. You haven’t seen how big boss Ma Shi III is at some high-profile social banquets, like a giant butterfly spreading pollen wildly, constantly exchanging phone numbers, and promoting the gallery, after all, connections are wealth.”

Hanks chuckled twice and said, ”It’s just that galleries like us have bigger ambitions. Mr. Gu, you used to add clients on WeChat to sell paintings worth a few hundred US dollars more. Our ultimate goal now is to see if she could fund you to have a solo exhibition or something.”

”Do you know who bought your work?” On the other end of the phone, Hanks licked his lips, ”It’s Miss Anna Ilina, the one from ’Oil Painting’ magazine, Ilina.”

Actually, it’s rare for collectors to directly add painters on social media.

Even ordinary white-collar middle class, if they’re willing to buy paintings from Ma Shi Gallery, don’t deserve the painter’s contact information.

The true big buyers value their privacy, and the gallery wants to but doesn’t dare to disturb them.

Even Hanks only knew that the buyer was a super VIP until the other side took the initiative to contact, he learned her specific identity.

The one who bought Gu Tongxiang’s ’Peony Painting’ turned out to be Miss Ilina, currently caught in the center of the storm of public opinion in the art world.

This isn’t a bad thing.

No matter the final outcome of the debate between Miss Ilina and the management of ’Oil Painting’ magazine.

The Ilyena family’s wallet is just as tempting as ever.

”It’s that family huh.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Tongxiang paid his respects.

He didn’t expect to have direct contact with such a legendary figure in art history during his lifetime.

”So, seize the opportunity! You don’t realize how rare it is for them to buy a work from an unknown... objectively speaking, no malice... small-time painter like you and actively want to understand the painter personally. Just the money from the cracks of her fingers would suffice for you to host a solo exhibition.”

”Unfortunately, your luck hasn’t been great either, I hear that Miss Ilina has had a falling out with the editor-in-chief Sir Brown of ’Oil Painting’ magazine. In the past, if you could get a few hundred words of editorial recommendation in the visual arts section of the main issue, that would have been truly profitable.”

When the call ended, Hanks’ tone was still somewhat regretful.

After ending the call with his agent, Gu Tongxiang decided not to wash the car.

The old man leaned against the car door, first took out his phone to Google Anna Ilina’s name.

”This young lady is really striking, so it’s her.”

Gu Tongxiang smoothed his hair.

Even though an elderly person’s memory isn’t the best, after seeing a few media photos, he immediately remembered the YouTube video content he saw on his home internet TV a few months ago.

When a girl is this beautiful, and she’s in a wheelchair, it’s somewhat hard to intentionally forget.

Old Gu sniffed, his back moved like an old caterpillar, happily wriggling against the car door several times.

It’s not that old man Gu is secretly lascivious or inappropriate for his age, he didn’t have any other thoughts.

Just purely feeling smug.

As they say, the talented man and the beautiful lady, throughout history and across the globe.

In the life dramas of great artists, there are always stories where they conquer beautiful women with their talent.

Su Shi and Wang Wei, these pinnacle literary painters of Dongxia, were historically quite popular with women, especially charming to noble ladies.