The Versatile Master Artist

The amazing thing is that cat.

That... Amy.

Even if it’s himself.

In the work ”Greenfield Miracle,” all the characters depicted are anthropomorphic cartoon cats, and the adorable image conveyed by the cat in this piece is so natural that it resembles a lifelike real cat almost indistinguishably.

Some innate qualities are hard for virtual cartoon characters to express.

The curious yet close expression when meeting the young owner, the little gesture of sniffing lightly at Tony’s scalp.

Jean Arnou really felt, as if he had traveled through decades of time in a trance.

That year, he had just finalized a five-year contract with the Scholastic Group in New York, but received a call from his wife, informing him that their four-year-old son had been diagnosed with autism, so he hurriedly canceled the signing banquet and flew back home.

His heart was full of concern for his son, who was as indifferent to the surroundings as a sculpture.

When the car stopped in front of the house, he found Tony sitting on the freshly mowed lawn, with a small ball beside him and a kitten playing on his head.

He captured this scene casually with a camera he carried in his briefcase, intended for source material photography.

This picture seems like a spell that can reverse time and bring yesterday back to life.

The illustrator widened his eyes, everything in his memory seemed vivid in front of the Detective Cat’s brushwork.

He could almost faintly perceive the slightly pungent spring smell of grass and leaves freshly cut by the mower at his nose.

It was as if, in the next moment, the cat on the TV screen would meow at the camera.

”The one in the painting... it’s really my son’s Amy.”

The illustrator sighed.

Is art really capable of portraying the unique spirit of every animal so meticulously and vividly!

How deeply must one understand cats to create such a work?

Is it practice or talent?

If it’s practice, Jean Arnou is very keen to know the secret of the other party’s practice.

If it’s talent—perhaps they grew up among cats, no... they created this just from a photo and paper resources.

To put it in more of a two-dimensional term, it’s as if the painter has become a cat-person spirit transformed.

The illustrator is convinced.

”Detective Cat, Detective Cat, no wonder they chose this online name for themselves, truly a cat-like little girl.”

Detective Cat’s personal profile on FIVERR states that she is already over thirty years old.

In terms of age and status, Jean Arnou still qualifies to call her a little girl.

”If only I had such skill in painting cats...”

Otherwise, if the Andersen Award could be won more than once in a lifetime, it would have to be renamed the Jean Arnou Award. If he were to do animal collaborations with companies like Pop Mart, Disney, and Uniqlo, he might even become the second Andy Warhol in terms of money-making ability.

Jean Arnou even feels that such an animated level of cat painting that could steal numerous young girls’ hearts is somewhat wasted in the hands of a small painter like Detective Cat.

No matter how good painting knife painting is, it remains a niche technique.

To paint small animals so vividly, Jean Arnou can’t help but feel envious.

One might say no artist within the illustration industry wouldn’t feel envious or jealous.

”Otherwise, see if there’s a way to recruit her to my illustration studio?” The illustrator’s heart skipped a beat.

Jean Arnou certainly has his own painting studio, but it’s different from the Villerein Studio model.

Villerien has a larger scale, with nearly ten painter employees, similar to a contractor model, doing publication illustrations, movie posters, advertisement designs, game artwork; they rely on Villerein’s fame and connections to attract commissions, accepting any kind of job.

Villerein not only paints themselves but also distributes tasks to their subordinate painters, offering appropriate compensation or commissions.

This is currently the most common operating model for illustration studios.

But Jean Arnou is too unique for this.

He is the best illustrator alive, a massive commercial IP, and a living advertisement in himself.

Basically, all clients who find the studio are those willing to pay a substantial multiple of the contract premium solely for the chance to work with the illustrator himself.

In other words, clients come specifically for him, and only want him.

As a result, his studio has only himself as a painter, with the rest being support staff.

The staff mostly do assistant-like work.

If an illustrator suddenly hires a painter, it’s big news within the industry.

Such a thought merely flashed across Jean Arnou’s mind before being dismissed.

To recruit Detective Cat, what would she be positioned as—a worker? Or a partner?

If she were an employee working for him.

Would Detective Cat be willing?

From what Jean Arnou knows from insider info, her ”Little Prince” in the Scholastic Group could earn astronomical rewards.

How much salary would he have to offer to tempt her?

If she were a partner, just because she’s good at painting cats, wouldn’t that seem a bit undeserved?

He is very aware that Detective Cat is still firmly tagged with the negative influence from the ”Oil Painting” magazine, which is also a huge problem.

Better to think it over again.

The illustrator refocused his attention back on his son.

The moment this work appeared on screen, Tony’s demeanor had already changed.

He gazes nostalgically and thoughtfully at the little cat in the artwork, his gray eyes showing a depth uncharacteristic of an autistic child.

”Amy... Reinke, Belanov, Maradona... play ball.” Tony mutters slowly.

”What’s he saying?” Anya asked curiously.

”Seems like the names of soccer stars.” Dr. Jin Anqing, who played soccer during university, speculated, ”They should be very old stars.”

”Stars from the 1986 World Cup, Maradona and Reinke with a Golden Boot and a Golden Globe, while Belanov, known as the Soviet Lightning, scored a hat-trick against Belgium. When Amy came to our home, it was just in time for the World Cup. The TV and radio in New Zealand kept repeating these names over and over until they wore calluses on the ears.”

”At the time, I remember the doctor suggesting that Tony should be more integrated into the outside world, so sports radio often played beside him, and the servant accompanied Tony and Amy in playing table soccer on the lawn.” The master illustrator spoke softly, ”So many years have passed, I never thought Tony still remembered.”

How many people can clearly recall things that happened at four or five years of age?

30-year-old memories are so distant, even Jean Arnou’s mind is blurry about them, yet this middle-aged man with intellectual issues can still remember the stories of playing table soccer with a cat in his youth.

Possibly,

This mother cat named Amy truly lit up his childhood life, didn’t it?

”Play ball.”

Tony moved closer to the TV screen, reaching out with a soft call.

Unfortunately.

No matter how realistic a painted work is, it can never have a kitten jump out of the screen to push the ball with him again.

Tony reached out, trying to touch the cat’s fur, but only felt a flat TV screen.

Jean Arnou gently waved his hand.

The sketches on TV started rolling one after another.

Except for the lack of black-and-white philosophical comparisons, it’s completely a mold of Professor Borges’ artwork approach.

The shifting light and shadow on the TV mirrored on everyone’s face in the sitting room.

Since everyone had already seen the professor’s ”Amy,” everyone was familiar with this series’ format, and they were quiet while appreciating it.

Only Tony occasionally mumbled some words unknown to everyone.

The assistant managing the broadcast calculated a bit.

Actually, so far, using this electronic image as the standard for comparison with Professor Borges’ works, there haven’t been any decisive wins between the two pieces.

Detective Cat’s work excels in realism, while Borges excels in intentions.

In layman’s terms.

In terms of expressiveness, Detective Cat’s work is better and more liked by Tony.

But if this is an art competition or Biennale selection, the prize will most likely go to Professor Borges.