The Versatile Master Artist

”Of course, this is a great achievement, but the old man always says privately that it’s because he lived the longest. But, don’t misunderstand, the teacher is certainly a greater artist than Dali and Andy Warhol, and a hundred years from now people will understand this.”

Tang Ning pointed to the camera with a flair for the lens.

The reporter laughed loudly: ”Sorry, you know we are a neutral art media, and we can’t agree with such a ’sensational’ statement. Of course, I can’t deny that how this question is answered probably really has to wait for people a hundred years from now.”

”But no matter what is said, a Grandmaster who inherited 19th-century Guangxu Period painting techniques, whose painting peak continued from the 20th century into the 21st century, and can only possibly be definitively assessed in the 22nd century, is rare indeed.”

The painters from Mr. Cao’s school are quite long-lived.

Tang Ning’s master’s master became famous during the Guangxu of Late Qing Dynasty, and Mr. Cao, like Tang Ning, was the youngest among his generation of senior brothers and sisters.

Three generations of master and disciples holding hands, directly connecting to Van Gogh; such a thing can’t be found elsewhere in art history.

The reporter sighed: ”An artistic influence spanning a four-hundred-year history, alive and posthumously, as a Grandmaster. Just this fact alone is enough to make Cao Xuan a symbol, one of the greatest names in art history, isn’t it?”

”The painting masters of the Renaissance period are only five hundred years away from us.”

This statement is both a compliment and genuine emotion.

[My teacher is stronger than Dali and Andy Warhol]—this sentence spoken by an ordinary person would be considered just the wild dreams of a sensational lunatic.

Praised by a painting master worth tens of millions of US Dollars about their teacher, a Grandmaster worth billions of US Dollars. It only sounds imposing.

Not convinced?

The auction house and gallery are right there, anyone not convinced can go ahead and paint.

”Sorry, I cannot agree with your perspective.”

To everyone’s surprise, Tang Ning shook her head.

”You mentioned inheriting 19th-century Guangxu Period painting techniques; no, this statement is incorrect.”

The round-faced woman stared at the reporter’s astonished face and smiled: ”Closer speaking, our school’s landscapes, birds, and flowers ink style originate from Song Dynasty Su Dongpo combining calligraphy structure with painting brushwork, founding the scholarly painting format; from Su Shi, Mi Di to Yuan Dynasty’s Zhao Mengfu, Huang Gongwang, Ming and Qing’s Dai Jin, Chen Hongshou, Eight Great Mountains, down to my teacher Cao Xuan—over thirty masters—this spans a thousand years.”

”Speaking further back, it can be traced to Yan Liben’s grand ink work, Wang Moji’s birds and fragrance painting, Gu Kaizhi’s spring silkworm spinning, guarding form and spirit—it can be said that the entire five thousand years of national sentiment are hidden in a single paintbrush, which is a depth of history the Western art world can only envy.”

”Whether it’s five thousand years against four hundred, or a thousand years against four hundred, it’s not a lot.”

Tang Ning shrugged: ”What is the Renaissance? Our painting has to be discussed for at least another thousand years.”

The reporter and Tang Ning looked at each other again, bursting into laughter.

”Excellent, this argument is truly exceptional. If you don’t mind, I’d like to place it at the beginning of the column interview.”

The Asia editor of Oil Painting gently applauded.

”Let’s talk about the influence your master had on you. Six years ago at the birthday banquet, Mr. Cao held your hand and wrote the characters for ’longevity’ and ’calm’ on the table. This photo was captured by us.”

The reporter picked up an issue of Oil Painting from six years ago from the table beside him.

”I remember that was your first appearance on the cover of our Oil Painting—”

”Yes, around the millennium, I almost became the youngest cover person in history for Oil Painting, regrettably—” Tang Ning interjected.

The youngest record for a cover person on Oil Painting belongs to an Italian painter who was also the youngest award winner at the Venice Biennale in history.

Won the award at 27 years old.

That Venice Biennale received significant criticism over the years.

There have always been comments suggesting the jury favored local artists and that he won due to his local registration advantage.

Tang Ning was once just a hair away from breaking that record.

At 21, she won the gold medal at the Shanghai Biennale, and Oil Painting almost chose her as the cover person at that time; the interview was complete.

Unfortunately, at the last moment, feeling she was still too inexperienced, she was replaced and put in the secondary publication.

”Indeed, the events of those years were truly unfortunate, never expected you’d remember it for so long.” The host smiled wryly.

”No, I do not regret it at all. Of course, you should regret replacing me; otherwise, it should have been another fine story in the legendary history of Oil Painting magazine.”

Tang Ning said calmly: ”That’s your loss.”

”Well, the Chief Editor Chen who made the decision then is already retired, otherwise I would have suggested to Sir Brown that he fire my superior.” The reporter chuckled humorously, ”At least rest assured, this time no one will replace your cover piece.”

He was not angered at all by the aggressiveness in Tang Ning’s words.

Some people are truly born to make big money.

Tang Ning’s youth advantage not only lies in being Master Cao’s last disciple.

Compared to Lin Tao who has aged over the years, already resembling an old man and woman among the senior brothers and sisters, she is more adept at dealing with the internet era and media.

Powerful, imposing, confident.

These days, who doesn’t enjoy interviewing the more talked-about great artist?

If the spotlight doesn’t revolve around them, who does it revolve around?

”Let me return to the earlier topic. Back then, when that photo was seen, the critics almost unanimously labeled it ’inheritance’, an older generation master holding the hand of the next generation master.”

The reporter clicked his tongue: ”It’s comparable to the classic photo on the pitch where Ronaldo carried Messi, one king carrying another. Only at that time did the media speculate this way. Six years later, we saw the real result—a miracle.”

”A single auction of 2.6 billion Hong Kong Dollars, a single work for 54 million Hong Kong Dollars, a miracle.”

”To this day, Master Cao Xuan has officially announced stepping down, and you have almost become the highest valued among the mid-generation painters.” The reporter inquired: ”Can I say that from today, you have officially picked up the paintbrush from Mr. Cao’s hand and, as his last disciple, have formally become his successor in art?”

The reporter originally thought the answer was obvious; this was just a response that followed logically.

In the lens, Lady Tang Ning became silent.

No one knows what she was thinking.

People could only see the intense twitching of her brows, the few times she wanted to speak.

After a long while.

”Of course...” Tang Ning seemed to finally have made up her mind.

She raised her head and looked directly at the camera: ”This statement is not wrong.”

The round-faced female artist seemed to be answering the reporter’s question, though she was perhaps speaking to someone else far away.

”I am the old man’s heir.”

On the round-faced female artist’s face appeared confidence and pride; she softly said: ”It must be me, who else could it be other than me!”

From the perspective of social status, Tang Ning is already the most accomplished among her master siblings.

From the perspective of private relationships.

Tang Ning is also the closest disciple and youngest to Mr. Cao Xuan. When she was running around as a young girl, she was sent by family elders into the guidance of Grandmaster Cao Xuan.

All these years.

Her closeness to Mr. Cao is even greater than her closeness with her biological parents.

Cao Xuan is like her grandfather, Tang Ning is like Mr. Cao’s biological granddaughter.

Every senior brother and sister who mentions Mr. Cao’s name does so as if referring to a Bodhisattva they both respect and fear.

Only Tang Ning would call him ”old man.”

While Cao Xuan would call her ”Xiaoning” or ”Tang Girl.”

The closeness of this grandfather-and-granddaughter relationship can be seen from their terms of endearment.

In love and logic, all lights point to the fact that no one else would be more qualified to succeed Mr. Cao.