The Versatile Master Artist

”Our thesis topic, the painting picked up from the street. Perhaps at a certain point in history, in a certain timeline, in a world opened in a certain way, Lady Carol became a name as great as Mary Cassatt. Whether through brushwork or conception, we saw such potential in that old ’Old Church.’

Koizumi Katsuko sighed lightly, ”Regrettably, none of those beautiful possibilities occurred. Art history does not contain a page belonging to her. There are no crowds of eager visitors lining up before the bulletproof glass at the museum, gazing at her works with longing eyes.”

”In the reality of the story, there exists only a dusty old painting, processed at a low price to wander the streets.”

Behind art history, there are too many bittersweet stories marked with blood, with opportunists who shine temporarily, and Flourishing Brush masters who fade into the vast crowd.

The best painters do not always emerge, and those who do emerge are not always the best.

This is the cruel paradox left to artists by fate.

”So, Mr. Gu, at the beginning of your life, why did you... pick up the paintbrush?”

Gu Weijing stared blankly.

He originally thought he was a person with a firm goal, dedicated to the essence of art.

When Shengzi suddenly asked this question, he felt a bit bewildered.

What exactly is his true essence of art?

To become a great painter.

This seemed to be an obvious answer.

Mr. Tree Sloth said, children are shadows of their parents.

He and his old father, who went to Paris to start a new life, had completely different attitudes towards painting art but perhaps had similarities in their attitudes towards life.

Revitalizing family business, escaping poverty, becoming a true elite—Gu Weijing had entertained these thoughts too.

For him to truly live transcendentally, with brush, ink, paper, stone, a jug of wine, and a jug of tea, and retreat to the wilderness to become a recluse, just to paint his art well.

This would be too challenging for him.

But is what he wants merely to be a successful person in a worldly sense, selling a painting for tens of thousands of US dollars, one million dollars, that simple?

When Gu Weijing earned his first ten thousand dollars, first one hundred thousand dollars in life, thanks to ’Little Prince.’

Looking at the entire year, maybe this number will become one million dollars.

Of course, he was very excited, very happy.

But it seemed not as exciting as he imagined to the point of sleeplessness.

Gu Weijing realized he enjoyed the sense of achievement from improving his technique, the satisfaction of painting a cover capturing the essence of the Little Prince, and the sense of recognition behind the publisher’s one-million-dollar check.

Money is important to Gu Weijing, but when he really saw the numbers accumulating in the account, he calmly donated it away.

It is indeed hard for people sometimes to clearly differentiate what they truly want and to confuse the process of pursuit with its result.

”At the beginning of your life, why did you... pick up the paintbrush?”

Gu Weijing followed Koizumi Katsuko’s voice and sank into his inner heart.

He recalled himself in the deserted ancient temple, looking at the exquisite, brilliant wall painting on the Great Golden Pagoda’s white walls, feeling an uncontrollable urge to paint.

Thinking of facing the vivid promises from Brother Hao’s subordinates, capable of making him a national artist in Southeast Asia through money laundering and hype—there was an instinctive rejection and aversion.

Thinking of when he was still a child, his grandfather Gu Tongxiang, whose hair was still black, holding his hand and dotting the first plum blossom on the paper, his face showed an inner smile.

...

Gu Weijing sank continuously into his heart lake, sinking.

Time flowed backward.

Slices of moments in life flashed before his eyes, various scenes like a rapidly flipping comic book, finally pausing again in the gloomy afternoon right after this year’s Spring Festival.

Before getting the system that could change his life, facing the invitation from the underworld group, he still chose to refuse.

And that... possibly was originally the most realistic path for Gu Weijing on this barren land toward becoming a great painter.

The past Gu Weijing former craved for a career of success and fame day and night.

At this moment, however, he suddenly realized with such clarity that success is good and important, yet some things are more important than wealth and social status in his heart—

He wants to be a good person; he wants to paint his art well. This is his biggest desire upon embarking on this path.

When Koizumi Katsuko’s finger brushed past Gu Weijing’s chest, feeling the heartbeat from between the fingertips becoming calm and long.

She felt that Gu Weijing understood.

Koizumi Katsuko never thought he would hesitate or be confused over this question.

In everyday interactions, from the serious and serene gaze he cast upon the oil painting canvas, from his stubborn word-by-word research into collecting literature for the thesis just to come closer to the historical truth represented by the letter ”Carol” that no one cared about.

Miss Sakai understood better than Gu Weijing himself his attitude toward art.

In fact,

A painter who is merely obsessed with marketing himself and pursuing success for profit wouldn’t have been just like Gu Weijing, so moved with concern over the flowers under his brush.

Only those who are devout would be willing to invest such heart and soul.