Chapter 225 Mr. Cao’s expectations

South Asia and Central Europe are five time zones apart.

Older people sleep less, get up early and go to bed late.

When Gu Weijing sent a message to Lao Yang late at night, Mr. Cao was still pacing among the rockery pond in the yard.

Many foreigners always have a mysterious fascination with Chinese gardens. The Metropolitan Museum of Art built a Ming-style garden called "Mingxuan" on the second floor of its exhibition hall.

The courtyard where Mr. Cao lives was when he decided to accept the invitation from the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts many years ago to serve as the head of the Department of Oriental Art and a tenured professor. The school specially gave this honorary Orientalist A new home prepared by an old artist.

They hired professional Dongxia construction instructors to build an antique courtyard by the Alster Lake in the inner city of Hamburg, modeled on the "Chaxuan Ju" in the Suzhou Garden.

This is not only a restoration and copying operation of the French garden style of the Ming and Qing dynasties by Hamburg’s Department of Architecture, but also a high tribute and gift from the school board to Mr. Cao Xuan.

Mr. Cao Xuan, who was born in a water town in the south of the Yangtze River, spent his childhood studying painting in Yuantong Zen Temple.

The old man’s lifelong devotion to Buddha is also related to this.

By the way.

Suzhou Southeast Shiquan Street, where Yuantong Zen Monastery is located, was once the residence of many literati in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

Go out and walk thirty steps to the right from the small courtyard where Mr. Cao lived when he was young, and you will find Dafengtang, the painting studio of the two Zhang brothers, Daqian and Shanzhu, who were just becoming famous at that time.

"It's like a lifetime ago."

Looking at the familiar scenery,

Cao Xuan sighed softly, sat down by the flower pond in the courtyard, and stared at the pond water waves and lotus leaves in it.

The school also took great pains to transplant lotus flowers, because the latitude of Hamburg is much higher than that of Suzhou, and the spring breeze in March and April is still cold and clammy. At this time, lotus leaves should be everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River. The early-maturing lotus has its sharp corners exposed, but here there are only two or three lotus root leaves.

After all, it is not my hometown.

"I'm still not reconciled." The old man reached out and stirred the water in the pool.

Thoughts abound.

The reason why Mr. Cao Xuan made the decision to transfer from Qingmei to Europe to give lectures in his seventies is because he still has a breath in his heart that he has not completely vomited.

This tone is called injustice.

Gongbi, freehand brushwork, gardens, landscapes and rocks, enamel blue and white.

These things are brilliant and eye-catching, and have set off waves of Oriental fever and Chinese fever in the West.

Immigrant calligraphy and painting at the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties is still a highly sought-after commodity in the international market and can resonate with the aristocratic elite of old Europe.

The furniture style of the Ming Dynasty inspired designer Marcel Breuer to create the Bauhaus design style, which took the world by storm.

Handmade carpets made by Tianjin weavers in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China traveled across the ocean to New York and San Francisco, has been enthusiastically loved by housewives, not only more popular than Turkish carpets, but even defeated traditional luxury goods companies such as Louis Vuitton.

In today’s auction market, a century-old Oriental carpet measuring less than ten feet can easily sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

No matter how popular antique calligraphy and paintings are, how many fabric carpets are sold.

Whenever the Western art world mentions Eastern art, it always carries a condescending and weird gaze.

It’s not necessarily about discrimination.

Instead of describing it as a malicious mockery of Chinese Kung Fu by the two-hundred-pound foreign strongman Huo Yuanjia Li.

It would be better to say that when blond and blue-eyed foreign art research experts appreciate oriental art, they are like playing with a Neanderthal biological specimen on a biologist’s dissecting table for people to study. Or the exquisite mummies excavated in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

They seem to be looking at a dead trend

“Look, their bodies are very strong.”

“The nose is high and wide, It is speculated that they can breathe efficiently in ice and snow."

"Wow, look at this skull, I think their brain capacity should even be at the same level as our Homo sapiens."

But he knew he never liked this feeling.

Nowadays, Dongxia is one of the largest art markets in the world. Westerners like to accept money from Dongxia, but they do not like to accept the new generation of artists shaped by traditional Dongxia culture.

Even in Asia.

European and American collectors prefer Japanese culture, and the Japanese also regard Impressionism as half their son-in-law and are proud of it. They prefer Korean culture. The trend of Korean monochrome painting in the 1970s also affected the development trajectory of modern art to a certain extent. Contemporary art is even called a sudden rise.

However, in the world of contemporary art circles, there is a lack of voice and voice from Eastern Xia art.

There is a lack of sufficiently inspiring artistic voices from the ancient East.

Lao Cao was like this when he was young, and it is also like this in this era.

Countless things have changed in the past hundred years, including the poor and weak national power. Only the right to speak of art and the world influence of Eastern Xia art have not changed in essence.

Even the names of the older generation of artists such as Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Wu Guanzhong, and Zao Wou-Ki who once caused a craze in the West have gradually been extinguished by time.

Died one after another.

As the last ancient ghost from that generation alive to this day, Mr. Cao Xuan is watching generations of young people, hoping to find a strong enough successor.

He is waiting for a descendant who can witness the next hundred years for him, who can use the paintbrush in his hand to set off a world craze in the future world.

After waiting for more than half a century and refusing to let go, Cao Xuan felt that he still had not found the person he wanted.

He was really not angry at all when he was rejected by Cui Xuanyou.

It doesn’t matter if the other party is willing to teach outsiders, or not.

He can teach his son Xiao Cui, a new generation of young painters with oriental imprints who have attracted media attention, which is very good in itself, very good.

It doesn’t matter even if Xiao Cui is German.

Neither Monet, Manet, nor Degas were Japanese. A truly excellent culture is not one that is self-contained, but one that is inclusive and inclusive.

Among Mr. Cao’s own disciples.

The one with the best talent was actually his eldest apprentice, but he died in a shipwreck.

Disciples like Lin Tao can sell their paintings very expensively, but that’s about the level of their art. Especially at Lin Tao's age, he still likes to drink to excess. In the next ten years, he will be a good drinker without trembling or deteriorating. Don’t even think about taking the next step forward.

Tang Ning can barely be regarded as Mr. Cao's most favored disciple now. It's a pity that Mr. Cao judged that the other party's artistic achievements were no surprise, and he would only reach his own level in this life.

There is another problem. Tang Ning’s paintings look too much like herself. She doesn’t have her own style and follows the same trend.

In the end, he can only be "Cao Xuan second."

"Where's that boy?"

Cao Xuan thought of the young man he met in Yangon who was old enough to be his great-grandson.

Sometimes,

He himself does not know why he suddenly offers up the huge olive branch of "accepting a disciple".

Maybe I saw the shadow of my youth in that persistent and simple little painter

Or maybe it was just the unwillingness to swallow it that was pressing against my chest. , quietly causing trouble.

The bet made by Mr. Cao Xuan was half serious and half a joke, since he really wanted to recruit disciples and inspire young people.

But as people get older, they really prefer children with endless possibilities.

Occasionally, Mr. Cao would have the shadow of that persistent little guy who dyed his clothes red and blue in order to mix the right paint.

He was curious about how far this child could go.

With such an opportunity in front of him, can he really seize it?

“Children, if you can be my disciple, you will have half-stepped into the history of modern art. It depends on whether you have such good fortune."

Mr. Cao smiled silently at the pool.

The old man liked to sit by the rockery in the yard and look at the lotus pond at night, so Lao Yang had someone add a palace lantern-shaped lighting beside the rockery.

Cao Xuan pulled himself out of his thoughts, took out a folded piece of printing paper from his pocket, and started writing under the moonlight and lights.

Eastern Xia artYishenmiaoneng This is a speech drafted by Assistant Lao Yang for Mr. Cao Xuan at the European Art Annual Conference in April.

A few days ago.

The organizer of the annual meeting sent an email to notify Cao Xuan of slightly delaying his speech.

Sir Brown, the chairman of Oil Painting Art Magazine, hopes to give a joint speech with the heiress of the Elena family at the annual meeting.

When Lao Yang told himself this matter, his face was full of mysterious gossip.

"Boring."

The little old man shook his head.

Cao Xuan heard that this matter was related to the internal political struggle between the magazine's top brass and the Irina family, a veteran art collector.

Recently, rumors about various high-level oil painting councils about to expel the little girl named Anna Elena have been rampant in the upper-class art circles.

Cao Xuan had no interest in understanding.

Although Oil Painting is the oldest and most influential publication among all art appreciation magazines, the Irina family is inseparable from the history of contemporary and even modern art.

The friction between the two is enough to set off a hurricane that sweeps the entire industry.

However, Mr. Cao Xuan’s status no longer requires him to care about this.

If art were a forest, it would be a hundred-meter-tall redwood tree. If art is a sea, he is really the Cthulhu sea monster taking a nap in the trench.

Why are there turbulent waves and bloody storms outside?

In front of a living fossil-level old monster like Mr. Cao, it was just a breeze blowing on his face.

Instead of having time to eat melons and watch the show, it is better to think about my speech at the annual meeting for a while, or even pay attention to the painting progress of Gu Weijing's child, than to join such a wealthy family. Things are more meaningful.

While Cao Xuan was thinking about whether he should ask through Lao Yang tomorrow how Gu Weijing’s children’s exhibition works were being prepared, he took out an oil pen and lightly circled “Yishen Miao Neng” Four words.

After thinking for a moment, the little old man simply checked off the entire question from beginning to end and changed it to how to discover the beauty of Eastern Xia art with heart.

"Well, the question is: Am I not good at getting up?"

Assistant Lao Yang put a Tang suit jacket on the old man's body.

When Mr. Cao was walking in the yard, he stared in the shadow corner.

Seeing that the old man had no intention of returning to the house in a short time, he took a piece of windproof clothes and came over, just in time to see Mr. Cao's changes to the speech.

“When speaking at the annual meeting, there is no need to use vocabulary that Chinese people cannot understand and foreigners cannot understand. Unless they are colleagues in the industry, who can understand what Yishenmiaoneng is? It is not difficult for translation and colleagues. "Mr. Cao Xuan said softly. There will be many outsideThe presence of the head of state will also be broadcast on television and covered by the media. The simpler and easier to understand the speech, the higher the efficiency of communication, and the easier it is for more people to feel the charming charm of Dongxia art. ”

“The older you get, the more you return to your original nature. It is indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people like me.”

Lao Yang praised.

While walking by himself, I don’t like to be disturbed by outsiders.

Lao Yang is a very discerning person. He must have other things to talk to me.

“Hey, I know what’s going on. Nothing can be hidden from your discerning eyes. ”

Old Yang gave a thumbs up with a smile.

In the final analysis, an assistant is a job of waiting for others. Some artists hire assistants who will also serve as their personal art consultants. Together with his agent, he forms the right hand on the art path.

Lao Yang is a 92-year-old art student at Central Academy of Fine Arts and a master's degree in painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He has an excellent educational background and a well-known top academic background. p>

But he is serious about himself and very sober. No matter how he is known as Mr. Cao's personal assistant outside, he is called "Teacher Yang" by the great artists.

He is in Cao Xuan. The old gentleman is also a jerk in front of him.

He is not worthy of giving art advice. The only thing Lao Yang needs to do is to make the old man happy every day.

Listen or not. Flattery is Mr. Cao's business.

Whether you lick him or not is a matter of attitude.

"Mashi Gallery has found that kid. He is indeed the kid you like." No matter how old he is, he has attracted the attention of such top galleries. "

Lao Yang did not dare to show off, and hurriedly reported the good news to Mr. Cao.

"Gu Xiaozi"

Cao Xuan did not expect that he had just thought of him. At this time, I heard the news about Gu Weijing.

“Yes, it’s Mr. Gu. ”

Lao Yang said with a smile, “When I was in college, a senior who studied oil painting signed a contract with a European gallery. It was only a second-tier gallery, but it caused a sensation. Today's young people are really intimidating. ”

“If you are so small, why do you need to listen to the interference of the gallery owner when signing art creations in any gallery? "

Hearing the news, Cao Xuan didn't have much smile on his face. Instead, his brows furrowed together unnoticeably.

"Be careful of overthrowing the situation. ”

The old gentleman said worriedly.

There are art museums with a history of three hundred years in the world, but there are no galleries with a history of three hundred years.

Represented by Gagosian More than half of the top ten contemporary galleries were established in the 1980s and 1990s.

The industrial system of modern galleries representing artists is an emerging concept that became popular after World War II. More than half of them are like M&A. century and aboveShi's gallery is already the one with the longest history.

50 years.

This is longer than the entire creative cycle of almost 90% of painters' careers. Therefore, every serious artist today comes out of this training system.

However, Cao Lao is too old and became famous very early.

He is one of the very few great painters who has never signed a contract with a gallery.

"Even if Xiao Gu is young, packaging is not a bad thing after all." Lao Yang thought for a while, "As for marketing, this is what we pay attention to now, selling shit into gold."

"The Emperor's New Clothes can fool the market for a while, but it cannot fool people's eyes forever. I still think that the fame you draw is the real fame."

He was born in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. When he was young, he studied painting from his grandfather, a famous Suzhou painter in the late Qing Dynasty.

When he was 14 years old, he was recommended by his teacher to go to Shanghai to visit Xu Beihong who had returned from Paris at that time. He painted for people by the Artde Building on the Huangpu River in the concession. He shocked the city with his reputation as a child prodigy and inspired countless historical figures. Celebrities have had their portraits painted. A Jewish executive who arrived in a Rolls-Royce once paid a thousand pounds for a meticulous portrait of Cao Xuan, who was not yet in his prime.

Later on, the painting world of the Republic of China gradually moved from the south to the north, and Cao Xuan went north to Peiping.

At that time, Tsinghua Garden held a Mingyue Commentary, imitating the Yuedan Commentary of the late Han Dynasty scholars, in which one person commented on the world's calligraphy and painting masters.

Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and other famous artists were all on the list. Among them, Cao Xuan was praised as "the pen and ink are vigorous and has become a masterpiece", making him the youngest person on the list. He became famous overseas for a while.

Later, he went to Europe to participate in the Autumn Art Salon in Paris, France.

This is one of the highest stages of art in the world. Picasso and Paul Cezanne both failed here. Cao Xuan failed to enter the exhibition for three consecutive years. In the fourth year, he miraculously entered the exhibition. Winning the "Highest Prize" of the Salon, he officially entered the world's first-line group of great painters.

The old man’s reputation in this life did not rely on any external sales and hype from the gallery. He relied on personal efforts and conquered art judges and collectors with a single brush.

His real skill in applying one stroke at a time has earned him a reputation in art competitions.

Whether from an Eastern or Western perspective, Mr. Cao is a quite classical painter. He has always kept a distance from the professional gallery commercial marketing system.

It is certain that commercial galleries can make artists a lot of money.

However, whether this kind of commercially-led creation will affect the pure artistic level of the work is a matter of opinion and wisdom.

"MasterSon, you are a great Bodhisattva who has jumped out of the Three Realms and is not in the Five Elements, but young people also have to eat, right?"

Lao Yang felt that at this point, he should say something to the child Gu Weijing." Professor Lin Tao and others also have their own contracted galleries. Being able to sign with a big gallery is a good thing, not a bad thing. ”

“If you make money at a young age, you will become impatient and lose focus on painting. No matter how old Gu Weijing is, he is so eager to make money. The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Only by being poor can one develop the courage and spirit of a painter. ”

The little old man curled his lips very stubbornly and criticized.

Haha,

Old man, you have never been poor in your life. Before liberation, you could get away with 1,000 pounds. He bought a house in an alley in Shanghai and became a tenant.

Lao Yang accused Master Cao Xuan of treating his disciples with double standards. He only talked back to Master Cao when he was obviously crazy, so he had to stay on the sidelines. Wry smile.

"By the way, it's true that Gu Xiaozi has talent. But how could a top gallery like Ma Shi Gallery pay attention to a small painter from Yangon. If he were to use my name to deceive me outside, he would be a little too impatient. ”

The unhappy look on the little old man’s face became more obvious.

It is not impossible for Mr. Cao Xuan to understand that young people want to make money and become famous.

As long as Gu Weijing paints steadily and can catch the olive branch he hands over, what is his is his. Could it be that he, Cao Xuan, would not help his disciples?

Whether it is Whether seeking fame or profit, there will always be a day when this kid will make a lot of money.

But if he contacts the big gallery now with Mr. Cao’s name, he can’t wait to treat him as his own. The stairs are really disappointing.

“Oh, no, no, no, you missed it. ”

Lao Yang immediately waved his hand, “Xiao Gu did a good job in this regard. Even if Ma Shi Gallery came to visit, he did not mention your matter, but immediately came to ask for your opinion. ”

“Humph, that’s pretty much it. "

Mr. Cao Xuan's expression softened a lot. "Is it really just that Ma Shi Gallery accidentally discovered Gu Xiaozi's talent?"

"Well, that's not the case. "

Lao Yang had a weird smile on his face that was somewhere between vulgarity and surprise. "Guess who recommended him to Mashi Gallery? You will never guess it. "

"It can't be Lin Tao, why didn't he tell me in advance?" Mr. Cao was confused.

Lao Yang shook his head mysteriously.

“Speak quickly and don’t be too pretentious. "Cao Xuan was also a little curious.

"It's Mr. Sakai Kazunari. ”

“Sakai Kazunari”

The figure of the fat, meatball-like middle-aged artist whom he worked with at the Shwedagon Pagoda at the beginning of the year appeared in the little old man’s mind.

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Cao Xuan thought for a moment, then blew his beard and glared, saying angrily, "It's not enough for him to have a good daughter. This little fat guy wants to marry me."Robbing people"

"No, in a sense you are right. "

Lao Yang felt that sometimes, Mr. Cao really seemed like an old child.

"Gu Weijing took care of Miss Sakai Katsuko. "

"Get it done"

"This boy is now in love with Miss Sakai Katsuko. The gallery was introduced by Professor Sakai, and Mrs. Sakai also went there in person when negotiating the contract. Mr. Xiao Gu is really like this"

Old Yang winked and gave Mr. Cao a thumbs up.

When he heard the news, even Cao Xuan was stunned.

The old man was silent, silent, and didn’t know what to say for a long time.

“Well, this kid, this kid, what’s the difference between using my name? The gallery likes it. It's not him. "

The little old man said this, but he couldn't help but smile on his face.

When the old man was young, he was a famous figure in the old Shanghai Shili Foreign Market. I have seen him before, and he is not some eccentric old painter who only holds a paintbrush and has no connection with women.

Mr. Cao Xuan still admires Gu Xiaozi's skills.

He just said, "If you spend more time on painting, it will be more useful than any other heresy. If you are painting in the future, you will not be as good as your partner." I was embarrassed for him. I had no ability. I was lucky enough to borrow the wind from the big gallery, but I couldn't fly. "

"He contacted you just to ask for instructions on this matter."

"Gu Weijing asked you to help convey some conditions to Ma Shi Gallery. At the same time, his The exhibited works have drawn some insights, and I would like you to comment on them. ”

“Look at the features, it seems that Gu Xiaozi is very confident in himself. I want to see how the level is. First bring me his masterpiece. If the painting is not good, you can call me to scold him. "Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading