The Versatile Master Artist

When I first encountered this piece, at first glance, it seemed like the work of an unknown clumsy painter, awkwardly attempting an incongruous creation using Impressionism techniques.

But in the very next moment,

when Gu Weijing took a careful look and appreciated the painting, he realized he was wrong.

Because the light and shadow of this painting gave him a familiar feeling.

Though one painting is bright and colorful and the other is somber and shadowy, the temperament of this piece reminded him of the ”The Dance at the Moulin de la Galette,” which he had just seen earlier.

This is a kind of mysterious sixth sense.

Indescribable yet truly existent.

Ever since that day when he admired ”The Dance at the Moulin de la Galette,” witnessing the dreamy Paris it brought about,

all the other Impressionist works at the calligraphy and painting public auction gave Gu Weijing a sense of dull blandness.

Having had the privilege of witnessing the feast of the gods, even a lingering fragrance between the lips and teeth makes it hard to be fascinated by mere mortal delicacies.

And this painting... actually gave Gu Weijing a similar feeling to ”The Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.”

Though the themes are worlds apart, the artist’s uninhibited outpouring of emotions and the collected yet dispersed brushwork are strikingly similar.

On the surface, the subject matter and color palette of this piece look entirely un-Impressionistic.

But ordinary people see the appearance,

while insiders see the essence.

Since appreciating Ray Noa’s masterpiece, Gu Weijing had somewhat understood the essence of Impressionism.

”What is called Impressionism is nothing but the pursuit of inner emotions and pure visual enjoyment. We do not depict gods; we merely record sunlight and air. We do not adhere to dogma because beauty will endure, and pain will fade away.”

At this moment, Gu Weijing recalled the candid words of that sincere and powerful French man.

If it’s about the pursuit of inner emotion and pure visual enjoyment—

this painting depicts a church, yet it is by no means a medieval church’s rigid and didactic religious painting.

Though it is a stormy day in the sky, the colors are dark yet not oppressive.

When viewed up close, the colorful and chaotic yet uninteresting dots on the canvas combine to create a magical transformation in the picture.

The originally scattered dots converged into light and form, creating a beautiful impression.

Especially the faintly lit candlelight in the church window, it seems like a flame dispelling the darkness, capable of bringing substantial warmth to people.

Such a painting,

if not considered Impressionism, then what is it?

I truly found a treasure!

Gu Weijing judged that this was definitely the best Impressionist oil painting he had seen today.

Even though it looks filthy and inconspicuous,

it is still good enough to surpass the previously admired ”Mountain in the Snow.”

The only question is, how good is it?

Gu Weijing stood firm by the display stand, then activated the Calligraphy and Painting Identification Skill.

Ding...

An elusive illusion reappeared in Gu Weijing’s mind.

An invisible pen began to swiftly paint on the light screen in his mind.

The church roof, colored glass windows, shimmering candle flame...

As the last stroke landed on the painting, a melodious sound of the church bell resonated. In the wind and rain, the dispersed hymn crossed time and space from a hundred years ago, echoing in Gu Weijing’s heart.

”Young man, you’re bleeding from the nose, are you alright?”

Gu Weijing noticed someone was patting his shoulder.

He then returned from his daze.

The middle-aged man beside him, holding a thermos, kindly handed over a roll of paper, looking at Gu Weijing with a sympathetic gaze for someone so young yet so frail.

Gu Weijing disregarded the stabbing pain in his head.

He first pushed the oil painting forward to prevent his nosebleed from dripping onto the canvas.

Then he took the tissue handed by the man to plug his nose.

Fortunately, he didn’t faint this time.

He felt thankful in his heart.

”Young man, you don’t understand this field. In the painting and calligraphy industry, the principle is better to have one bite of a fairy peach than a whole basket of rotten peaches.”

The thermos man leaned his head over, curiously glancing at the dingy canvas in front of Gu Weijing.

The man instantly lost interest, shaking his head disdainfully, ”This junk, no matter how low the price. Buying it won’t sell, it’s only going to be a burden.”

Gu Weijing looked complexly at the thermos man, walking away with an air of an expert.

He lowered his head,

the virtual panel had already shown detailed information about the painting.

[Title: ”Old Church in the Rain”]

[Sketching Technique: Level 7 Tier One Grandmaster]

[Oil Painting Technique: Level 8 Tier Two Grandmaster]

[Emotion: Heartfelt]

”Tier Two Grandmaster... higher rated than Lady Tangning’s Hundred Flowers Painting, even the sketching technique has reached a grandmaster level... who is the author of this painting, to possess such exquisite painting skills, shouldn’t be unknown in history.”

”And that church? Why does it feel familiar, like...”

In the hallucination, seeing the church illuminated by the shimmering candlelight, he suddenly felt like the scene was somewhat familiar.

Gu Weijing had seen a similar scene—it was at the Good Fortune Orphanage he visited every weekend.

He initially found the scene in the painting somewhat familiar.

But oil paintings with church themes are too common, and Impressionism, unlike pure realism, doesn’t emphasize depicting photo-like details but focuses more on expressing subjective feelings with passionate brushwork.