The Versatile Master Artist

”Actually... you can discover useful painting techniques by trying this kind of painting. How about I teach you a couple of strokes?”

Gu Weijing had always known that his grandfather was deeply affected by his failure in replicating Lang Shining’s paintings, so he asked tentatively.

Teach me a couple of strokes?

Gu Tongxiang’s mouth twitched when he heard his grandson’s earnest tone, not knowing how to respond.

Well, looks like my words just now were wasted.

The old man was somewhat touched, yet also a bit amused.

The grandson he had raised from a young age was, after all, still very concerned about him.

The old man also admitted that in recent times, Gu Weijing’s painting skills had rapidly improved, with many astonishing feats.

However, hearing the other claiming to teach him painting, Gu Tongxiang, as a strict East Asian parent, couldn’t help but feel a bit unconvinced.

”What, now that you have a master teacher like Professor Lin, you look down on your grandpa? Teach me... huh, save that talk until you graduate from college, kid.”

In his heart, Elder Gu couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

Though Lin Tao is undeniably impressive, this old man is also a top-notch Chinese painting expert here in Myanmar!

When attending an art seminar or something, who wouldn’t respectfully call me ’Teacher Gu’?

”Come, come, come, if you’re going to talk like that, don’t blame me for criticizing you. Grandpa really needs to point out some issues in your painting.”

The old man murmured, ”Painters fear not having self-awareness, unable to recognize their own issues, that’s truly a disaster. Though I can’t replicate Lang Shining, I’ve walked this road. It’s difficult to tell you how to paint, but pointing out where you’ve gone wrong is a piece of cake.”

At night, with only a desk lamp lit, the lighting was somewhat dim for an elderly person appreciating artworks.

Elder Gu didn’t mind at all; this wasn’t antique appraisal.

New Style Paintings heavily emphasize the overall visual impression, often making viewers immediately see if it’s good or bad.

He was confident that with just a casual glance, a rough look for a few seconds, he could spot issues.

Elder Gu bent down, his gaze moved closer to the rice paper on the desk.

There, he saw a vividly lifelike bean flower.

Hmm?

It actually looks pretty good.

”A fragmented style, rough brushwork, neither traditional nor modern...” The sarcastic words were already at the tip of the old man’s tongue, yet he forcibly swallowed them back.

Elder Gu rubbed his eyes.

He turned the table lamp to its brightest, and then even turned on the overhead spotlights in the gallery.

Gu Tongxiang’s eye twitched.

His first impression wasn’t wrong.

The lines were natural, the brushwork harmonious, and the subjective impression it gave wasn’t bad at all.

”This painting... wait a moment, I need to have a closer look.”

After a few seconds of looking, Gu Tongxiang’s heart skipped a beat.

He took a deep breath, and then almost jogging, with agility unfitting his age, dashed upstairs.

In his bedroom, he found his reading glasses at his bedside, and then hurried back, bending over the painting, his forehead almost pressing onto the paper out of urgency.

This time,

Gu Tongxiang truly saw it clearly.

No mistake,

The rice paper indeed featured a freshly painted, delicate bean flower. The leaves were green, the petals reddish-purple, the colors fresh as if touched by dew.

The overall impression wasn’t bad, and the detail handling was even better.

Gu Tongxiang was immersed in the environment of Chinese painting since childhood, influenced by his elders.

Though he also practiced Western oil painting, he was clearly more intimate with Chinese painting, and his appreciation level was higher than that for Western oil painting.

His grandson’s colored pencil drawing of the ’Mercedes-Benz Old Car’ was perfect in detail.

So perfect it seemed drawn by a robot, and Gu Tongxiang not only couldn’t find fault but also struggled to understand just how exceptional it was.

However, this painting,

Gu Tongxiang could completely comprehend.

Fitz didn’t teach Chinese painting, Gu Weijing’s technique in using a brush in Chinese painting was taught hand in hand by the old man since he was small.

So, the old man could even perceive a familiar feeling from Gu Weijing’s painting strokes.

Because he could understand,

Gu Tongxiang felt even more as if his worldview was being challenged.

”Wow! My grandson’s proficiency with the brush in these past two months has improved so quickly, it’s almost no less than mine, right?”

”Oh? It can be painted this way here, how beautiful... wait, by the way, how exactly was this painted.”

”Damn, did my grandson paint this?”

The old man was somewhat bewildered, his hand rubbing his chin repeatedly.

”This even looks better than the original.” He muttered, speaking from the heart, though having a hard time believing the evaluation he himself voiced.

The original work in Elder Gu’s mouth referred naturally not to the genuine piece by Lang Shining in the Dongxia Imperial Palace, but to the replica in his own shop.

With paintings,

The most stunning masterpiece is ever unique, and reproductions from a printing press can only attempt to replicate the original but can never surpass it.

This 1:1 ’Bean Flower Painting’ was a silk replica, looking comparable in impression to his grandson’s freshly completed work and lacked the layered feel of a hand-painted work on paper.

The old man knew the difficulty of Lang Shining’s work,

If the replica is hard to paint.

Then the amazing one can only be the painter.

Gu Tongxiang was shocked to the point of having goosebumps.

”My grandson is truly... impressive.”

The old man kept a straight face, forcibly suppressing his inner delight, striving to maintain his elder’s authority.