The Versatile Master Artist

The entrance of Gu’s Painting and Calligraphy Gallery.

Old Gu, half-bald, had a bucket at his feet and was using a large sponge to wash the rugged-looking old Lexus LS.

”Hey, look at this car paint, this design, so powerful...”

The old man was humming to himself while washing the car.

Like playing chess, car washing is one of the few hobbies Gu Tongxiang has retained from his youth to the present.

Other old men, when happy, might enjoy dancing in the square, but Gu Tongxiang prefers to stand on the street with a bucket, breathing hard while washing a car.

Besides saving a bit of car wash fees, washing cars provides a spiritual joy.

Maintaining his beloved car in front of old neighbors provides a sense of vanity, not fundamentally different from young men whistling at girls from their sports cars on the street.

Thirty years ago, driving a business car with a 4.0-liter V8 engine on the streets of Yangon was as flashy as driving a Porsche or Maserati.

The price of the first-generation Lexus LS wasn’t cheaper than those two.

Those were truly years of prosperity and flamboyance.

”Weijing, come help wash the car. After we finish, let’s go for a drive, take a spin?” Gu Tongxiang called his grandson, who was passing by, and tapped twice on the roof of his beloved car.

Gu Weijing, with a thick leather file bag under his arm, had just returned home from outside.

He was about to enter the yard when he heard his grandfather’s voice, turned his head, and saw his grandfather managing that old car by the street.

In his impression, his grandfather hadn’t washed the car for a while.

It looked like he was in an especially good mood today.

”Good news?”

Gu Weijing asked curiously.

”Your grandpa, I...”

Old Gu hesitated, looked around, and seeing few people on the street, whispered sneakily: ”Guess how much I sold a painting for?”

The old man secretly gestured a number with his hand,

”500,000 Myanmar Kyat?” Gu Weijing guessed.

”Who are you looking down on? I used to sell a painting for 500,000 Myanmar Kyat, signed with Ma Shi Gallery, and could sell another for 500,000 Myanmar Kyat? Do you disrespect your grandpa, or Ma Shi Gallery?”

Old Gu feigned displeasure.

”Has the painting you hung at Ma Shi Gallery been sold?” Gu Weijing knew that after signing, Hanks had taken his grandpa’s Peony Painting and hung it on the gallery’s homepage.

”Of course, it sold for a full 5000.”

”Euros?”

”Do the big galleries in Europe accept Myanmar Kyat?”

Old Gu proudly lifted his chin, his face radiant, the few remaining hairs on his forehead almost cheerily upright like cricket antennae.

”5000 Euros for a small Peony Painting, fair to all ages.”

”Did someone really spend that much money? It’s genuinely not a gallery’s shill?”

Gu Weijing was indeed a bit shocked.

He had seen that Peony Painting; it’s just a flower in a Chinese painting, no matter how majestic, couldn’t be that big.

The whole painting is roughly 1.3 to 1.4 square feet.

Euros for 1.4 square feet...

Even if it were 3500 Euros per square foot.

This price is still incomparable to Qi Baishi or Zhang Daqian.

Yet, some disciples of Mr. Qi with lesser fame really might not sell for this price.

Foreign buyers indeed like the style of fusion paintings; it’s true that this price is higher than expected.

”The way you say it, they are big buyers in Europe, probably conquered by your grandpa’s skillful penmanship.”

Old Gu threw the sponge into the water bucket beside the car wheel.

He wiped his hands, his face full of smiling blossoms.

At Yangon’s city biennale, selling a $500 sketch was one of the most prideful things in the old man’s life.

Now, a 5000 Euro small painting makes Gu Tongxiang overjoyed.

”Ha, I said, if not stuck in the little corner of Yangon without good promotional channels, your grandpa’s achievements definitely wouldn’t be just opening a small gallery.”

The old man was extremely proud.

Even Hanks at Ma Shi Gallery was shocked by the online auction’s result.

Especially since he had indeed prepared to raise the bid.

But even as a shill, Hanks only arranged a price around 1800 Euros.

After all, it’s the first showcase of a newly signed artist.

If it had nobody bidding, or truly only sold for 100-200 Euros, it would look bad for Ma Shi Gallery.

As usual.

The shills arranged by Hanks would participate several times in online auctions to hype the atmosphere.

And one minute before the auction ended, if the price was still too low, they’d give a last-second offer of 1800 Euros, buy the painting to create a grand opening feeling.

With the reference of an 1800 Euro deal,

all future publicity and pricing for Gu Tongxiang’s other works could revolve around this price.

Of course, arranged shills usually only participate once, to set a benchmark for an artist’s approximate worth.

After that, whether the work sells depends on the artist’s true skills.

Otherwise, Ma Shi Gallery wouldn’t have those miscellaneous artists with annual sales of 0 US cents.

They just have a price but no buyers; the gallery is unwilling to invest more resources in promoting them.

Suddenly a buyer popped up, directly offering 5000 Euros.