"Is Old Song at home? Okay, I'll be on the road, see you later. ”

The next morning, Sun Zhongzheng asked Wu Tianyuan to drive, and the two of them went to visit Lao Song, and when they were halfway there, they contacted Lao Song first, and they happened to be at home.

"You've got eyes on it this time! Lao Song is our premier collector here, and there are twenty or thirty ancient calligraphy and paintings in his hand, all of which are genuine. Especially the calligraphy and painting of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the four kings, and the four monks are all collected, which is a rare thing! ”

Sun Lao sighed: "In his early years, he was a professor at our Provincial Academy of Fine Arts, teaching and educating people, and he was full of peach and plums. I don't have any other hobbies in my life, but I love painting as my life. When I was young, I liked to collect paintings and calligraphy, and you also know that the ancient paintings and calligraphy at that time were not valuable, in fact, they were really sought after by the market in 2003, and in the first ten years, in addition to absolute masters and unique pieces, most of the authentic works were very cheap and could be bought. The real collection is that everyone established a collection system at that time, but in recent years, when the market is dominated by capital, it is difficult for the old connoisseur to have the opportunity to sell! ”

"The last short exchange, I feel that Song Lao is a person who really loves painting, and I admire it very much, and this time I have the opportunity to appreciate his collection is really a blessing!" Wu Tianyuan recalled the last chance encounter with Lao Song, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Lao Song's character is recognized as a first-class person in the circle, he is humble and polite, and he will never belittle or look down on his juniors because of his old qualifications. Always try your best to help them grow, after all, after being a teacher for a lifetime, what is in your bones will not change. Sun Lao was also reminded of some memories.

"After a while, you will see Lao Song and be closer, he has a very good impression of you, and there is nothing wrong with respecting your predecessors as a junior! Lao Song's connections are very large, although he has long since retired, but his disciples and protégés are all over the country, many of them are leaders in the industry, if you can enter his vision, it will definitely be of great benefit in the future, don't forget! Sun Lao mentioned Wu Tianyuan.

The car drove to a family home in Xicheng after a while, which is the family building of the Provincial Academy of Fine Arts, Song Lao and his wife have been living here, and the children have started their own families, and now the two elders are living a quiet life in their old age. The two got out of the car and bought some fruits and gifts at a nearby supermarket and went upstairs together.

"Go to the door, open the door!" Sun Lao called again at the door, and after a while, Song Lao opened the door to greet him.

"Why do you two busy people have time to come to me today? Come on in! ”

Song Lao energetically invited the two into the house, this is a three-bedroom house, the decoration is very elegant, Wu Tianyuan put the things in his hand next to the door, changed his shoes and entered the house.

"Knowing that you are coming, I asked my wife to go to the market to buy some vegetables and make you a sweet and sour fish at noon! You know her craft, sit down! Song Lao had already brewed the tea and waited for them, and enthusiastically let the two of them go to the sofa.

"It's been a long time since I've tasted her craftsmanship, and today is really a blessing, haha!" Sun Lao took the tea handed over by Song Lao.

"We idlers, we just go around every day, don't worry about it, of course there is nothing to do, unlike you busy people" Song Lao laughed.

The three of them were all acquaintances, talking and laughing, and chatted for a while, Sun Lao said: "This time it was Tianyuan who took the initiative to visit you, I heard that you have good things here, and you want to come to learn and learn, you don't want the juniors to see your baby?" ”

Song Lao said happily: "Great, Tianyuan has high eyesight, just let everyone appreciate it together, let's go, go to the study!" ”

Song Lao took the two of them to the study to see the paintings, the study area is very large, in addition to a bookshelf on the outer wall is full of calligraphy and paintings, there are large landscapes, there are also sketches and fans, Song Lao carefully took out two pieces from the special painting shelf, one large and one small, first open the small one, it turned out to be a fan.

"This is a fine fan of Shi Tao bought at auction in the early years, a picture of autumn sunset, although the size is not large, but the brushwork is exquisite, there is a big world between square inches! Shi Tao's skills are fully displayed, and he can express the meandering of the sunset and the bleakness of autumn on a small fan surface, this strong contrast is really difficult for future generations to surpass! Song Lao explained excitedly while letting the two of them admire the fan.

The greatest joy of collecting is to have three or five confidants to appreciate the beloved things together, and only those who know how to experience the superb skills of the ancients can experience them together.

As soon as Wu Tianyuan got his hands on it, he knew that this was undoubtedly from the Qing Dynasty, and a far richer energy than jade entered his ears, which was very refreshing. Secret Dao is really the right one this time!

If you look at it carefully, it is the same as what Song Lao said, Shi Tao's style jumps on the paper, although the picture is concise, but the artistic conception is lofty, which makes people unconsciously indulge in it, which is where the master's skill lies.

"Look at this again, this is the work of Shi Tao, who I am most proud of! Received from a friend more than 30 years ago, Shi Tao's rare landscape, a picture of distant mountains, should be Shi Tao's middle-aged works, the brushwork is light, Zen is far-reaching, and it has a deep taste of Buddhism. Song Lao unfolded the big picture scroll on the case, and an even more shocking landscape appeared in front of Wu Tianyuan's eyes.

After Wu Tianyuan absorbed the energy again, he and Sun Lao carefully compared the two authentic paintings of Shi Tao. Although the painting period is different, the plum bamboo picture is later than the distant mountain picture, but the brushwork is the same.

In particular, the artistic conception is full of Zen, which is the advantage of having authentic works, you can observe and study every day, and slowly form the first intuition of this painter, which is why those appraisals generally know the authenticity as soon as they get started.

"If you look at this picture of distant mountains, it should be a variation of his typical style before the age of 40, it is a landscape work that best represents Shi Tao's clear brushwork and unbridled style, in which the scenery is layered and the trees are dense, and the author skillfully uses the balanced layout of virtual and real, black and white, and the ethereal water and the transpiration of clouds and mist, avoiding excessive congestion."

"In the pen and ink technique, the mountain stone is covered with hemp, staggered, beautiful and solid, dense broken pen moss points, so that the mountain is more reckless, and the leaves are taken Ni Zhan, but the sparse is dense, and the ink color is just right for dry and wet." Song Lao pointed out the subtlety of Shi Tao's brushwork on the painting little by little, so that Wu Tianyuan and them had a more intuitive understanding.

"Compared with the plum bamboo picture in the later years, the brushwork is refined, with the old way of ink, there is no trace of superfluity, and each branch has its own life! The plum blossoms are proud of the frost and the snow, and the green bamboo is proud of the bones and phosphorus, which brings out the wind and bones of the literati for thousands of years. Painting on ribbed paper, due to the characteristics of half-cooked paper, the picture has achieved a wet and not diffuse pen and ink effect, which is definitely a rare boutique! ”

Song Lao Rushu introduced his beloved collection and said: "There is also a plum bamboo picture with a similar theme, which is now in the Shanghai Museum. However, there is a poem with an inscription on it, and I remember it: the fetus broke after the frost was eaten, and the cold was lonely and secluded. Hesitated that the old crane court was neutral, and the bearded lonely cloud stream came up. Treading the snow several times the cane repeatedly, riding the wind overnight incense platform, the master can make the wide cup happy, who can't bear to open the flower branches. ”

Song Lao's profound cultural heritage was undoubtedly revealed at this time, whether it was from the brushwork, or the overall artistic conception, as well as the provenance of similar works, and even their specific differences were all like a number of treasures, easy to come by. Let Wu Tianyuan listen to it and be convinced.

This is the real connoisseur, not only the truth or falsehood, but also the provenance, inheritance, and whereabouts of similar works of the collection.

"Old Song, it's not easy for us to come once, you won't send us away like this, right? Your boutique is far more than just a Shi Tao, Tianyuan, Lao Song is one of the few people who can collect all the four kings in the early Qing Dynasty! Sun Lao did not forgive.

Wu Tianyuan naturally couldn't let go of the rare opportunity to collect the energy of the Qing Dynasty, especially the authentic works of the early Qing Dynasty, which were abundant in energy, and hurriedly said: "That's it, Song Lao will let the younger generation open their eyes again!" ”

"You kid can be a sycophant! It's just for your own appreciation, but since you want to see it, I'll take it out and study it. Let's help out! Song Lao was amused by Wu Tianyuan's words and laughed, the biggest fun of collecting is to show it to others, and there are fewer cups of wine for a confidant.

Song Lao took out a few paintings from the painting cabinet, Wu Tianyuan and Sun Lao helped to hang the paintings on the wall with tools, in order of Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Hui, Wang Yuanqi four people, the works of the four kings in the early Qing Dynasty shocked in front of Wu Tianyuan's eyes.

Among the court painters of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Yuanqi, and Wang Hui were called the "Four Kings". Among them, Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, and Wang Yuanqi are from Taicang, Jiangsu, and Wang Hui is a frequent acquaintance, and the relationship between them is that of a teacher and a friend. In terms of painting style and artistic thought, they were all influenced by Dong Qichang, the "Four Kings" headed by Wang Shimin.

The "Loudong School" headed by Wang Yuanqi has had a far-reaching impact on the art world. Among the "Four Kings", Wang Yuanqi is the youngest, but he has the highest achievements. Wang Yuanqi once served as the left attendant of the household department, known as Wang Sinong. In the forty-fourth year of Kangxi, he was ordered to edit the "Peiwenzhai Calligraphy and Painting Spectrum" and served as the president. This painting score consists of 100 volumes and is the first treasure book in the history of Chinese painting.