"He prepared this painting for the Singapore Biennale?"

Mrs. Sakai compared the draft of Gu Weijing's painting in her mind, and was a little surprised: "The clever choice is quite thoughtful." ”

It's a smart way to hit the Lion City Art Exhibition with such a painting style.

Mrs. Sakai's face was impassive, and she quietly glanced at Gu Weijing in her heart.

"You want to exhibit too?"

"Mom, I want to give it a try. Didn't you also say that this year is a great stage for Singapore to show itself. ”

Katsuko Sakai looked at her mother's face and said tentatively.

"It's a good stage, but the competition is unprecedentedly fierce. Now that the time is too tight, didn't we say that we would go to the Yokohama Triennale later next year? ”

Mrs. Sakai glanced at her daughter's wistful face.

She casually broke Miss Katsuko's careful thoughts: "Why, the reason why you suddenly changed your mind is probably because you want to make your debut with your sweetheart, and you think it's very romantic, right?" ”

"Mom, there is no conflict between the two art exhibitions in the Lion City and Yokohama."

Katsuko Sakai is a little shy.

"It's not a conflict, but the results of your first real debut are still different."

"The Lion City Art Fair, there's only a limit to what your dad can do to help. Let me ask you, Katsuko, if you were asked to submit anonymous submissions to the organizing committee to participate in the selection this year, do you think you would have the critical eye to conquer the judges and rely on your own ability to get a booth in the professional group? ”

Mrs. Sakai did not directly dismiss her daughter's idea, but thought for a moment and asked rhetorically.

Katsuko Sakai hesitated slightly.

She looked at her mother's inquiring gaze and nodded her head to promise that she could do it.

But Sakai Katsuko hesitated for a long time,

She carefully judged her painting level, and finally whispered: "In this year's words, in fact, I am not very confident. I thought that if I couldn't participate in the master group, I would go to the amateur student group under the age of 28, which was actually not bad and acceptable. ”

"Well, yes, it's fair."

Faced with her daughter's not very confident answer.

Mrs. Sakai nodded with satisfaction: "If you promise me that you will be able to participate in the exhibition, I will definitely not agree to your request." ”

"If my daughter is carried away by love and doesn't even have basic self-knowledge, I will be really disappointed."

"In that case, how about you also listen to your mother's opinion?"

The middle-aged woman asked.

Katsuko Sakai nodded obediently.

"You want to participate in the exhibition with Gu Weijing, in principle, I have no objection, to be able to debut with your sweetheart in the same art exhibition, this must be a very sweet memory, I support you."

Mrs. Sakai's tone was gentle, but the meaning of her words became much harsher: "But Katsuko, you told me—'You're going to give it a try, the amateur student group, it's not bad.'" That's not quite right. ”

"You are Katsuko Sakai, the daughter of Kazunari Sakai, one of the top 10 artists in Japanese history in terms of sales sales, and has been hailed by the media as a once-in-a-century painting genius since childhood. Everyone is looking forward to your work and achievements, and what is excellent in the eyes of others is just mediocre for you. ”

"Your goal shouldn't just be 'not bad and acceptable', and your mentality of going to an art exhibition shouldn't just be to give it a try."

"Katsuko."

Madame took her daughter's hand.

"My daughter is the one who is destined to have a dazzling career and let the world's artistic spotlight shine on you. The student group of the Lion City Art Exhibition or the master group of the Yokohama Triennale, which starting point is better for you, you don't need to say more about it. ”

Katsuko Sakai was silent and did not speak.

It is better to be a chicken head than a phoenix tail, which is not valid at an art exhibition.

The student group is the student group, and the master group is the master group.

No matter how beautiful the head of the chicken is, it is also a grass chicken, but the phoenix tail is the feathers of the divine bird.

No matter how lively the student's submitted works are, they can only dominate among the monkeys.

Your evaluation in the eyes of the world is still "excellent child", at most, the future can be expected.

But the master group,

It is an adult world in which real professional painters compete with each other, and it belongs to the peak gladiatorial arena of artists.

All professional artists need a stage where they can prove their abilities.

Collectors and the public also need an intuitive and convincing criterion to judge the artistic and aesthetic value of a painter's work.

To put it another way, it's more utilitarian and blatant – art buyers need to determine how much your signed work will be worth.

Until the twentieth century, this stage was the official salon of Paris, and since the twentieth century, it has become a master group of various modern art exhibitions.

Gustav Klimt, Dalí, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama...... Almost all of the most important pages in the biographies of these great artists took place at the Venice Biennale, where they competed for the Golden Lion.

Winning an award at a top art biennial is a milestone achievement in the life of every well-known artist.

Since then, there has been a leap in value.

Before the exhibition, you were just an ordinary painter, but after the exhibition, you became one of the masters.

The mere inclusion of the competition is a very dazzling qualification in itself, and it is an affirmation of the artistic value of your work.

Even if it's just in the corner of the main exhibition hall of the master group, get a small booth of fish belly players.

The amount of traffic and attention he gets is not comparable to that of the champion of the student group.

Katsuko Sakai can indeed participate in the Singapore Art Exhibition this year and the Yokohama Triennale next year.

It's just that the meaning is completely different.

The achievement of your first official debut in your career represents your first anchor in the hearts of galleries and collectors.

The higher the starting point, the smoother the overall career will be.

Katsuko Sakai has won various awards as a young artist since she was a child, and she has won a soft hand, she is already promising enough for the future, and she does not need a record of participation in the student group to prove herself.

She knows,

What she really needs is to prove to the gallery that she is a mature artist and not a good child.

"Katsuko, whether you can participate or not, the decision should be in your own hands, not me."

Mrs. Sakai shrugged: "It's less than half a year before the Lion City Art Exhibition. You can sign up first, if you can come up with a convincing enough piece. Let me and your dad feel that you are ready, then of course you can go to the exhibition. ”

She flicked her daughter's brain.

"I have no objection to you having the idea of participating in the Lion City Art Exhibition. I never dreamed that my daughter would be able to shine like a queen on the stage of Singapore this year. All I'm against is that you're not ready to race. ”

Katsuko Sakai had to admit that what her mother said was indeed very reasonable.

"Be prepared...... If I draw a piece that you think will definitely pass the jury's professional category, you'll let me participate, right? ”

After thinking about it, the girl asked.

"Of course, I can understand it this way, and I hope to see you paint a painting that is full of emotion and hits people's hearts."

Mrs. Sakai thought for a moment and made her own suggestion: "Katsuko, your painting skills themselves are not bad. However, if you want to make a name for yourself as a professional painter, you need to let your brushstrokes sink and create deeper works. ”

"The brush is the vehicle of the painter's emotions, and you have to learn to let your work speak." Mrs. Sakai said.

"It's actually hard-"

Katsuko Sakai tilted her head.

There are only more than 100 days left until the deadline for the art exhibition.

Learning to incorporate emotions into a picture is no easier than improving your drawing skills.

"It's certainly not going to be easy." Mrs. Sakai didn't rush, "The goal is there, and if you don't think you can do it, we'll wait another year." You're still very young. ”

"—but Mom, I feel like I'm feeling a little bit of it. Today I saw Gu Weijing painting, and I felt a miraculous vitality. ”

Katsuko Sakai's eyelashes drooped, but her tone was firm: "Maybe I can really do it, maybe I can." ”

Today, she looks at Carroll's paintings and feels that a miracle fire is burning under his pen.

When Gu Weijing finished painting,

She seemed to see light and thunderstorms spilling from the canvas into the air around her. For a moment, she truly believed that this was a miracle bestowed by the predecessors of the female painter Carol of the Underworld.

The shock made Katsuko Sakai feel like she had been hit in the heart.

The sense of blockage that has been estranged from her work and the real world has been revealed.

Especially at the moment when she had the courage to take Gu Weijing's hand, she felt that her whole person was filled with a wonderful sense of happiness, and her chest was full of unprecedented desires.

This desire to express,

It's called love.

"At that time, if I had a paintbrush in my hand, I would definitely be able to paint something full of emotion."

Sakai Katsuko thought about it in her heart, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but hook.

"Then come on, lovers can make us learn to love the world more deeply, and I look forward to my family's Katsuko bringing me surprises."

Mrs. Sakai did not reveal her accusation against Gu Weijing this time: "You can discuss this feeling with that young man more." If the person you love can be your muse. It can not only bring you happiness, but also achieve your career. Then you are a very lucky girl, and a very lucky painter. ”

The Muse is the goddess of art and music in ancient Greek mythology and legend.

In the European art world,

When every painter feels that he has been inspired to create and his skills are helped, he often describes himself being blessed and kissed by the muse.

There are even painters who pray to the muse before painting, something like "God willing, God is above".

At the same time, Muse also refers to heterosexual lovers who can arouse the artist's lust and creative enthusiasm in the circle, in other words, to put it bluntly, especially female models.

In the collection of letters left by painters such as Picasso, Rubens, and Klimt, all the references to "my muse" are all about women who have just been in a relationship.

Of course

Traditionally, only new girls who have just caught a fish have this honor, and they are called the "muse" that inspires them to create.

As for the wife after marriage or the old lover who is tired of playing.

In the style of people like Picasso, the general description is usually "a dissolute witch" or "a demon who eats people".

"Love should make both parties look as bright as peacocks on the screen, and strive to show their best side to each other, and should not become an obstacle to disrupt your life plan."

Mrs. Sakai gave a rare compliment to Gu Weijing: "For example, I think that kid wants this style of painting to impact the Singapore Art Exhibition, so he is very well prepared." ”

"You don't want to be overshadowed by your sweetheart if you exhibit together, right?"

Katsuko Sakai nodded.

"By the way, there is one last thing to talk to you today, Katsuko is a big girl."

Mrs. Sakai hesitated for a few seconds, then took out a small black box with gold letters from her pocket.

"This is what I asked for from the front desk of the hotel. I think it's up to me, the mother, to give it to you. ”

"Huh?"

Katsuko Sakai hesitated for a moment, looking at the hot gold English letters of the [Durex] trademark on the small black box, and the product category logo of Condoms (condoms).

She froze for two seconds.

Then his pupils dilated, his eyes were flustered, his hands were on his chest, and he didn't know where to put them, and a rouge blur appeared from his white porcelain-like cheeks, spreading rapidly towards his neck and behind his ears.

Almost instantaneously,

Sakai Katsuko's whole person is like a shy deer, and her earlobes are red and can drip blood.

"Mom, you're making fun of me."

She lowered her head: "If you do this again, I will ignore you." ”

"Katsuko, don't be shy, it's a very serious matter."

Mrs. Sakai took her daughter's hand and said softly, "When a pure little girl like you fell in love for the first time, all her thoughts were tied to boys. The love is so strong that I can't wait to give everything to the other party-"

"Mom!"

Katsuko was so ashamed that she almost jumped out of bed and ran away.

"Katsuko."

Mrs. Sakai gently hugged her daughter from behind, "Discussing this kind of thing with you, the current embarrassment in my heart is not much less than that of yours." ”

"But this kind of thing is not for me, a mother, to tell you, who is going to tell you? As a mother, I have to make it clear today, and you have to listen well. ”

"What I'm going to say, you have to listen carefully and think about it, okay?"

The middle-aged woman gently put her arms around Miss Katsuko's already plump shoulders and whispered in her ear.

Katsuko Sakai was still shy, but she nodded slightly.

"You know I come from a traditional Catholic family that requires the observance of the Ten Commandments, which prohibit premarital sex. But I didn't ask you to be religious. ”

"To be honest, Mom, I didn't really follow this law."

Mrs. Sakai snorted lightly: "However, I hope that if Katsuko really wants to go on with Gu Wei for a long time, I suggest that even if you feel that you like each other again, the first kiss, the first night, you should be slower and more reserved." ”

(End of chapter)