The room was silent.

Only the old lady gently tore open a pack of Wal-Mart's plastic-wrapped beech wood and threw it into the burning stove piece by piece with tongs.

She was the servant who guarded the old mansion.

Lao Yang likes her skills in baking bacon and baking small cakes, and Mama always adds a lot of oil and sugar, which is unhealthy but delicious, and the fly in the ointment is that the other party can only speak German with a strong Hungarian accent.

I don't speak English very fluently, let alone Chinese.

It's not easy to communicate.

Now that I think about it, Lao Yang thinks that this is really a very lucky thing.

The other party definitely couldn't understand the content of the conversation between Tang Ning and Cao Xuan.

That way, at least, he doesn't have to worry about reading "Shocked!" on the Moon news next morning. The relationship between master and apprentice has broken down, and the ups and downs of the art giants have been counted".

Even so.

Out of professional sensitivity, Lao Yang still wanted to walk over and let the old lady leave for a while, just in case.

He hadn't moved.

The old lady had finished adding firewood, opened the window a small crack, and left the living room quietly without greeting anyone.

Looking at the other party's attitude that seemed to be frozen in the entire living room, he was at ease.

Lao Yang suddenly felt again.

Perhaps the old servants employed by the legendary painter family have long been familiar with similar things.

The other party didn't understand a word, but he understood everything.

"Wealthy families, everyone has a difficult scripture."

Lao Yang held his hands and looked at Tang Ning, whose face was dark and difficult to see under the light of the fireplace, and was very curious about what the other party's mood was at the moment.

——

Under the glow of the fireplace, Tangning's face was dark, with incomprehensible astonishment and confusion.

She was stunned for half a minute before she realized.

The teacher is not joking.

Since Downing came to Austria, everything has developed that makes her unable to understand the world.

The sun is far away, whether it is perverse, the brain is confused, and it is okay to do the wrong thing.

are all Tang Ning's "exhortation" words under resentment and eagerness.

She wanted to convey to the teacher that she was a student who could not compromise on this matter.

But now.

Tang Ning began to really worry about whether Cao Lao had a problem with his thinking and cognition, and he couldn't tell the difference between good and bad, right and wrong.

Otherwise, how could the old man say such outrageous words.

She's Downing.

At the age of 20, she won the gold medal of the International Biennale, and at the age of 26, she was held by the Huangpu River. "There's already a lot of weather. At the age of thirty-two, he participated in the Venice Biennale, and almost became the next Dongxia artist to hold the Golden Lion trophy after Hou Xiaoxian, Zhang Yimou, and Cai Guoqiang.

Although she missed the Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards, she appeared on the annual cover of "Oil Painting" magazine with her teacher in the same year, and even Damian Hirst, who was cold in the market, was squeezed into the second issue by her.

By this year.

She is worth more than 10 million dollars.

From ancient times to the present, female artists who have left their names in the history of human painting, not to mention the top three or top five. In the top twenty, Tang Ning is confident that it will not be difficult for him to rank in after all.

This is where she dares to speak boldly in front of the teacher, and she is the most suitable successor of the other party, and there will be no confidence from others.

How old is Gu Weijing?

Of course, Tang Ning believes in the power of genius, she herself is a genius in a million, and because of this, she knows that no matter how good talent is, it takes time and experience to brew.

Especially Chinese paintings.

The older you get, the more demonic you get.

Of course, there are ancient strange people like Wang Ximeng who are famous in Beijing when Guan Guan was young, but such as Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Huang Binhong, and Zao Wou-ki, including her teacher, who has not reached the prime of life in their thirties and forties, or even the old age of Huajia, to complete the feat of returning to the basics and entering the Tao?

"Teacher, you really ...... Alas, I hope this is a joke. Tang Ning's expression was complicated.

"If that's what I thought."

Cao Xuan didn't seem to read the regret in Tang Ning's tone, and continued to ask with a smile.

"If this is not a joke, then you are really old, old enough to be unfit for painting, and your judgment has deteriorated so much, and I am very sad."

Tang Ning stood up, walked over and stroked the pale gray hair on the top of Old Man Cao Xuan's head, and said softly: "Teacher, at the end of this semester, you will resign from your teaching position in Hamburg and move to London to live with me." In the past few years, I want to spend more time with you. ”

"It's still filial piety."

Cao Lao nodded.

"Monet, including Mr. Huang Binhong, suffered from eye disease in his later years and was extremely difficult to see, but he still had magnificent brushwork and struggled to explore and move forward on the scroll. Your teacher and I can't compare to the perseverance and courage of these predecessors, but I think I'm old, but my eyes haven't been spent yet. The old lady shook his head again, "It's not yet time for you apprentices to take care of you apprentices and enjoy your old age, so wait." ”

Cao Lao turned his head sideways and looked at Tang Ning.

Tangning stared at him incomprehensibly.

"Do you know why I don't see you? Your heart is not quiet enough. Cao Xuan stretched out his finger and knocked twice on the coffee table in front of him.

"If your heart is not quiet, even if you meet, you probably won't be able to listen to what I say. It's better to write a letter that will calm your mind, and reading word by word, word by word, may have a better effect. ”

"Actually, I've been waiting for you to ask about Gu Weijing."

Tang Ning frowned.

"Do you know why I'm disappointed in you?"

Old Cao looked at the woman with a serene expression.

Tang Ning's heart sank for no reason.

She didn't understand what the teacher meant.

But she would rather the teacher throw her with a palette and hit her with a cane in anger like other brothers and sisters, rather than the old man just be quiet and plain.

Great sorrow without tears, great enlightenment without words, laughter without sound.

The old man's calm look.

Tang Ning suddenly felt that she might really disappoint the teacher this time.

"When you were a child, you brothers and sisters would hold a small seminar in my study every weekend. I will talk about ancient texts, talk about the gains and losses of calligraphy, painting and poetry of the literati, and speak freely and without any shy words. ”

"The teacher said that there are big wind bones and big wind in it."

Downing nodded.

"I still remember that on the first weekend of your visit to the teacher, that week I happened to talk about an article about celebrities and scholars in "Shishuo Xinyu Rongzhi", during which I talked about the great writer Yuan Haowen of the Jin Dynasty and commented on the article of Pan Yue of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. High affection for the eternal idle life, striving for trust and benevolence to worship the dust. ”

Pan Yue, the word Anren, that is, throwing fruit and winning cars, looks better than Pan An's protagonist "Pan An".

He was a famous man for his talent in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the most famous beautiful man in the history of the Eastern Xia, but Yuan Haowen did not have a high evaluation of him.

I said that the meaning of this poem is that it is not accurate to look at people by paintings, and the articles written in the pen do not represent a person's true temperament and character. A person like Pan An, who can write such an indifferent work as "Idle Fu", can bow to the dust splashed by the carriage driven by a high-ranking official in order to seek an official, and do such a shameless thing. ”

Cao Xuan crossed his fingers and leaned on the sofa, his voice slightly hoarse.

"At that time, I originally wanted to tell you that the personal moral evaluation of an artist should be separated from the level of artistic attainment, and that people should not waste paintings, nor should they blindly see people with paintings. For example, scholars of the Ming and Qing dynasties stubbornly claimed that Li Qingzhao could write such a noble poem, so it was impossible for him to be able to do such an unethical behavior with his husband. These jokes that make future generations laugh at each other are all out like this. ”

"Ziming, Xiao Ming, a few of them nodded yes, it's just you, you keep shaking your head."

Cao Xuan smiled: "I was very strange at the time, I asked you why you shook your head." Every word of your answer at that time, I remember it vividly. ”

Tang Ning laughed too.

"I said, Yuan Haowen is talking nonsense, he must not have read "Idle Fu" at all, and only made up a rhyming allusion at random."

She recalled her stubborn appearance at that time, and her expression was full of emotion.

"From the beginning to the end of "Idle Fu", every sentence seems to be shouting, I can't be an official, I can't be an official, I can't be an official, ah, ah, I can't be an official! People who can shout like this, shouting that they can't be officials, there must still be unwillingness to be an official in their hearts, which is somewhat similar to Pan Yue and Li Baizhi. People who really don't want to be officials, the poems they write should be as light and quiet as Tao Yuanming. Seeing people with pictures and seeing people with words is never bad. ”

"Xiao Ning, you don't know how surprised I was that day. It is this energy, it is this sensitivity and courage to say that Yuan is good at asking nonsense. ”

Cao Lao inhaled deeply.

"That day, the moment you stared at a pair of eyes and said loudly, 'See people with paintings, see people with words, never bad'. I really feel like I've found the right successor. I want to leave everything I have to you. ”

"Teacher, I'm ......"

Tang Ning was a little moved.

"Of all of you, your path is the smoothest. When Zhou Ming was thirty years old, she was allowed to sign her first gallery, and Lin Tao's opportunity to sign Gao Guxuan was suppressed by me. I think that the sentence of hating life in calligraphy and painting may not be right, but when you are young, it is actually good for your career to press and endure hardships. Only Xiao Ning, I have never stopped you from having what you want. You have a lively personality and love scenery, so you won a gold medal at the age of 20, and I even ordered a sports car for you directly from the UK. ”

"At that time, many people thought I spoiled you too much. Only I don't think so, some scenery and pleasure should be experienced when you are young. Horse and bucket carts, why not a part of the traditional Baume & Mercier? When I was younger, I used to ride an open-top Rolls-Royce in the Jewish Taipan on the banks of the Whampoa River. I believe that you will not be carried away by this feeling, because you are a very 'real' person, like a sword, you will never be bound by these idle mundane things, the pursuit of art will not change, and the red dust will only polish you sharper, and that is enough. ”

Cao Xuan inhaled deeply and exhaled deeply.

"Xiao Ning, you haven't let people go back since you were a child. I want to take an extra apprentice. You're dissatisfied, and I expected that. I can tolerate the things in your interview, because I'm waiting for you to ask a question, and I thought you would definitely ask. ”

"It's a pity that I've been giving you time, and I've been trying to keep you quiet, but until you walked into this room today, and when I sat down on the couch, I still didn't hear you ask me-"

"How is Gu Weijing's painting? What kind of brilliance does his painting technique have, and why do I never forget it? I said that there is stillness in his works, but how do you see it? ”

Cao Xuan tilted his head and stared at his disciple.

"When you were a teenager, you said loudly to me, see people with paintings, see people with words, never bad."

"At the age of forty, you are not in line with the rules, unreasonable, what do outsiders think, how do the media think, human relations, gains and losses, you have said everything you should have said, and you have also complained about it, Xiao Ning, you have not asked me, and I am also the most looking forward to sharing with you, about Gu Weijing's works. You didn't even want to see the painting Gu Weijing gave me. ”

"As a painter, you can love money, you can want to be successful, these are all good. But this is not what we were striving for when we first embarked on this path. ”

"I want to know, where is the Xiao Ning I was looking forward to, the Xiao Ning who was enough to entrust her with great responsibilities and look forward to her rising step by step on the road of art?"

Tang Ning opened his mouth and looked at his teacher in a daze.

She wanted to speak, she wanted to defend herself.

But she didn't say a word.

The teacher's calm words were like sharp whips, whipped on her body.

Tang Ning once thought that she had grown up, and in a trance, she became the little girl in the studio, listening to the teacher's teachings.

To be honest, Downing felt a little wronged.

She had seen Gu Weijing's works, and Lin Tao once shared the young man's paintings preparing to participate in the Singapore Biennale to a WeChat group.

Level.

It's not bad, it's better than many people, it's definitely far worse than her...... Referring to her at the age of eighteen.

Comparing the current Tang Ning with Gu Weijing, it is not to bully Gu Weijing, but to humiliate Tang Ning too much.

Downing was very unimpressed at the time.

This level is not a big problem to bluff Lao Yang, but from the perspective of Cao Laoshu, this level may be about the same age as Lin Tao, who did not have a famous teacher.

For them, it's really a bit reluctant to even call them geniuses.

At this level, is there anything else to see about the works of painters?

"Bring his Wisteria Flowers."

Cao Xuan slapped his face lightly and instructed Lao Yang.

(End of chapter)