Three days later.

East End, Whitechapel area.

This is one of the poorest places in London,

And the crime rate here is quite high, and the streets are full of thieves and gangsters.

In 1888, the horrific serial murders of Jack the Ripper made the district even more notorious.

Nigati Nikolic and Tiri Solomon wrapped their coats tightly and walked cautiously down the street.

Nikolic looked around,

"How do you arrange this ......place for us?"

Solomon whispered, "Don't look around! 'Out-of-towners' are not welcome here. ”

Nikolich: "Huh? With a sigh, he lowered his head like a ghost in his heart,

The whole person has become more suspicious.

Solomon's hands,

"Dude, can't you just be a little more natural? No matter how terrifying this place is, can it be more terrifying than Professor Cass's classroom? ”

Nikolic groaned,

"If you say that, it's still more terrifying for Cass."

The destination of the two is the Whitechapel Art Gallery,

Opened in 1901, it was one of the first government-funded art galleries in London.

The emergence of the museum can be said to be a product of the ideas of social reform in the late Victorian era, and it was a philanthropic vision of the time to "bring art to the people of the East End".

But look at the devastation all around,

Nikolić felt it would be more appropriate to bring relief and employment to the East End.

He said: "I don't know what Her Royal Highness the princess thinks, arrange us in this kind of place, and say...... Not...... What did she say at the time? ”

Solomon's hands,

"'Exemplary leadership.'"

"Tsk......"

Nikolić staggered,

"Yes, yes, that's the inexplicable word. Isn't this hard made? ”

Solomon couldn't help laughing,

"Hmph, this word is Professor Lu's masterpiece as soon as it sounds. Don't you feel it? Her Royal Highness and Professor Lu have gradually become consistent in many of their wording recently, and they have even become much more similar in many of their actions. ”

There was a strong smell of gossip in these words.

Nikolic was curious,

"伱 means ......"

Solomon said: "People who have been with each other for a long time and appreciate each other imitate each other, as Freud wrote, 'It is easy to see the universality of this phenomenon by looking closely at the behavior of individuals.'" ”

The previous debate between Freud and Harlow Gale established psychology and advertising.

Both quickly gained popularity and both became popular in Europe.

Nikolić shook his head and said, "Aren't the terms 'individual behavior' and 'universality' contradictory?" ”

In fact, there are many inconsistencies in "The Interpretation of Dreams".

Solomon, however, did not pay much attention and said, "You, you, sometimes you are just too strict. I even feel that the imitation is not limited to body and language, but also facial expressions. ”

This statement is also too bizarre,

Nikolic complained: "According to what you say, they will look more and more alike." Because the imitation of expressions causes the facial muscles to become gradually similar. ”

Solomon said, "In reality, many couples are like that. ”

Nikolić pouted,

"Then my father and the landlady next door ...... Not...... Fxxk！ ”

He scolded a little loudly.

In an instant, several big men around cast their eyes, and their eyes were extremely unfriendly.

"Hiss......"

Nikolić gasped and didn't dare to squeak.

He looked around,

The buildings on both sides of the street are old and dilapidated, and there are many painted graffiti on the walls, and most of the content is fierce and evil symbols.

The buildings of various heights seem to hide countless secrets and evils.

Nikolich muttered, "It's better for Harold and a few of them, go to the National Gallery." ”

Solomon said: "The National Gallery of Art is built on the site of the former Millbank Prison, and I don't know how many souls are floating in it, so be careful that they burrow into your bed at night, and when you open it, it will be full of severed heads rolling around." ”

Nikolić shuddered,

His face darkened, and he scolded in a low voice: "Tiri, you are special! @#*￥%……”

Solomon waved his hand,

"Thanks for the compliment."

Nikolić couldn't do anything about this kind of cheekiness, so he had to speed up his pace.

Solomon hastened to follow.

The two of them went up the ramp together,

It didn't take long for a newly renovated building that didn't fit in with its surroundings came into view.

Solomon said, "That is." ”

Nikolic took a closer look,

The museum's lines are simple and fluid, and the white façade glistens in the sunlight, giving it a sacred and solemn feeling.

Two people entered the museum,

The first thing that catches your eye is the spacious and clean hall.

As the name suggests, it's really "clean", and there aren't even a few paintings hanging on the walls.

Nikolić, with his shallow art skills, said: "That seems to be the style of the Hague School. ”

Solomon was shocked,

"You actually know art?"

Nikolić gave the other a blank look,

"It's not that hard. The Hague School, the Dutch realist painters ...... together"

Before he could finish speaking, Solomon interrupted: "I mean, you know oil painting, why can't you soak in girls?" ”

Nikolich cracked in an instant,

"You want to die, don't you?"

Solomon couldn't help but laugh.

Someone heard the laughter and poked his head out from behind the wall with a look of surprise,

"You're here to see the paintings?"

The person who spoke had bloodshot eyes and had obviously not slept well for a long time.

But his mental state was extremely excited, and he said, "Great! I'm kind of waiting for a guest! ”

He walked briskly,

"I'm the curator here, Carey Lambert, you ...... Not...... Are you foreigners? ”

Solomon pointed to himself,

"France."

Then he pointed to Nikolic and introduced: "Spain." ”

Lambert rejoices,

"Good, good, two art countries. It's no wonder that you come to places like the East End to visit art museums. How's it going, have you been to the National Gallery before? ”

As he spoke, he introduced and guided the two of them.

On the wall they passed, a small number of paintings were hung very sparsely,

And the style of these paintings is very new, and the brushstrokes are also immature, unlike everyone's works.

Nikolić and Solomon looked at each other,

The two decided to go ahead with the plan.

Solomon coughed lightly,

"Curator, not long after we arrived in the great, powerful, and rich British Empire, we heard that there was a very famous Spanish painter living in London, named Pablo Picasso."

With that, he winked at Nikolić.

Nikolic is very big-headed,

You can't lie like a friend and not type a draft.

He stumbled and said, "Well, I'm also Spanish after all, and I want to ...... Forehead...... Want to ......"

Lambert will,

"Understood! Come with me, here are the works of Mr. Picasso. ”

Solomon: ???

Nikolic: ???

Both of them were a little dizzy.

It's not the same as saying yes, hey!

They followed Lambert in a daze, turning around and entering a small exhibition hall.

Surprisingly, there are the most paintings here,

But all are newspaper clippings from the comic book version of The Mirror.

Lambert sighed,

"Alas...... We don't have many exhibits in our museum, so we can only fill them up like this. But don't underestimate these paintings. Mr. Picasso wrote a paper called "Lens Design in Comic Creation", which was simply subversive. ”

Solomon hurriedly interjected into the topic: "No, no, we're not talking about comics. ”

"Ah......h

Lambert was stunned,

"I heard that Mr. Picasso was still working on oil paintings. Alas...... It's not that I said, he's just a comic book drawer, and he knows what kind of oil painting. ”

If Picasso had been present, he would have vomited blood.

Nikolić didn't expect this kind of unfolding at all, and he was a little at a loss.

Solomon was quick to react,

He immediately adjusted his strategy and said, "Curator, you're right. Picasso is a comic book painter, and he knows what oil painting is. However, you should understand the value of a work of art...... Humph......"

Lambert smiled knowingly, but quickly changed to a serious expression,

"A work of art has aesthetic value. It can bring visual pleasure, which can produce a sense of happiness, which in turn brings a good mood, and even plays a role in purifying the soul and cultivating temperament. ”

That's true,

Nikolic could even feel the holy dazzling light emanating from the other person's body, which could blind people.

But Solomon was not moved,

"I understand~ I understand~ But I'm just a layman, and I value investment more."

Lambert shook his head,

"Then you should also invest in Mr. Picasso's cartoons, but the cost must be too high...... Hmmm......"

There was a gleam in his eyes.

Anyway, the purpose of selling paintings is to fool customers,

The same is storytelling,

Comics can;

Why can't oil painting?

Moreover, Picasso's oil paintings have not yet flowed out of the market, presumably because they are not easy to sell.

If you can buy it at a low price, it may be a good business.

But here's the problem......

"So, where can you buy a painting of Mr. Picasso?"

Lambert muttered to himself.

This old brother spoke his heart.

Nikolic cleared his throat,

"Curator?"

Lambert came back to his senses and quickly explained: "Two gentlemen, you should know that art museums are not galleries and do not buy and sell. I was going to buy a painting by Mr. Picasso in the hope of enriching the museum's exhibition halls. ”

Zhen Zhen has words, and it is said as if it were true.

Solomon's hands,

"It's a pity, I originally wanted to buy one for 1328 pounds~"

There are bits and pieces, and they seem very real.

Lambert didn't take a stubble,

But the rapid breathing revealed the excitement in his heart,

Pick up the fat sheep!

Solomon took the opportunity to wink at Nikolic,

The latter had no choice but to deceive: "Tiri, where did you get so much money...... Feed! You're not even counting my money, are you? ”

Instantly became more realistic.

Lambert's heart was already happy, and he still persuaded on the surface: "Mr. Solomon, the water of art investment is very deep, and you must not borrow money to enter the market!" ”

Solomon shook his head,

"Who said I was going to invest? I just love it! ”

Lambert finally couldn't help but hook the corners of his mouth in an arc,

The heart says,

The stinky boy is still too tender,

Just now I clearly said that I wanted to invest, but now what's the use of changing the word?

It's late!

But he said in passing: "Of course ~ of course ~ is a collection, not an investment." ”

Solomon nodded, but showed a helpless expression,

"Unfortunately, I can't buy it."

He looked at the newspaper clippings around him again and said, "Forget it, I don't want these useless things." ”

With that, he dragged Nikolic out.

Lambert sent them to the door,

"Next time, I'll definitely take you for a good walk!"

Solomon complained in his heart,

There are not a few paintings in total, go around with a hammer.

He waved his hand,

"Good! We will definitely come back next time. Curator, you're still weird~"

With that, he and Nikolic walked down the slope.

Lambert stood at the gate, looking at the two of them for a long time, like a stone of hope.

At this time, a cold wind blows,

He was so cold that he shrunk his neck and quickly hid back in the museum.

On the other side, Solomon lowered his voice,

"Did you go back?"

Nikolić tilted his neck slightly, glanced his eyes behind him, and nodded, "Well, let's go." ”

"Whew~" ×2

Both let out a sigh of relief.

Immediately, they laughed out loud at the same time, which attracted the sideways eyes of the fierce strong men, and they quickly lowered their voices.

Nikolić raised his eyebrows,

"Tiri, you're getting more and more insidious."

Solomon pouted,

"Aren't you too? The two of us cooperated just now, and they complemented each other perfectly. ”

Nikolic was speechless,

I wasn't like this in the first place, I stayed with my friends for a long time, and I was polluted and became unclean.

Also, why can't I learn to pick up girls?

He was depressed, shook his head and dispelled it, saying, "It was different from the plan just now." ”

Solomon shrugged,

"Anyway, our goal is to let art dealers and museum directors know that Mr. Picasso's paintings are easy to sell, and the goal is achieved, and the process is not important."

Nikolić thought about it and decided that it was not wrong.

He muttered: "In the next period of time, I have to ask the students to come over every now and then to 'inadvertently' reveal their intention to buy the paintings, and the quotation must fluctuate around 1,300 pounds, so as to completely plant an impression on Director Lambert." ”

"Tsk......"

Solomon staggered,

"Are you embarrassed to say I'm yin? You're insidious enough! ”

“Shiit！”

Nikolic scolded.

……

Paris.

Montmartre.

In front of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Oscar-Claude Monet is lying on a chaise longue, staring at the sky, as if in a fugue.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart as a feng shui treasure in Montmartre,

The topography is unique, overlooking the corner forks, narrow alleys, and steps up and down Paris.

The winding paths lead to seclusion, giving people the feeling of endless exploration.

Monet was covered with several thick clothes to keep warm.

Next to the chaise longue stands a painting,

The most conspicuous thing in the painting is the water lily, but what is unexpected is that the water lily "opens" above the Milky Way.

This makes the whole painting reveal a sense of grotesqueness everywhere.

Monet's wife, Alice, muttered beside her: "It's good that you said you would travel around Spain together, and you won't move after buying a car." Action Shorty! ”

Monet's eyelids jumped,

That shows he's listening.

But he didn't reply, still staring at the sky like a contemplative.

Alice said, "You can't be afraid to drive, are you?" ”

Monet sighed,

Actually, he was a little worried about driving.

That big rumbling machine was so jolting that people couldn't help but want to vomit.

But that's not the most important reason.

The point is still that painting -

"Galaxy Water Lilies".

He raised his hand and said, "Is Montmartre bad?" ”

Alice subconsciously looked into the distance,

The Seine River flows slowly in the distance, and the buildings on both sides of the bank draw a tortuous but beautiful line with their roofs.

Behind them, the candles lit by the parishioners glow softly and reflect the setting sun, giving people a mysterious and romantic feeling.

Alice had to admit,

"It's really good. But...... However, there are times when you get tired of watching it after watching it for a long time. ”

Monet chuckled,

"Are you tired of me?"

Alice was a little shy to ask,

"Oh, Frenchman!"

Monet said, "You speak this as if you were not." ”

There is a reason why the relationship between the two is so good,

Previously, the art investor Oceanid supported Monet, and then gave birth to the famous series of "Saint-Lazier Station".

But Monet took advantage of the bankruptcy of Oshid and got involved with his wife Alice.

This relationship is particularly French,

Can the relationship between the two be bad?

Monet sat up and was about to continue his earthy love words, but suddenly frowned and squinted into the distance,

"Is that Roman?"

Alice followed her husband's line of sight,

"Well, it seems to be Mr. Roland. I think he's coming for you. ”

Monet nodded, wrapped himself and sat up straight.

After a while, Roland ran up out of breath, handed over a telegram, and said: "Master Monet, it seems that Professor Lu is going to open a private museum, preparing to exhibit your "Water Lilies", and specially took a telegram to ask for advice. ”

Monet was a little surprised,

"A private museum? Professor Lu should have a lot of collections, but does he have a space? ”

Roland replied: "It was said that it was the royal estate to settle it." ”

Monet was a little confused when he heard it,

This is also outrageous.

So, without thinking about it, he said, "Then let someone send this painting over." ”

He was referring to "Galaxy Water Lilies".

Roland had seen Monet create before, but when he saw the finished draft, he was still shocked, and said with some obsession: "This painting is grotesque, weird, but also beautiful." ”

Monet couldn't help but sigh.

After 1880, he became estranged from the other painters of the Impressionists.

One is because of the secret communication with Alice;

The second is because the creative concept has become a conflict.

Unexpectedly, after I got old, I made a breakthrough and made this kind of work that is not like it.

This is also the reason why he did not accompany Alice around Spain,

He doesn't know whether "Galaxy Water Lilies" is good or bad, and he always pretends to have something in his heart, and it is inevitable that he can't lift his energy.

Roland was amazed,

"Master Monet, this painting of yours reminds me of those small manuscripts from the Middle Ages. It's full of absurdities, such as a rabbit playing the church organ; The knight fights against a giant snail; The man of Chiguoguo is blowing the horn with his ass......"

There was indeed a period in the Middle Ages,

Grotesque images were drawn on parchment by monks, nuns, and artisans with squirrel brushes throughout Europe.

"You should look at Franz von Stoker's paintings, he painted a lot of allegorical paintings, the picture is dark, but the color scheme is excellent, and the point is, his paintings are extremely grotesque," Monet said. Of course ......"

Monet smiled wryly,

"No matter how weird it is, it can't compare to mine."

Roland said: "There is a magic to this painting that I can't help but stare at. It seems to have cast a witchcraft on me. ”

That's a high rating.

Monet took a deep breath,

At that time, under the influence of "The Country Teacher", my mind was hot, and I created this one.

I hope I won't lose my life because of this late season.

He waved his hand,

"Forget it, don't think about what you have and don't. You ask someone to give this painting to Professor Lu and ask him to decide whether he wants to exhibit it or not. ”

This is to give Lu Shi great trust.

Roland asked, "Master Monet, what are your plans for the future?" ”

Monet glanced at his wife,

"We decided to go around Spain."

Roland sighed,

"Alas...... Wouldn't the illustrations of Professor Lu's new book be ...... after that?"

Monet couldn't help but complain: "What are you doing? Are you using me like a mule or a donkey? ”

Roland shook his head again and again,

"No, no, I didn't mean that. It's just that if you're in charge of illustration, wouldn't you be able to see Professor Lu's original manuscript before others? ”

This sentence hits the nail on the head.

Monet:!!!

"Well, I'll send you telegrams everywhere I go. If you want to draw an illustration, send me the manuscript by mail. ”

Roland was satisfied,

"I knew that Master Monet was a man who was responsible to the end!"

This sounds like a cheap and well-behaved feeling.

Although Monet agreed, he was still a little angry, and complained: "Roman, you are not very old, how can you learn so insidiously from Jules and Henry?" ”

Roland stroked his beard in embarrassment,

"It's fine. Am I not thinking about you? What a good thing it is to see Professor Lu's manuscript early! ”

This seems to be even more perverse.

Monet waved helplessly,

"Alright, alright, you can quickly find someone to take my painting away."

(End of chapter)