Two weeks later.

Early morning.

Watkins Bookstore.

As the first independent bookstore in London, it is elegantly decorated and well-stocked, even surpassing many university libraries.

Picasso came with his painting tools on his shoulders,

Mondrian was at his side.

According to reliable sources, today is the day of the release of the English version of Lord of the Flies, and bookstores are sure to be full.

The two of them were there for inspiration.

The morning fog is like a light veil that hangs over the storefronts on both sides of the street,

Sunlight shines through the mist, creating a soft halo that renders the world a hazy scene.

Picasso found a corner to place his easel and said, "This time I'm here to sketch ......."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Mondrian,

"Wait! Didn't you come here to observe the crowds? Is the word 'sketching' appropriate? ”

Sketching is a way of painting that depicts objects or landscapes.

Painting people, rarely say that.

Picasso spreads his hands,

"The people we painted, can you still call people? The facial features are all misplaced, so it's not wrong to say 'sketching'. ”

"Ah......h

Mondrian felt that there was a problem,

But I can't tell what the problem is.

He helped with the painting utensils and changed the subject: "Have you read those two books of Monsieur Gauguin?" ”

Picasso nodded,

"I read a dozen pages, but I didn't buy it."

As painters, they could not quite understand Gauguin's feelings.

Both of them were born in professional classes, received painting education since childhood, and aspired to engage in related work, but they couldn't figure out the thinking of people who were halfway monks.

Not to mention......

"Neither of those books is a good book."

Picasso said, "It makes my head dizzy when I read it." ”

Mondrian sighed,

"Me too. Still, I bought one copy of each and thought it would be a souvenir. ”

Picasso thought for a moment,

"Well, I'll buy a copy too."

When Gauguin came to London, both of them had met each other and knew that Gauguin's physical condition was very poor.

"Alas......" ×2

They sighed in unison.

The sun is rising,

More and more people are blocking the door of Watkins bookstore,

They were all in line to buy Lord of the Flies.

Discussion abounded,

"I heard that this book is the same theme as "Hunting" and "Lolita."

"I can only say something similar."

"Have you read it?"

"Nope. But I have a relative who teaches medicine in Japan, and I mentioned it in my letter. ”

"Tell me quickly...... Forget it, I don't want to be spoiled! ”

……

Crowded,

The streets were in a hurry.

Occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage passed by, and when you see this scene, you can only take a detour.

Picasso looked at the crowd and began to compose the picture,

At the same time muttered to himself: "I decided to name the painting "Overcrowded Watkins Bookstore"......"

Mondrian leaned over curiously, staring at it for a few minutes before being stunned.

Picasso paintings are not bookstores at all!

His delicate brushstrokes seem to depict the scene of the end of the world,

In the center of the picture, a group of figures are besieging a lonely castle, their postures twisted like zombies.

Because it is cubist, the time and space of the painting are very chaotic:

The besieged castle was partly fortified and stable in stone walls;

There are also places that have been severely damaged;

In other cases, the walls had collapsed, and the smell of war and death was in the air.

The picture is full of movement.

Mondrian said: "The name 'Overcrowded Watkins' is so common that it should be called 'When Lu's new book goes on sale'. ”

Picasso's pen stopped,

"Good, good! You also know how to shoot Sir Lu's ass~"

Mondrian gave the other a blank look,

"Can a painter's business be called a sycophant? I'll just be realistic! It's not as spectacular as other writers to release new books. ”

Picasso laughed,

"That's right. At the moment, it seems that it really doesn't ...... The door opened, and we went in to join in the fun. ”

The two hurriedly cleaned up.

With such a toss, the pace is half a beat slower than others,

When I entered the store again, the hill of "Lord of the Flies" was already surrounded by a larger and wider mountain of people.

If you look down from above, it looks like a graphic:

⊙。

The two tried to squeeze in,

The result, of course, failed.

At this time, the innermost people in the circle have already begun to buy books,

At the same time, there was also a scolding quarrel,

“Shiit！ How many copies do you buy? ”

"What? Who says that a person can't buy more? ”

"I think you're trying to get beaten!"

……

Noisy and shouting, making the head big.

Mondrian whispered, "What shall we do?" ”

Picasso spreads his hands,

"Forget it, don't buy it yet. I can't do it, I'll ask Nigati for help. He was Sir Luk's most trusted student and should be able to get books. ”

Mondrian understood,

Picasso and Nikolic were both Spaniards and had already mixed each other.

He asked, "Shall we go?" ”

Picasso shook his head,

"It's rare to have such a good opportunity to get the material so good that I have to go ahead and get the composition of 'The Great Writer – Lu, When the New Book Comes Out.'

This special meow is a sycophant!

Mondrian was speechless for a while,

"Good, good! That's how to play, right? ”

"Hey~"

Picasso sold cute, and then chose a relatively quiet location.

The two of them began fiddling with their easels again.

If in the past, the staff of the bookstore would definitely drive them away,

Because the pigment can contaminate the book.

But now Picasso is too famous, and if Watkins can become the background of his paintings, he will only make money.

In order to gain his fame, there was even a check signed by him framed on the wall of the bookstore.

Mondrian asked, "The composition is not over yet?" ”

Picasso waved his hand,

"No, I can't. I don't think it's enough. ”

He took the pencil and continued,

This time, more and more complex imagery has been added.

In the barren land around the castle, stacks of books were stacked irregularly, some shrouded in thick smoke, others burning,

Although the picture is chaotic, there is a different kind of order.

Mondrian was a little irritable,

Just looking at this painting, he has realized that his friend's painting skills are constantly improving.

Cubism has also become more and more perfect, and it will inevitably leave a strong mark in the history of art in the future.

He knew that he should not be jealous,

But seeing this scene, there is still a feeling of indescribability and confusion in my heart.

He stood up,

"I'm going to walk around."

Picasso: "Huh? "With a bang,

"Don't you take a look at my full composition? We can communicate. ”

Mondrian waved his hand,

"You'll talk about it when you're done."

After saying that, he stopped talking nonsense and walked around the bookstore.

For some reason, after what had just happened, he suddenly understood a little bit of the content of Gauguin's "The Whispers of an Art Apprentice".

He followed his memory to find the autobiographical bookshelf,

As a result, the book was not there.

He was a little surprised and asked the staff next to him: "Hello, where did Mr. Gauguin's books go?" Because the sale is too bad, it is thrown back to the warehouse, which is inevitably too utilitarian. At the very least, put a few copies outside. ”

The mouth is like a cannon output.

The staff spoke several times, but they were interrupted,

Finally, while Mondrian was ventilating, he saw the stitches and said, "No!" It's all out! ”

Mondrian was stunned,

"Where?"

The staff pointed.

Looking down his fingertips,

In the hall, a hill is also piled up in symmetry with "Lord of the Flies",

The geographical location of this book mountain is also superior, but the popularity is sucked clean by "Lord of the Flies", and there are no readers at all.

There is also a propaganda sign next to the book mountain,

Mondrian squinted and read,

"'The Moon and Sixpence, the great writer Lu, new book on sale'. This is...... Sir Luke's new book? Why don't you advertise? ”

The staff shook their heads,

"That's what the publisher wants."

What big-name publisher can still make a claim on Watkins?

Mondrian became even more curious, and when he picked up a copy of "The Moon and Sixpence", he saw that the publishing house was the Royal Publishing House, and he suddenly realized.

I think it was deliberately done by Editor-in-Chief Wood,

Because although the Mirror has set up an independent publishing department, it has only issued a few bound editions.

Like The Lord of the Rings.

The release is independent, and "Lord of the Flies" is still the first time.

Wood's low-key is equivalent to a face when selling land,

And because the writers of the two books are Lu, they can also avoid fighting in publicity and distribution, and there will be no internal friction.

It's also important to note that Wood must have had confidence in "The Moon and Sixpence" and thought that it would not be weaker than "Lord of the Flies" even if it wasn't announced.

Mondrian flipped over,

The opening chapter points out the protagonist:

"Needless to say, when I first met Charles Strickland, I didn't see anything special about him."

And, interestingly, "I" actually took Strickland and many other well-known artists in the same ranks.

Diego Velázquez,

Born in Seville, he was a great Spanish painter in the late Renaissance and had a great influence on Impressionism;

El Greco,

Born in Greece, Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect;

El Greco,

Born in Crete, Greece, painter, sculptor, architect;

……

These people, Mondrian is naturally familiar,

But the general public should not hear much.

When Sir Lu was writing, he obviously did his homework.

Mondrian couldn't help but worry,

Will Sir Lu raise the reading threshold and break the myth of his best-selling author because he writes like this?

He continued to read,

Frankly, the first two chapters are a bit boring,

From the perspective of "me", it tells the boring life of Strickland as a financial practitioner.

Mondrian read with a little irritation,

But soon, an idea popped into his head:

Sir Lu deliberately wrote this!

He has a hunch that if he reads further, the plot and text will become surging.

As expected,

From the time Strickland moved to Paris, the whole atmosphere changed, as if the author's mood was also rising and falling with Strickland, escaping from boredom.

Mondrian smiled knowingly,

Sir Lu really likes to play this method,

The same is true of "Lolita", which reveals the changes in Humbert's mood before and after meeting Lolita through a change of style.

Of course, Lolita plays a little more daringly.

After reading the third chapter, Mondrian could already guess the subsequent development,

The story of a stable middle-aged man who suddenly gives up his life without food and clothing and runs away to pursue the hazy moon.

He picked up the book and walked over to Picasso,

"Pablo, look!"

Picasso was still obsessed with painting,

"Wait! I'm going to end it soon. ”

Mondrian leaned in to admire,

The composition has a little more content,

Those "zombies" seem to have been divided into two groups,

A wave of movements stiffly charges forward, dynamic and realistic, as if one can hear a roar echoing in the air, which is creepy;

On the other hand, the defenders put up a fierce resistance on the castle, firing deadly arrows one after another.

Mondrian almost laughed,

Zombies fighting zombies?

Isn't this what the group of people who snapped up Lord of the Flies looked like?

The outer circle wants to squeeze in;

The inner circle is stuck in position, and the outer circle is not allowed to squeeze in, and I want to buy dozens of copies by myself.

When I got in the car, I was ready to weld the door shut,

It's so vivid!

After a while,

"That's it!"

Picasso put down his pencil and said with some pride: "How is it?" ”

Mondrian nodded approvingly,

"Very well drawn. Even the most demanding critics have little room for nitpicking. ”

Picasso smiled slyly,

"Even if it's nitpicky, I'll pay them off."

!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped past Mondri in peace.

He waved his hand,

"Okay, I won't listen to your business."

As he spoke, he handed "The Moon and Sixpence" over,

"Look at this."

Picasso showed a look of great surprise after just one glance at the author's column, and immediately rushed to read it carefully.

As a fellow painter, his focus is very similar to that of Mondrian, and the more he reads, the more obsessed he becomes.

I don't know how long it took,

"Goo-goo-goo......"

Picasso's stomach screamed.

Only then did he look up and find that it was already lunchtime.

"Where's the book?" he asked. ”

Mondrian nodded towards the hall and replied, "The other side of the stack of books from Lord of the Flies." ”

As far as the eye can see,

"Lord of the Flies" has no less readers,

There are three inner floors and three outer floors, and the stacks of books are surrounded.

"The Moon and Sixpence" still has no readers.

It's all Lu's work, and they are very different.

Picasso muttered, "Irony. ”

Mondrian nodded in agreement,

"I think so too."

Then, he turned the subject around and asked, "What do you think of this?" ”

Picasso said: "It will be an immortal masterpiece." Of course, literature and art are very subjective, didn't Sir Lu say, 'turnip greens, each has his own love'. Perhaps, some people prefer the childlike trilogy, and I can understand that. ”

Mondrian frowned,

"Will it?"

Picasso smiled and nodded,

"Absolutely. Because most people don't feel that way. ”

He flipped "The Moon and Sixpence",

"Try to imagine that you are a person who doesn't like studying, doesn't like exams, doesn't like essays. But you have to study hard and get into college, just to choose a major that you don't like yourself, just to make ends meet. After that, you married a wife who was as plain as water......"

At this point, Picasso was silent.

Mondrian didn't pick it up.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Silence hung between the two.

Picasso said: "The first two chapters are about such an event. Sir Lu is very cunning and deliberately controls the language to make it dull and boring...... By the way, I don't believe that with Sir Luk's level, he can't write it in a fascinating way. ”

Mondrian nodded,

"Agreed."

Picasso continued: "The turning point of this film is in that note. Who would have thought that a 'normal' person would leave a note saying 'dinner is ready' and then abandon his family and go to paint? ”

The two looked at each other and smiled tacitly.

Perhaps, in the eyes of ordinary people, this is a complete selfishist, dressed in the cloak of "pursuing art", and doing things that are morally degenerate.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Strickland is morally degraded,

Look at what he did,

Abandoning his wife and children,

Green to fund their own pursuit of art friends,

and he abandoned his friend's wife,

……

The piles are really disgusting.

But

"It's not a problem for Lu."

Picasso said: "With Lolita's Humbert in front of you, 'The Moon and Sixpence' just creates a great bastard, it's not ...... Hahaha! By the way, maybe the Childlike Trilogy plus this book will become a moral tetralogy. ”

Mondrian was also amused,

"That should be renamed the 'No Moral Tetralogy.'"

"Hahaha!"

Picasso burst out laughing.

Thankfully, the readers were still circling Lord of the Flies, making even more noise.

He restrained his smile,

"Speaking of the name change, I think this painting is going to be changed again, and it should be called "The Great Writer - Lu, When the New Book Goes on Sale (Part 1)".

Mondrian immediately understood the other party's intentions,

"You're going to create a group painting."

Picasso said solemnly: "Ready-made themes are right in front of you, and you can't find them." ”

He cast his gaze in the direction of the mountain of books for The Moon and Sixpence, closed his eyes and pondered for a while, conceiving in his mind.

After that, he changed to another piece of paper and picked up the pen.

In just ten minutes,

A big tree stands alone, its branches and leaves stretching or curling, as if containing vitality,

Under the big tree, stacks of books are piled up.

On the thick trunk of the tree, a strange human face is drawn,

The face was ordinary, even a little mediocre, but Mondrian could easily identify the owner of the face from between his eyebrows—

Paul Gauguin.

Mondrian let out an "um" and said, "Obviously, The Moon and Sixpence is based on Mr. Gauguin. ”

Picasso stared at the painting with a frown, as if in deep thought.

Looking at his expression, Mondrian quickly explained: "I'm not guessing, I have evidence." Look over there, "The Moon and Sixpence" is on sale with "The Whispers of an Art Apprentice" and "Before and After". Moreover, the 'I' in "The Moon and Sixpence" can understand the mental activity of the protagonist Strickland, and there is a lot of overlap between the two and the content of Monsieur Gauguin's autobiography "The Whispers of an Art Apprentice". ”

Picasso waved his hand,

"I know. I didn't doubt your claim, I was just thinking......"

He pondered for a while,

"Are the first printing of Monsieur Gauguin's two books very small?"

Mondrian nodded,

"Of course not. The editors are not stupid, can they not see what kind of book will not sell? Moreover, if the sales of those two books do not go up, they will definitely not be printed. ”

As soon as the words fell,

Bang Dong –

Picasso kicked down the stool and stood up.

Mondrian was stunned,

"What are you doing?"

Picasso said: "I'm going to buy 'Whispers of an Art Apprentice' and 'Before and After'!" You can help me put away my painting tools. ”

Mondrian was also a smart man and immediately understood,

"You're not afraid of losing money when you invest so much...... Not...... There really is no need to worry. Anyway, you sign the check, and people won't pay it. ”

Picasso gave his friend a blank look,

"After selling so many books and not paying for them, are you stupid? My face doesn't work so well. ”

Mondrian said, "Then aren't you worried about the seal?" ”

Picasso shook his head,

"What about printing? It's impossible not to know how valuable the first edition is. More general is the Royal Publishing Bureau. ”

He didn't talk nonsense anymore, and arranged: "Don't ask more, as long as I make money, I will definitely share two percent of you." Of course~ I don't necessarily sell it. ”

Mondrian was speechless,

This friend of mine is really an artist and a speculator at the same time.

He asked, "What are you doing with your stuff?" You don't paint anymore? ”

Picasso said: "Once the composition is done, it's time to put it on the canvas, there's no need to stay here anymore." It is better to go to another bookstore and sweep away both of Mr. Gauguin's books. Let's go! ”

(End of chapter)