The Versatile Master Artist

During the holiday, Koizumi Katsuko told Gu Weijing that the studio needed renovation.

He asked Uncle Ah Lai to help call a moving company’s small van and brought all the important works back home.

The "Good Fortune Orphanage on a Thunderstorm Day" in front of Hanks was the first high-quality replica Gu Weijing created, with over half the similarity to the Tier Two Grandmaster’s original work.

Creating a painting and replicating a painting are two entirely different things.

When painting a replica, you don’t need to think much; you can perfectly follow the original author’s brushstrokes, recreate the feel of the light, the changes in warm and cool tones, and the mood of the painting.

It’s understood more simply.

The process of creating original artworks from scratch is like Tchaikovsky composing a piano sonata from beginning to end.

Whereas replicating some works without complex techniques is just like playing the composed piece on the piano keys based on sheet music.

The difference is significant.

All art exhibitions, regardless of size, and even some ordinary art competitions for middle school students, strictly prohibit replicated works.

Violation results in immediate disqualification from the competition.

The reason being that replicated masterworks inherently possess an advantage in terms of visual expression.

Creating replicas is considered cheating,

and it’s very unfair to other contestants with original works.

Among art students, many have their first piece that amazes them, which turns out to be a replication.

It’s not their skill that was impressive, but the original master’s work being too outstanding.

They only imitated a fraction, but with the master’s momentum, they created a piece exceeding their original technical skill’s limit.

The painting before them,

Gu Weijing replicated "Old Church" with the combined help of the stormy weather, the geographical advantage of the old church, and the system upgrade,

Even by the system’s picky evaluation standards, the similarity in visual feel to Carol’s original painting reached 59.6%.

This number is hard to replicate in a short period.

Gu Weijing tried replicating it during a later farmer’s holiday.

Without the specific scene of the initial storm, with his normal oil painting technique, reaching fifty percent similarity is already good.

Lady Carol’s brushwork with six points of resemblance is not something ordinary painters’ works can compare with in terms of visual feel.

The painting itself has a richly layered and clearly handled dark tone, with candlelight and its reflection on the window creating beautiful lines.

It’s a truly delightful technique.

Hanks looked and slightly opened his mouth.

"This painting is worth at least nine thousand or even ten thousand dollars."

Compared to the "Sunshine Orphanage," this replicated "Old Church" by Gu Weijing was given double the price.

"Found a treasure indeed."

When the thought of signing this young painter emerged in his mind, as an experienced agent, Hanks envisioned a scale in his heart.

On one end of the scale stood the young Gu Weijing.

The other end weighed Ma Shi Gallery’s willingness to pay.

The number of funds would increase or decrease based on the information Hanks acquired.

The painting style merging European and Asian elements, a plus!

Resemblance to Lang Shining, slightly negative.

Only seventeen years old, a significant plus!

Professor Yajima’s reputation, another plus!

A painter from a small area considered an art desert by Westerners, negative.

...

The offer Hanks gave Gu Tongxiang just now was the condition he deemed sufficient to sign Gu Weijing after weighing various aspects.

Paris, Southern France, Venice, London... Over the years, Hanks has met hundreds of high-profile artists, professional curators, and museum directors.

The number of famous paintings he has seen is uncountable, and it’s rare for something to stir waves in Hanks’s heart.

Gu Weijing’s current level in Fusion Painting might count as a half, his age is one factor, and this dark-toned impressionist piece another.

Clink, clink, clink—

If a tangible scale truly existed in the real world, at this moment, the chips would be falling like beads on a jade plate, pounding Hanks’s heart.

"This is a replica painted by Gu Weijing of an oil painting."

Gu Tongxiang, being honest, hesitated slightly but still provided a reminder.

"A replica... oh, a replica indeed."

Hanks blinked.

"Is there such an excellent piece in Yangon’s art galleries? It’s rare." he wondered aloud.

"It’s not from a gallery’s collection, but one my grandson acquired externally."

Old man Gu Tongxiang didn’t hide anything from the Ma Shi Gallery’s agent.

He went to the outer room and took out Carol’s original painting from the safe.

Wealth should not be flaunted,

since if this painting is quite valuable, it might be extremely valuable.

Old man Gu Tongxiang wasn’t planning to hang it in his gallery store, letting Gu Weijing put it away secretly when not needed for replication.

Their small shop’s target customers couldn’t afford such high-priced artworks, better not to show off and risk being robbed.

"This brushwork."

"These lines."

"The colors are remarkable too."

Seeing Carol’s original painting, Hanks clicked his tongue repeatedly.

"If it’s a replica, it can’t be exhibited. Ma Shi Gallery won’t sell replicas either." Hanks wrinkled his nose.