Soul Painter

I saw Lawrence's nervousness.

Gao Fan added: "Brother, our next conversation will not affect our relationship, but we have to face up to some problems."

"Okay." Lawrence changed his sitting position, "Indeed, I have also noticed some abnormalities recently, and I wanted to discuss them with you."

"Well, I also have a few questions." Gao Fan said.

"Okay." Lawrence seemed to be reporting work to the boss. That's right, Gao Fan is Fang Gesi's biggest painter at present, and he is the only one. Lawrence couldn't help being nervous.

Although there is a relationship like Lu Guoying, Lu Guoying is the one who most advocates that Gao Fan change his agent. When he mentions Lawrence, it is an adjective like 'full of copper stink'. If Gao Fan quits, he will be the first to applaud , it should be this old man.

"How about the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum?" Gao Fan asked.

"It's almost over," Lawrence replied.

This was expected by Gao Fan.

He nodded.

Lawrence continued: "I fought for another week, and the overall duration has already been two months. I'm afraid there is no way to delay it... But an exhibition is nothing. It is true that a two-month solo exhibition can be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For many painters, it is already a hard-to-find treatment in a lifetime."

"The critics are attacking me more and more?" Gao Fan continued to ask.

The second question made Lawrence fall into a state of anxiety, and he began to frown: "I can't say it's bad, I can only say that I'm a little disappointed... I don't understand why your reputation changed overnight. I am praising your innovation, and now say that your works are 'lack of advancement', 'kitsch', 'difficult to spread' or something..."

Obviously, the criticism of Gao Fan in the art world has increased.

Since Gao Fan began to turn to the creation of classical style, some critics who are not harsh think that Gao Fan has "entered the low ebb period of creation", while others are more harsh, saying that Gao Fan has "lost his advanced nature", or even 'A master of kitsch'.

"Is my painting not going to be sold?" Gao Fan asked again.

These three heart-breaking questions made Lawrence's forehead sweat again.

Indeed, the current attitude of the buyer's market towards Gaofan continues to be cold.

It has been three months since the auction at Christie’s, and Lawrence has only sold two paintings, and they were sold within one month after the auction. In the following two months, there were no sales.

And it seems that with the criticism of Gao Fan in the art world, this situation has become more and more serious, which is the "abnormality" that Lawrence found.

"What did Ain say?" Lawrence reluctantly asked, he realized that Gao Fan's question should be related to Ain who came to dig a corner.

"He criticized you, thinking that you ruined my future in order to cater to petty interests. Of course, I don't agree with it, because those are decisions we made together." Gao Fan said, "Sooner or later It's going to get in your ears, and what I want to say is, we're going to face it all together."

Lawrence was silent. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

For a long time.

Lawrence said, "Ian thinks... is it because of Christie's auction? Your price is too high?"

"Yes, he said, now the buyers' market has a tacit understanding, that is to resist the further increase of my social value, and many art critics who are willing to speak out are the mouthpieces of capital, so criticisms have also appeared. Now , They are collectively boycotting a twenty-five-year-old, living painter whose worth has already reached 100 million US dollars per painting, because they are worried, what else can he do next?" Gao Fan grinned.

"So all of this is because of that invitation from Christie's..." Lawrence suddenly understood, but it was impossible, "How can it be possible to stand on one front to resist you in such a big buyer's market? No one can Appealing power, it is impossible for capitals to stand together!"

Capital is infighting.

That's right.

Unless Gao Fan violated the interests of everyone.

"Ai En said that the annual transaction volume of the global art market is about tens of billions of dollars. In terms of oil painting art, the annual transaction volume will not exceed 30 billion yuan. Now, I will take it away from it... um Assuming that one of my paintings costs US$100 million and five paintings flow into the market every year, I will take one-eighth of it myself, which is too much." Gao Fan said.

yes. Too much. Lawrence only calculated that Gao Fan would paint a painting worth 100 million U.S. dollars, and sooner or later he would become the "King of the World", but he did not expect that after all, Gao Fan did not paint coins, but works of art.

Art needs the market to reflect its value. Once the buyer’s market collectively boycotts Gao Fan, then Gao Fan will be suspended in the air—Gao Fan cannot take the initiative to lower the price, and no one will buy Gao Fan’s works.

But Lawrence is a mature businessman after all, he will not be overwhelmed by these 'little difficulties', he cheered up: "I'll go to find out what the buyers think, in fact, we can take the initiative to lower the price, right? ?”

"I can't." Gao Fan doesn't like money, but he likes face, so sell it at a discount? What a joke.

"I'll think of other ways." Lawrence left.

Looking at Lawrence's back, Gao Fan wanted to call him, but he didn't speak.

Lawrence tried his best to manage him, and Gao Fan knew it very well, but at certain moments, he did not know the right way and used too much force. For example, during the "Strongest Surface" art exhibition, the first "Cat" exhibition When it came out, Lawrence made a lot of headlines about the ability of the painting "Cats" to cut off the hair of the viewer, and for a painter, such an anecdote is not decent.

This was Ain's point of view. Although Gao Fan didn't care, he knew that Ain was right, and Lawrence was using too much force.

However, the root cause.

Gao Fan is not great enough.

If he has been able to produce such works as "The Bostonian" and "Redemption", who would dare to question his worth?

"There seems to be a curse on me, or a blessing." Gao Fan said to Anna, who has never had a sense of presence, "I seem to be in a tug-of-war with the whole world. Once I don't try my best, the world's feedback will be 'crack ’ slapped me in the face and yelled at me, 'You're regressing!'"

"You really haven't improved." Anna said truthfully, "The three works we have just created, "Cats", "The Ring" and "Veteran", although technically perfect, are still a kind of repetition. You're not like that, and I don't like it."

"Yeah, I don't like it either..." Gao Fan murmured, "In the previous creations, I used painting as a tool, not a result, because I was tired... or even regressed..."

That's right, Gao Fan created for the sake of mystery, and he did gain three mysteries.

But those three works did not meet the standard of greatness, not even legends.

But greatness is not easy to pursue.

Even for Gao Fan who has the blessing of the silver key, it is the same.