Chapter 45

Listening to Qi Xiang's analysis, everyone was quite in agreement.

Why is it that among people, some become renowned and celebrated great painters, while others remain unknown, their works treated as trash, ignored by all?

Putting aside various factors of time, place, and human conditions, as well as opportunities and fate, the key is still the issue of ability.

For example, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, among the painters, apart from those with superior backgrounds who already had a reputation, most of the painters should be considered to have come from humble origins.

The reason why painters from humble origins could become famous throughout the world is not due to luck, but to their ability. Behind every famous painter from humble origins, there has been a harsh market test.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, commerce in the Jiangnan region was prosperous, and the cultural atmosphere was vibrant. The wealthy and influential merchants competed to buy paintings and calligraphy, attaching themselves to the refined culture, which became a social trend at the time.

Many impoverished scholars, in order to support their families, had no choice but to sell their writings and paintings to make a living.

According to incomplete statistics, in the entire Jiangnan region, just in the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas, there were tens of thousands of scholars who made a living by selling paintings. From this, one can understand how fierce the competition in this industry was.

In such fierce competition, only by relying on one's own ability could one stand out and gain recognition. Painters without talent were long ago eliminated and could not possibly leave their names for posterity.

Everyone was well aware that Ren Bonian was also a painter from humble origins. He came from a poor background but rose to become a world-renowned master of painting.

Although he was somewhat unpopular at the time due to not being a scholar, after his death, many people began to vindicate him. In particular, Xu Beihong regarded him as his predecessor and held him in high esteem.

This can be considered a beautiful story in the history of painting. The day Ren Bonian died happened to be the day Xu Beihong was born.

After learning this, Xu Beihong often claimed to be Ren Bonian's successor and was deeply fascinated by Ren Bonian's works. He even wrote a biography and documented his life story.

Thanks to the promotion and advocacy of Master Xu Beihong, the world's evaluation of Ren Bonian's artistic value has steadily increased. In modern times, Ren Bonian has become a universally recognized master of painting...

The works of a master are naturally extraordinary, distinct from those of ordinary painters.

Some appraisers have thoroughly studied the master's works and are well-versed in his painting style. When appraising paintings, they often start from the details and style to distinguish between genuine and fake works.

Qi Xiang did just that, gradually revealing the problems in a painting, presenting them with reason and evidence, which made everyone very convinced and enlightened.

"There's no need to say more, this is definitely the painting of Ren Bonian's daughter, a forgery!" someone declared with certainty, showing support.

Some people tried to take advantage of the situation and asked, "Old Sun, is what he said correct?"

"Ha ha..." Old Sun smiled without speaking.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" an old man nearby waved his hand. "He hasn't finished yet. Let him finish speaking before we announce the answer."

"Hasn't he already pointed out the flaws in the forgery?" someone was puzzled.

"You're silly, didn't you hear him say that both paintings have problems?" someone reminded. "He has only talked about the flaws in one painting so far. There's another painting."

"The other painting?" the person muttered. "What other flaws could there be?"

The other person glared. "If I knew, I would be the one to take the credit and win the prize."

"Heh, that's true!"

Some people whispered to each other, filled with admiration but no envy. After all, Qi Xiang had risen to prominence through his own abilities, and the principle of the capable rising and the mediocre falling was fair and reasonable. If they were to blame anyone, it could only be themselves for lacking the ability, not others.

Someone asked, "What's wrong with the other painting? It seems pretty good."

"The other work is indeed very good," Qi Xiang agreed. "The style is highly consistent with Ren Bonian's genuine works. As is well known, Ren Bonian, due to his lack of education and cultural cultivation, could not write poetry."

"So in his works, there are very few poems, and he did not rely on poetry to supplement his paintings. The inscriptions in his paintings are mostly limited to the time, place, and the person for whom the painting was made, along with his signature."

Qi Xiang analyzed, "Sometimes, on a large painting, there are only a few words, unlike some scholar painters who are well-read and can achieve the three perfections of poetry, calligraphy, and painting."

"Of course, these shortcomings are also strengths. Due to the lack of text, people can more easily discover the poetic quality in his works. His paintings are poetic, rich in imagery, and have a lingering charm, making them worth savoring."

After a series of praises, Qi Xiang frowned and hesitated, "But this painting, despite having the same style and brushwork as Ren Bonian, has a very significant problem."

"What problem?" many people were curious.

"From the photograph, it's not very clear," Qi Xiang said solemnly. "But if you carefully observe the original painting, you should easily notice that the ink and brushwork on the painting have a floating sensation and have not penetrated the core of the painting."

"Ah?"

Everyone was naturally very surprised upon hearing this.

Everyone present, despite varying levels of expertise, understood the implications of Qi Xiang's words. Generally speaking, the core of a painting refers to the original work on the rice paper before any mounting or framing.

The lack of penetration of the ink into the core of the painting is a significant issue.

This is because in the world of paintings and calligraphy, it is very important for the ink to penetrate "three layers deep."

The paper used for painting and calligraphy is often made of several layers combined into one sheet.

This is why in the antiques trade, there are sophisticated techniques to peel off the top layer of a painting to steal the original. Even if one or two layers are peeled off and colored, it can become another genuine work.

Of course, only when the ink penetrates the core of the paper and the ink color is sufficiently rendered can the work last for a long time. Paintings that have been peeled off, due to their thin base, cannot be preserved for long and will easily become brittle and damaged.

Now, Qi Xiang said that the ink and brushwork on this painting were floating and had not penetrated the core, which was indeed shocking.

"Peeling a painting?"

Thinking of this possibility, everyone in the room was shocked, and they looked at each other in surprise.

At the same time, they finally understood Qi Xiang's dilemma: "If it's a peeled painting, it's really difficult to determine whether it's a genuine work or a forgery."

Peeling a painting is essentially a technique to peel off a layer from a genuine work, which is an extension of the original. In theory, it should be considered a genuine work. However, a peeled painting is only a thin layer, and the base is mostly blank paper, which needs to be colored to make the image vivid.

However, in the industry, any additions or corrections made by someone other than the original artist, unless for restoration purposes, are generally considered to be fakes.

A painting that has been tampered with is undoubtedly a forgery.

"What a scam..."

"It's clearly a scam."

Some quick-witted people understood the malicious intent behind it.

The two works, one of which might be a painting done by Ren Bonian's daughter. As mentioned earlier, such works are difficult to categorize as either forgeries or genuine works.

The other work might be a peeled painting, and the determination of a peeled painting is even more ambiguous.

The two paintings, with their mix of authenticity and forgery, left everyone very confused and unable to distinguish between them.

"These old foxes... no, these senior predecessors, are really... amazing." Boss Pang was elated and wanted to immediately offer gifts to express his gratitude.

"A few young brothers, isn't what you're doing a bit... inappropriate?" a few older men in the crowd, though not as prestigious or skilled as the master appraisers, were still respected veterans and expressed their dissatisfaction in a very tactful manner.

Even if others ignored it, the master appraisers could not afford to ignore the criticism of these veteran experts.

At the right moment, Old Sun quickly responded, "Old brothers, it's not as you think. We can assure you that although these two paintings have their own mysteries, they are absolutely not a scam..."

"If it's not a scam, what else could it be?" others were skeptical.

Seeing that Old Sun was about to explain in detail, Boss Pang quickly intervened to prevent him from revealing too much, then turned with a smile, "Young man, the old gentlemen have made it very clear. Only one of these two paintings is genuine. Which one do you choose now?"

Qi Xiang frowned in deep thought, hesitant and indecisive...

"Men should be decisive, not indecisive and hesitant." Boss Pang pressured, almost wanting to help Qi Xiang choose randomly.

"What are you rushing for, are you trying to kill him?" others were very dissatisfied, thinking Boss Pang was overstepping.

Fearing the collective anger, Boss Pang immediately shut up, his mind racing.

"I think..."

After a while, Qi Xiang took a deep breath and finally made a decision, pointing to one of the paintings, "I think this is... the genuine work!"

"Huh?"

Everyone looked and felt both surprised and unsurprised. Qi Xiang pointed to the painting that was suspected to be a peeled painting.

"Ha ha..."

Boss Pang burst into laughter, his face full of excitement, "Are you sure? Once you choose, you can't change it."

Could he have chosen wrong?

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, feeling sorry for Qi Xiang.

Just one step away, with a 50% chance, and he failed.

As everyone sighed, Boss Pang turned around, his smile instantly vanishing, and asked cautiously, "Old gentlemen, is he right?"

Everyone heard this and almost choked on their own blood.

It turns out Boss Pang didn't know the answer either, yet he was acting like a big shot?

Under everyone's attention, an old man remained calm and asked Qi Xiang, "You think it's genuine. What's your reasoning?"

"Reasons? ... Well, I'm also quite curious about the reasons..."

Everyone's gaze shifted to Qi Xiang. Everyone knew that the key to success or failure was in this moment.

.......................

Voting while reading is a good habit and should be encouraged. Please support and give a collection.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends