Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 109
After finishing the work in England, Nolan and his party headed straight to France.
When they arrived at the Marceau mansion in Paris’ Sénart Forest, it was three hours after lunch, which began at 12:30 p.m.
Even after finishing all the meals, Ko Hun was into various foods that he had never eaten before.
For that boy, Sherry Gado constantly brought dessert.
Thanks to this, Henry Marceau, Ko Sooyeol, and Bang Tae had to stay in their seats for a long time even after finishing their meal.
MUNCH
“How is it?”
“It’s so good. I’ve never had such a delicious blueberry tart. How is it so crispy? Grandpa, you should try it, too.”
Ko Hun praised Sherry Gado’s blueberry tart.
Custard cream burst open in his mouth after a crumbly texture like a well-baked cookie.
The sweetness had a fresh blueberry scent, and the combination of pulp and pie made the texture different every time he chewed it and made it enjoyable.
‘Damn it. Is this your first time eating? Did you starve? Are you a ghost who starved to death for a few days?’
Henry Marceau, who had to watch Ko Hun eat for about an hour even after finishing his meal, barely suppressed the rising curse.
He didn’t care about the formalities, but as the host, he couldn’t interrupt the precious meal time of the guest.
He couldn’t complain about food that went into the refrigerator yesterday due to the worry that Ko Hun might even wish to eat that.
MUNCH MUNCH
When Ko Hun put the blueberry tart in his mouth, Henry Marceau, Ko Sooyeol, and Bang Tae sighed at the same time.
The end was in sight after the long meal.
“What do you think? Do you want more? There’s also mango sherbet.”
Sherry Gado asked, looking lovingly at Ko Hun, who was eating deliciously.
“Yes.”
“No, Hun. Stop eating.”
Ko Sooyeol, who was lovingly watching the scene of his grandchild eating well at first, stepped up and stopped him.
“I’ll only eat sherbet, grandpa.”
“No, if you eat more, your stomach will burst.”
When Ko Hun was disappointed by his grandfather’s dissuasion, secretary Arsene entered the dining hall.
“El Patron, director Nolan’s party has arrived.”
At the news that Nolan came, Ko Hun finally put down the spoon.
Henry Marceau, Ko Sooyeol, and Bang Tae were delighted only when the boy started wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Ko Sooyeol, who was worried about his grandson who ate too much, stroked the belly of his grandson, which was protruding.
“Hmm,”
Henry Marceau coughed and drew attention.
“Let’s go to the exhibition room,”
Henry gave Arsene a look and instructed him to guide the people.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
I couldn’t finish the meal because the movie staff arrived, but it was a great day.
I found an unexpected way to rest and Sherry Gado’s food was so delicious, that it made me wonder whether I can taste it again.
Grandpa keeps rubbing my stomach and asks if I’m okay.
“I’m really fine, grandpa.”
“Tell me if you’re sick. Okay?”
Usually, I would get full after eating a large slice of pizza, but now I eat a lot.
I don’t know whether I’m gluttonous.
It seems like I have an obsession with delicious food.
The growth phase of this body also seems to be one cause.
We followed Henry Marceau out of the house.
We drove in a very small car for two to three minutes and reached another building.
It seems to be an annex, and it was big.
I could see Nolan’s party.
“ Hello, Director Nolan.”
“How have you been? You look good?”
Nolan looked at me and welcomed me when I greeted him warmly.
The party also greeted each other by talking about things that had happened.
“I enjoyed your broadcast. You did a great job. It was like Bob Ross.” 1)
“Bob Ross?”
Nolan mentioned a name I heard for the first time.
Uncle Bang explained to me when I tilted my head.
“He’s an American painter and he’s a great contributor to the popularization of art. Probably as famous as Picasso and Van Gogh in Korea.”
Seeing my grandfather nod, I guess he is a great person.
It’s great to hear that such an Artist came to mind after watching my broadcast.
I wonder what the person named Bob Ross, who Nolan and Uncle Bang are praising so much did.
“Is he still working as Artist?”
“No, he’s dead. But there are still art galleries and broadcasts, so you’ll be able to find them.”
It’s amazing that there’s a record of him left in the video.
We can listen to the voices of past masters and see their expressions and work processes.
“Don’t get me wrong,”
Henry Marceau stepped up with a straight face.
“Bob Ross is a great man who made it easy for people to draw. How do ordinary people copy the [cat sunflower] you drew?”
“Did you watch my show?”
I asked Henry Marceau,
“You watched it even though you were busy,”
Henry Marceau flinched.
“………Let’s go in.”
He went inside the annex without answering.
When we entered the colorful door, unlike the slightly hot outside, the interior was pleasant.
Humidity and temperature are reasonable, and the smart LEDs that I saw in various art galleries caught my eye.
It seemed like the place was well-maintained.
“Oh, my God,”
Uncle Bang’s excited voice was heard.
Not only Uncle Bang, Nolan, and his crew also opened their mouths wide looking at the artworks.
“The first exhibition hall here is a collection of works from the Renaissance period,”
Secretary Arsene explained on behalf of Henry Marceau.
“Huh,”
Grandpa’s exclaimed voice was heard from the corner.
I wondered which work shook grandpa, so I rushed to the place where grandpa was, and when I saw it I was also surprised.
“No way,”
It was Hieronymus Bosch’s [The Garden of Earthly Delights].
In a painting where heaven, earth, and hell are separated, there was both human desire and sin.
In particular, the way he expressed hell was horrifying.
Beelzebub in the shape of a fly that eats humans in the lower right corner, and a sinner hanging from a harp embedded in a mandolin on the left.
A demon who tries to shoot and kill those who try to escape from the top with a bow.
I don’t know how one can complete a work with this density.
Wherever I look at this masterpiece, which is roughly 4 meters horizontally and 2 meters long, my mind gets flooded with questions.
Even I, who lived in this era, am speechless looking at it.
There is no way to explain this work except for the word “genius idea.”
It is also absurd how an individual can draw such a huge masterpiece.
“Oh, my God,”
Art director Nathan Evans was also surprised.
“Mr. Marceau, how on earth did you get this?”
Henry Marceau shrugged.
Then secretary Arsene explained it instead.
“We don’t know exactly how, but it has been kept by the Marceau family since the 18th century.”
It means that he inherited it.
It is absurd to say that he inherited a national treasure-class work, but it felt plausible since he was from a royal family lineage.
When he bought [Frost Wheat Field] for 14 million dollars, I thought he was crazy rich, but now it felt like he was richer than I imagined.
This place is not a mansion, a castle.
“Where is Raphael?”
“The other side of the hall.”
When Henry Marceau turned his head in the direction he pointed, I forgot everything about [The Garden of Earthly Delights] due to the expectations for Raphael’s [Small Copper and Madonna].
“Crazy sh*t.”
A foul word crept out of my mouth before I knew it.
Even grandpa, who repeatedly told me to not use foul words, didn’t bother to correct me.
“Are we at a Museum?”
I deeply sympathize with what Uncle Bang said.
It can be believed if someone said this place is a part of the Louvre or Orsay Museum.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Jean-François Millet’s [Shepherdess with her flock] was in front of my eyes.
That sunset.
That holy light that fills the endless field.
Millet’s excellence is revealed in the way he expressed the horizon.
It is not a completely straight line, but a slightly curved surface and the roads below it turn little by little, making it look vast even though the sheep occupy most of the field area.
How noble is the girl in the hood praying?
The gentle sheep which eat grass peacefully under the light of holy grace and the submissive dog are together.
Millet found God in the sun and light, clouds and fields, sheep and girls.
I was attracted to his work and picked up the brush.
“……”
Everyone looked at the picture in silence.
We gathered one by one in front of [Shepherdess with her flock], and for some time we couldn’t say anything and just looked at the scenery that Millet saw.
At that moment, we felt like we were connected with him.
What a great thing it is to share the feelings and the things sawn by a great artist who lived a century or two ago.
What a heartbreaking thing this is.
“Oh.”
Grandpa supported me when my legs were loosened and I faltered.
“What do you think?” asked Henry Marceau with a triumphant look.
“I envy you,”
I said frankly.
I envy him, who can see this picture whenever he wants.
“You should’ve come yesterday, right?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“It’s so cool, right? Look at that field. One dandelion and one grass leaf are perfect. What about those sheep? They all look different. What about the clouds?”
“The girl’s expression is also great.”
“Yeah, how can he express that childish face and humility in that small space?”
“The light is exquisite. Have you seen anyone else describe light like that?”
“No, there’s no one in this world who will be like him. I’m sure he was able to move each and every strand of brush hairs one by one. How else would someone draw that?”
“Look how realistic is the skin of the sheep. There’s no place where there’s no light in the whole picture. He’s a person who even paints a formless thing.”
Although he has a twisted personality, he knows a little about Master Millet.
Henry Marceau and I were in sync for the first time.
TRIVIA
[1) Bob Ross, real name Robert Nolan Ross, (1942-1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, CBC in Canada, and similar channels in Latin America, Europe, and elsewhere. Ross would subsequently become widely known through his posthumous internet presence. He was famous for his closing comment, “What do you think? It’s easy, right?”
