Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 46
I visited the place to buy frame for my painting in Paris with grandpa.
The three-story building is big enough to be used as a store, and its name was Chaton (Kitty Cat).
Both the exterior and the interior with see through glass looked luxurious.
“It’s big, right?”
“ But it doesn’t match its name.”
“Hahahah. It was small when they first started. It’s probably the oldest frame shop in Paris.”
If they have prospered for a long time, they will definitely have a good eye.
I had faith in the place, since it was the place grandpa had bought frames several times.
As I entered the store, a middle-aged man welcomed my grandpa.
His mustache is rolled up roundly.
“Oh, my. Isn’t it Sir Ko Sooyeol?”
“Mr. Malo.”
Grandpa and the man named Malo shook hands.
“How have you been?”
“Of course. It’s just fun these days. But it will be more enjoyable today since Sir visited our shop?”
“Hahahah.”
He seems to have a bad sense of humor but well the way he speaks makes people feel good.
“Oh. The Little Van Gogh is here, too.”
My heart started pounding a little faster at the mention of the name of my previous life.
He smiled as he looked at me.
“I saw [Sunflower] and [Guest]. They were drawn very impressively. It felt like the way Van Gogh would have painted if he was still painting.”
He couldn’t have known that it was really me, but it still surprised me.
“Thank you.”
If I got a chance to look at the art of this era more broadly, I’ll definitely be able to draw a better picture.
“I’m really looking forward to your work. You’re the brightest star that has appeared in the art world after a long time. I hope you don’t lose your vision.”
With joy, Malo held out his hands towards me.
Since I’m young, only few people speak formally to me, so when I saw him treating me like this, it felt like he was great person who has culture and dignity.
“I’m looking for a frame for a 30F canvas, but I’d like Mr. Malo to recommend it for me.”
I carefully took out the [Frost wheat field] packed by grandpa.
“Of course. Of course. Would you like to drink a coffee and talk?”
Malo clapped his hands and called the staff.
A neatly handsome man approached.
“Coffee, please. Master Ko Hun, what do you prefer”
“Can I ask for a coke?”
Malo opened his eyes wide.
Soon after, he smiled as an experienced merchant.
Even in the Marso Gallery I felt the same, it seemed like the French people don’t seem to like coke.
Regardless of the price, not enjoying such a precious drink is a great loss to life.
“Leo, did you hear that?”
“Coffee and coke, please.”
“Yes, Boss.”
When I entered the store under the guidance of Malo, I felt luxurious about the open store that I’ve never been.
It seemed like it wouldn’t lose to Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles.
The ceiling is high as if two floors were made one, and the chandelier shines in the center.
Below it, an antique wooden round table and a chair finished with gold was placed.
What is even more surprising is that the floor of this spacious room is made of one marble.
I can’t imagine how much it would have cost to process such a large marble.
However, the most impressive thing is the empty frames displayed on both walls.
I thought he was simply a frame seller, but he is a great person who values what he deals with and has a sense of calling for his job.
Otherwise, the frame will not be treated as precious as this.
“Place it comfortably.”
Malo recommended and Grandpa placed [Frost wheat field] on the round table.
“Do you want to have a look?”
“Sure.”
Malo slowly took a deep breath and loosened the strap.
The hand gesture of peeling off the paper was very careful.
I can feel that he is a person who loves art.
“Ohmon Dieu.”
Malo’s eyes shook when he saw [Frost Wheat Field].
The gaze is so polite as if he was grateful for everything he is seeing.
He sighed quietly and took a step back.
It seemed like an action to feel the overall impression.
He closed his eyes, continued breathing for a long time, and repeatedly looked at the picture.
How long has it been?
Words did not come out of his mouth even after the coffee brought by the employee Leo cooled down.
It wasn’t until for the ice in my coke melted completely.
Malo opened his mouth and said,
“I can’t believe it.”
Covering his mouth and clearing his throat.
“This miserable field feels like a soldier who died in battle. The desolate wheat field is like a battlefield.”
It’s an interesting appreciation.
“How noble and sentimental this scene is. Peace will only come on top of all sacrifices.”
I didn’t think he’d take it this way, but my intention seems to have been conveyed.
It was sad for sacrifice that did not receive attention to be forgotten.
I wanted to convey that there is a new life under the every sacrifice.
Malo, who finished appreciating the hope and courage of the [Frost wheat field] was in agony.
Sitting in front of the round table, he lightly put his fingers together and covered his mouth.
I couldn’t find out what expression he was making.
The eyes were sharp as if they were penetrating the [Frost wheat field].
When I turned my head towards grandpa, he nodded as if saying not to worry.
After another few minutes, Malo finally loosened his face.
While touching the stylish mustache, he opened his mouth.
“It’s difficult.”
It seems like the frame cannot be obtained.
He must have thought about what frame best matched the [Frost wheat field].
Once again, he carefully observed the [Frost wheat field].
I was a bit worried seeing the oldest and largest store owner in Paris hesitating.
“It’ll take two weeks. I can’t be any faster than that.”
“Of course. Who would I urge to request? I look forward to your kind cooperation.”
What do they mean?
When I took turns to look between the two, Malo laughed as if he was in a difficult situation.
“It means I need two weeks to make a frame.”
“Are you making it yourself?”
“Of course. Every picture has only one frame paired with it. Moreover, I can’t put such a great work in a ready-made frame.”
I misunderstood this person completely.
He is not a merchant, but a craftsman.
He is an artist who completes a work through his own aesthetics.
“Let’s pay in advance.”
“Thank you.”
Malo brought an item that looked like a tablet, calculated in it, and showed the numbers to my grandpa and me.
It costs 32,000 euros.
It was a large amount of money, with which I would be able to eat 1,570 plates of potato pizzas.
It would be nice if the frame was great, but if it was such an expensive item, it would definitely be grandeur.
I hesitated since I thought that the eyes of the viewer might get dispersed from the painting to the frame.
I stopped my grandfather who was trying to take out his wallet.
Then Malo slowly smiled and said.
“ Master Ko Hun is a real painter.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. What I have to do is make a frame which will make the [Frost wheat field] stand out the most. I don’t give you something like the frame hanging over there.”
It definitely bothered me that the frames displayed on the wall were so colorful and beautiful.
“Is that frame for only display then?”
“Hmm. How to say…..?”
Malo thought for a moment, touching his mustache and said.
“ They are the works that my heart wanted to make.”
As expected, He is also a person who can’t live without expressing the emotions that are boiling in his heart.
I felt ashamed of myself for thinking that he would sell such a frame for 32,000 euros.
For him, those frames are ‘crafts’, not ‘frame’.
‘That’s his way of life.’
A person who can make such a beautiful frame and also makes the ideal object for the person who comes with a request.
I respect him for continuing his work alone, waiting for someone to recognize his works, while he runs the store with the money he earned.
I want to continue working with this person.
“Grandpa, I’ll pay for it.”
“I told you you had to save money.”
“It’s my first transaction with someone who will be framing my paintings for the next 10 or 20 years, so I want to do it myself.”
It is the beginning of a trust based relationship, so it is right to do it between the parties.
Grandpa sighed for a long time and laughed, as if he understood what I meant.
“He says so.”
“Oh.”
Malo hugs himself and twists his body.
He shook his body lightly and smileßd.
“Mush. How can you speak so beautifully?”
“……”
I hope he don’t continue calling me Mush.
Malo who was turning his mustache and thinking, suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.
“Hmm. Okay. We never give discounts, but if it’s a gift, it’s a different story. I’ll give this as a gift to commemorate our first collaboration.”
“No. You can’t do that.”
I can’t receive a gift worth 32,000 euros.
Furthermore, I can’t take it from a craftsman who works hard on his work.
Malo said, pulling his long round mustache.
“This is my intuition as a merchant. It’s still great to be known as the person who framed [Frost wheat field].”
“Still.”
“ I’ll return what Mush said. It’s a gift for our long lasting relationship, so don’t feel pressured.”
I don’t know what it is, but I got a big gift anyway.
“Thank you.”
When I said thank you, we bowed our heads together.
It’s a little strange, but it seems like I made a great friend.
⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩
Chaton, a frame processing and sales company, was Paris’ No. 1 store, which has continued its sixth-generation family business.
In particular, Pierre Malo, the current owner, had excellent skills in making frames himself, and his reputation was widely known.
He strictly adhered to the principles he established.
He dealt with the works he checked himself, and only the works he liked will be taken.
There is only one reason why he is loved even though he works under such strict conditions.
This was because the frame produced by Pierre Malo made the work of an Artist completed the moment the frame got wrapped around the work.
Not only does the Artists want it like that.
Among collectors, it is considered customary to give tens of thousands of dollars more just by the fact that Pierre Malo made the frame, so 30,000 people per year request Pierre Malo to make the frame.
However, few of them received frames.
Pierre politely recommended ready-made products in Chaton, and did not come forward personally.
In 2027 last year, he was only in charge of four works.
Henry Marceau of France, Eugine of Germany, Jang Mirae of Korea and Christina Alciate of Lithuania.
They were all artists who made their names known and stimulated Pierre Malo’s artistic soul.
This year, the workload has increased a little.
There were only two works that were accepted in January, and both of them were works of Ko Hun.
After seeing off Ko Sooyeol and Ko Hun, Pierre Malo entrusted the store to his staff and admired [Frost Wheat Field].
The more he saw it, the more awe-inspiring it was.
If he didn’t like the painting, he would have politely refused Artist Ko Sooyeol’s request.
The moment he saw [Frost Wheat Field], a frame to capture the painting was drawn in his head.
Like a sprout blooming in despair, Pierre Malo, who was looking at the picture of hope and courage, pulled his mustache and said.
“No matter how dark the night is, the sun will always rise.”
