Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 57
It’s time for me to attend school.
I want to avoid uniform painting education, but I welcome the idea of gaining basic knowledge for understanding culture and more about this current era.
Painting begins with knowing me and understanding others.
In order to communicate with various people, I have to understand the common sense and consensus enjoyed in this era.
Schools and schoolmates will be of great help in that regard.
“Even though it’s a little frustrating, you have to complete the elementary school education. After that, we can live wherever you want to live.”
Grandpa said while getting in the car.
“Where are we going to live?”
“Hmmm. Maybe Paris or Amsterdam.”
I told him before that I can draw anywhere, but grandpa is adamant about finding a perfect environment for me.
For grandpa, the place seems to be important.
“It’s enough to study painting while seeing the art museum grandpa.”
Thanks to the Internet, information can be easily obtained from anywhere you want, so it’s not particularly important where you live.
Also, no matter how good a teacher is, knowledge without experience is useless.
You must deeply feel the work of art, think about why the Artist tried to draw, and follow it in person to fully understand the work.
Techniques such as how to hold the composition, how to twist the shape, and how to use the brush are secondary problems that follow.
“Still.”
“And no matter who I learn from, they won’t be better than grandpa and Aunt Mirae.?”
Grandpa narrowed his eyebrows, agonized, and soon nodded his head.
“Yes.”
It’s interesting to see him admit it right away, but it’s also a clear fact.
Even though I haven’t encountered many works, among the artists of this era, I have never seen a person, whose work was as great as my grandpa and Aunt Mirae… …and there is also the Rich bully Henri Marceau.
The last person is a little strange, so it’s better to make an exception.
I felt curious and asked grandpa, who was driving the car.
“What do I learn at school grandpa.?”
“You will learn a lot. Korean, Math, English, Society, Science, Music and Art.”
I wonder if I need to learn English separately, but I think society and science are important.
When I talk to grandpa, I feel that he has abundant scientific knowledge, and he often applies it to his work activities.
While creating a working, some cases should be taken into consideration such as the relationship between light and shadow, how to use paint, and even electronic device installations.
There were cases where I twisted what was accepted as common sense and it gave a sense of alienation, so without that common sense, I could not understand the work deeply.
In addition to the most important thing is ‘Things I shouldn’t eat.’
Science is an important discipline to reduce the amount of self-damage caused due to ignorance.
The subject of society will certainly be a means to communicate smoothly with this era.
I don’t know much about the 21st century yet.
The same is also true about Korean society.
Literature and music are inseparable from art.
Literature stipulates ideas that paintings cannot convey, and becomes the basis for imagination.
I also expanded my thinking in my previous life by reading Honoré de Balzac and Gustave Flaubert.
What about music?
I couldn’t enjoy listening to it because I couldn’t afford it, but I still can’t forget the performance of the Paris Conservatory Orchestra that Lautrec took me.
What a heartbreaking experience…… Mozart, Beethoven, and Berlioz.
Music is another area that literature and painting cannot express.
It deserves to be called the voice of the soul.
What kind of literature and music will be taught in Korea in the 21st century?
I’m so excited.
Thinking about it, the tall buildings that used to block the view gradually decreased.
Instead, high and long walls continued endlessly.
Is it a royal palace?
I can’t see it properly since the car was moving fast, but unusual sculptures are engraved on every wall that runs more than hundreds of meters.
I wondered and looked around, while grandpa gradually slowed down the car.
Beyond the wall stands a magnificent palace.
I think I’d believe it if it were Versailles.
“We’re almost there.”
Grandpa said with an astonishing expression.
“Is this school?”
“It’s big, right? Hun’s dad and mom too went this school.”
Even after entering the main gate, we had to drive for a long time to finally reach the front of the building.
Grandpa turned the car around the fountain and stopped the car.
An angel sculpture with her wings spread in the middle of the fountain is showing off her dignity.
The Artist must have had an extraordinary skill to create a work like this.
“Hun, let’s go in.”
Grandpa urged me as I was observing the statue on the fountain.
“What’s wrong with this school?”
“Parents want to provide a good environment for their children.”
I understand that, but I think it’s too much.
All the floors of the building are made of marble.
An old man came down with some people as we were about to climb up the stairs.
“Mr. Park. Hahaha. How are you?”
Grandpa knows everyone.
“Sir Ko Sooyeol. You didn’t tell me when you’ll be here. So we’ve been waiting since this morning.”
“I was afraid it would be a hindrance since you would be busy.”
Grandfather introduced me after exchanging greetings with people that were with the old man.
“My grandson Hun. Hun, say hello. He’s the principal.”
“Hello, I’m Ko Hun.”
“We know him. We know him too well. Welcome. Let’s go up and talk.”
The principal led me and grandpa to the principal’s office.
It’s an antique atmosphere, but I didn’t see anything expensive.
Instead, there were many books, so I can guess how important the role of a principal is.
“The transfer process has been completed, and we have yet to decide on his homeroom teacher, so it is better to be an Art teacher, right?”
“Hahahahah”
Grandpa laughed awkwardly.
“He doesn’t like anyone trying to teach him how to paint. I’d like to entrust you with only regular courses, not specialized studies.”
The principal nodded his head.
“Well, it’s definitely hard to find someone to teach for Hun.”
“Hahaha!”
“By the way Mr. Park, I have a question, I heard that there is a system called home learning.”
“Yes. Using home learning a student can take leave of absence for 30 days, and if Hun goes to an overseas art festival, he can get additional days.”
“How much would that be?”
“It’s up to 60 days. Since the number of legal classes is 170 days a year, he has to attend 114 days while 56 days can be used for home learning.”
“Hmm. So 54 days is not considered absent, even if he didn’t attend the school.?”
“That’s right.”
It seems like I have to attend school a fixed amount of days to graduate.
If there is no such standard, people will try to graduate without going to school, so I think they have set such a regulation.
I thought I wouldn’t have enough time to draw when I went to school, but it seems like a useless worry.
They say they also have a vacation.
Grandpa and I nodded our heads, as the principal continued with the rules and regulations.
“Then attendance starts tomorrow, and you can look around the school today. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime.”
“ Thank you, Mr. Park.”
⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩
After looking around the school, we headed straight to the Art Museum.
It’s because of an interview appointment with Kim Jiwoo.
“Berk elementary school?”
Kim Jiwoo looked very surprised, when I said the name of the school, I will be attending.
“What’s the matter.?”
“ Well….It’s a place only rich people go to. I have heard that the yearly tuition was over 100 million won ( approx. $8000).”
This is crazy.
No matter how important education is, it is questionable how you can ask for 100 million won for tuition.
The same goes for those who are willing to pay it.
I should ask my grandpa to change the school right away.
“But. Specialized students receive tuition benefits, so you might be better.”
It’s important to know how far it can be better.
“Well, that’s not important. Did you hear the Awesome news”
“Awesome news…?”
“Yes, Eric Dower, director of Whitney Museum, tweeted that he wanted to invite you to the biennale.”
“Where is the Whitney Museum? What’s a tweet?”
“It’s the twitter.”
“Is it a bird…?”
“Wait! Why are you asking me questions? I should be the one asking the question now..”
Kim Jiwoo said while stretching out his arms.
“I have to know what it means to answer the question.”
“That’s true, too. Anyway, you can think of the Whitney Biennale as the world’s largest art festival. It’s called the three major Art festivals together with the Venice and Sao Paulo biennials, and Whitney has been popular lately.”
I can confer that someone great has been interested in my work.
“But? The problem is that it’s about to begin. I guess they wanted to invite you somehow.”
“I didn’t hear anything from them.”
“Really? I don’t think it was just a marketing statement.”
Kim Jiwoo twitched his lips and agonized.
“What if, What will you do if Whitney Museum officially asks you to do it? You are going to school now.”
I don’t think that would be a problem, Grandpa looked into this and that in the morning.
The principal of the Berk elementary school also said that if there was a big event, attendance can be recognized.
But one thing bothers me.
“If it’s a Biennale, they will grade my work, right?”
I’m not sure about people giving grades to works that contain one’s heart.
Some will receive awards and others will not.
I don’t want the value of the Artist and his Art to be determined by whether he wins or not.
“No, there is no prize at the Whitney Biennial. Of course, there is a prize that’s given, but it’s not just a concept of dividing classes.”
It seems like they give subsidies for art activities and living.
“It was started in the first place to resist the established Art world, which mainly revolves around famous Artists. So a lot of different works are exhibited, and many people visit. It’s the front line of contemporary art.”
“Like the ‘Anonymous Society’?”
“Yeah.”
Anonymous society was a place where my paintings were once displayed.
Listening to the story, I felt that the Whitney Biennale is similar to the Anonymous Society Exhibition, which was held by meaningful artists against the tyranny of the Royal French Academy of Art at that time.
I would definitely like to participate in such an event.
Various works will be exhibited, so it would be good to broaden my horizons.
“But isn’t it late if I start now?”
“Actually, it’s not such a strict event, so I think you can join the Whitney Museum even if you wish to do.”
“Oh.”
“What? Are you going to participate…?”
“That’s not what I meant. There’s nothing to display. I’ve hung all the painting I drew at WH Art Museum and it’s on a rental agreement.”
Kim Jiwoo opened his mouth wide.
Thank you for feeling sorry for my work as if it were your own.
“But why all of a sudden?”
“Huh?”
“I heard the director of the museum wanted to invite me. How did he know about my work?”
“Oh, Caroline Streak introduced your work in her column.”
“She’s a very influential columnist in America and she has called you the founder of Chocolatism.”
“Chocolatism?”
I’ve never heard of such a word before.
A compound word of Chocolate and ism.
“Isn’t it cute?”
I wonder if Caroline Streak has anything against me.
Otherwise, why did she give me such a shameful name.
“ That’s terrible. It’d have been better if she said something else,”
Kim Jiwoo laughed hearing my retort.
“Well….., It feels like a nice sarcastic response to Tanaka Hirofumi’s remark, so it looks good.”
“I still don’t know why she brought up his remark.”
“You don’t have to care about such a person,”
Kim Jiwoo said firmly about Tanaka Hirofumi.
“And I didn’t felt offended by the expression of chocolatier that the Art critic gave.”
“Why.”
“ Do you know, the word Impressionism was originally coined as a mockery of Monet. But now people don’t think of it as a bad expression rather it is considered as a praise. Isn’t it.?”
