Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 81
“Yes.”
In the first place, the purpose of the new work was to shed the image of the past self, created by Henry Marceau, the media, and others.
Then, by meeting the oil pastel, Ko Hun tried to take advantage of the peeling off feature.
It was just a means.
“It’s a shame.”
Ko Hun couldn’t figure out how to use oil pastels right away.
Even if he found it, he couldn’t master it.
Ko Hun couldn’t hang his immature work in the world’s largest art exhibition.
Ko Hun erased everything he had done over the past 10 days while sleeping less.
It couldn’t have been a waste.
He didn’t think the idea was bad.
However, for creating a better work, it was natural to overturn the work several times – To get to the essence.
Although effective, he boldly put himself down without being obsessed with the expression itself.
The reason why it was possible was simple.
Ko Hun has always thought he was lacking.
Even though his past name remained in history and people praised his works [Sunflower], [Guest], and [Frost Wheat Field], while being sold at shocking prices, he was still, always thirsty for knowledge.
The various expression techniques and many ideas of modern art that developed brilliantly made him excited, and the boy humbly accepted the knowledge.
It’s not enough.
He thought he had to go further.
Ko Sooyeol, Jang Mirae, and Henry Marceau’s works gave him a sweet and sour experience like plum, as he was thirsty for knowledge.
To know one’s shortcomings
The boy was able to muster up the courage to abandon himself because he believed he could go further.
For being better than yesterday.
Ko Hun scratched the canvas with a knife.
He tore it with his hands.
It was what the boy was hoping for.
He hoped that there would be a picture in the tore off place.
As intact as a butterfly that ripped a chrysalis to come out of the pupa, Ko Hun hoped to reveal himself.
⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩
April 20, 9 p.m. New York time.
April 21st, 10 a.m. in Seoul.
The opening of the Whitney Biennale was just around the corner.
Reporter Kim Jiwoo’s phone rang loudly, who was eagerly waiting for Ko Hun to contact him.
He urgently answered the phone after checking the caller.
“Hun!”
– Hello.
“How’s the work? Can you meet the deadline? Oil painting? I don’t think it’ll dry properly.”
Kim Jiwoo, who had been waiting so that Ko Hun could focus on his work due to his tight schedule, poured out what he had wanted to ask.
-Yes, I finished it today. I don’t think I can make time because I have a lot to prepare. Are you okay with lunch?
“Of course. I’ll come to your house. Or should I come to your school?”
– Please come home.
“Yes, I’ll be there by 12.”
– Yes.
Kim Jiwoo, who finished the call, checked the time on his smartphone.
It was a little after 10 a.m.
‘Since he said he finished work today, he must have stayed up all night or worked from early morning.’
‘You’re still young, aren’t you overdoing it?’
Kim Jiwoo was concerned about Ko Hun’s health.
Although the Whitney Biennale is said to be the biggest event, it is held every two years and Ko Hun was still young.
If he continued to do art in the future, he could have had many opportunities to participate.
Kim Jiwoo touched his lips, recalling a genius musician born in Korea, who lost his sight due to the aftermath of the accident and overwork.
He was worried about the pressure that the children who are called geniuses and gifted would feel due to the expectations around them.
He sincerely hoped that Ko Hun would stay healthy for a long time.
Kim Jiwoo got up with his bag.
“Editor, I’m going to interview Ko Hun.’
“Okay, get something when you are going. Use the company card.”
“I’m going to do that anyway. I think he has been working with less sleep.”
“I guess so. And he will be participating as soon as after finishing his individual exhibition.”
Lee Sangchul, the editor of Yehwa, a monthly magazine, wondered if Ko Hun could draw a masterpiece work like [Sunflower], [Guest], and [Frost Wheat Field] in that short amount of time.
He thought that young Ko Hun might not be able to meet great expectations and the wishes around him because good works tend to take enough time to come out.
Usually, the end product of something that was made in a hurry will always be not good, so he was more worried.
People who treated Ko Hun sincerely, like Kim Jiwoo and Lee Sangchul, all felt the same way.
“Nutritional supplements are good for him. You know what the kids are eating these days. right?”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay, good.”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
With no energy, he lay down on his back with his arms and legs outstretched, and his grandfather clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. Do you know how anxious I was because of you?”
“Hehehe.”
I couldn’t even get up, so I laughed with my face buried on the sofa.
“ It’s not a laughing matter. You have to be healthy to draw. Don’t you know how Van Gogh died?”
I got up and sat down right away.
“But I’m glad it went well.”
After several attempts, I found out that the composition, which I believed would be enough for oil pastels, was unreasonable.
It will be difficult unless it is a new combination that increases the wax ratio to be suitable for scratching.
So when I returned to the starting point and focused on tearing.
I came up with an unexpectedly easy method.
It turned out that Grandpa felt the same way in the first place.
Experience and knowledge are also important.
“I’ll take a break from today, grandpa.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to tell them not to push the schedules like this from now on.”
“Yes.”
Grandpa must have known that it’s hard to control the workload.
When the progress is going well, you do not have the desire to stop, and when you do not have a good idea, it does not go as you will.
However, if that happens repeatedly, my body will be damaged.
I thought I would fall asleep if I stayed like this, so I took out the coloring notebook I bought at the stationery store.
It’s a notebook with characters like sponge bob, glass penguin, and super robot Garland.
If I paint without thinking, I can relax my mind and try color combinations that I have never done before.
As I was doing it for a while, the doorbell rang.
-Hello! It’s Kim Jiwoo!
When grandpa pressed the intercom, Kim Jiwoo’s lively voice rang loudly even beyond the speaker.
Grandpa who opened the door smiled.
‘He’s always lively.’
I know he’s in his 30s, but it’s not easy to do that at that age.
It means that his mind is healthy.
I got up and went to the front door.
“Hello, Reporter Kim.”
“Hi! Oh, my God. look at the dark circle around your eyes. Did you have a meal? You didn’t sleep, did you? You’re going to faint. If you’re sick, I’ll go crazy. Your grandpa will be so sad. Oh, Professor. Hello. How are you? The shirt looks so good on you. I guess you’ve been doing great at home. Is it because of Hun?”
The problem is that it’s a little noisy, but when I’m with Kim Jiwoo, my ears won’t get bored.
If it was someone else they would have finished with two or three words.
“Haha. Come on in, Reporter Kim.”
“Thank you. Oh, can I take a picture? Are you not going to take a picture?”
“I’ll do it. Sit down.”
When I recommended sitting on the sofa, reporter Kim said thank you and sat down.
“The house is really nice.”
“Yes.”
“The sofa is soft, too. Oh my. It feels good, too. What do you call this? I don’t think it’s just fabric.”
“I don’t know.”
“What should I say? I thought if its the Professor, he would have decorated the house in a traditional Korean style. It’s very sophisticated. As expected, his aesthetic sense. Oh, right.”
Kim Jiwoo held out a paper bag.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a vitamins. Eating well and sleeping well is the best thing, but I don’t think you can do that. Take one a day.”
I don’t know what vitamins are, but they must be good for health.
“Thank you.”
I’m glad I got an unexpected gift.
“What’s that?”
Kim Jiwoo showed interest in the coloring sketchbook I had in my hand.
“Healing.”
“Can I take a look?”
Kim Jiwoo opened the sketchbook when I nodded.
His eyes became round like a fish.
“Wasn’t this a practice sketchbook?”
“It’s fun to do when I get bored. It calms me down.”
“…You play like this in your free time.”
“Can I take a picture of this and attach it to the article?”
“Go ahead.”
Grandpa brought juice and coffee.
“I never thought you wouldn’t have any helpers, Professor. It would be hard for you to do the housework alone, right? You also have a large garden.”
“It’s housework. I’m doing it for fun. Because of it, I won’t feel lonely.”
I wondered why there was no one working in this big house, but I didn’t know there was a reason.
Seeing that there is no trace of grandma at home, it seems that it has been a while since she passed away, so grandpa seems to have lived alone ever since he had the big fight with his daughter.
Jang Mirae and his disciples sometimes visited him, and it seems like he soothed the loneliness of living alone with housework.
“Well, then,”
Kim Jiwoo took out a recorder and a notebook.
“As expected, I’m most curious about what happened after the auction. How have you been?”
“I went to school. I couldn’t go out for a week or so because I was working..”
“How’s school? Did you make any friends?”
“Yes, I have a unique friend. His name is Cha Sihyeon. We draw and play together at home.”
“Cha Sihyeon? Is he good at drawing, too?”
“He’s good. He also likes paintings.”
“Huh? What’s good about school?”
“Good about school…..I like the meals and art classes.”
“Art classes? Is there anything to learn?”
“Of course, I learned how to use oil pastels and origami. I know how to fold, and I can even make birds and fold roses.”
Kim Jiwoo blinked.
“What?”
“No, I didn’t expect that. Other than your paintings, you’re surprisingly ordinary. It feels like you got used to oil paintings before you used crayons.”
Kim Jiwoo wrote something.
“I’m looking forward to the Whitney Biennale. Some people are worried about whether a good painting will come out because of the tight time.”
Grandpa, Aunt Mirae, and Uncle Bang were also worried, saying similar things.
“I feel it a lot now. I decided to adjust my schedule with Uncle Bang.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’m glad the picture came out well though.”
“Oh, you’re confident Is it oil painting again?”
“Yes, but it’s going to be a little different.”
“What’s the difference?”
“I did it in a way I’ve never done before. I’ve failed a lot, but I’ve found a good way.”
“Failure. I don’t think it looks good on you. How hard was it?”
“I hardly slept for the last two weeks or so. I even reversed the idea several times.”
“What a shame.”
“It’s a waste. But I couldn’t have done it without that process.”
Reporter Kim nodded as he wrote something with his pen.
“That’s cool. Failure is the mother of success, right?”
“Yes.”
“You announced that you are going to participate in person on May 1st. There’s about a week left. What’s the schedule like?”
“The work was done earlier than I thought, so I’m going to go straight away tomorrow.”
“Oh? Then you’ll be able to make it to the opening ceremony, right? There will be a day difference.”
Kim Jiwoo asked, checking his watch.
“Yes, I can’t wait to see it. It’s good to display the painting as early as possible.”
“Good, good. Oh, Henry Marceau is going to take part. As a competitor. what are you expecting?”
“Hmm, I think he’s a jerk, but sometimes he says the right thing, and he is good at his work. I hope he surprises me this time, too.”
“Hmm. I’ll take out the word ‘jerk’ out of the article.”
Grandpa breathed out with relief when Reporter Kim said it.
“So, your most anticipated Artist for this Whitney Biennale is Henry Marceau, right?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Yes. I wonder what kind of work Ferdinando Gonzalez will create.”
“Oh, that’s good. Are you interested in conceptual art?”
“I don’t know. I’m interested because I don’t know?”
“Okay, tell me about being Schmincke’s promotional model. What are you going to do for them?”
“I’m going to do a work with the paint they made there. Their paint is soft, so I used to use it a lot.”
“So you used Schmincke paint this time, too?”
“That’s a secret.”
