The Versatile Master Artist-Chapter 79 - 71: Unmoved by Material Gain

Gu Weijing knew that sooner or later someone would wonder about this question.

If he kept taking only the simplest illustration tasks online, it wouldn’t be long before people found it strange and confusing.

Since Thomas’s video went online, his Nutshell shop has been receiving continuous invitations for contracts from various galleries.

Even the Xiaosong Gallery from Koshiba Tarou’s home, who is quite annoying, sent an invitation to Gu Weijing.

Although the commissions on these contracts are currently quite high, there are also contracts that seem very sincere.

For example, a mid-sized gallery on Chelsea Street, the famous art district in New York, had a headhunter send an invitation to Gu Weijing to join their gallery.

Gu Weijing had a brief chat and found that they were indeed quite sincere.

Their demands were very low, with a commission of only 35%, which included future selling insurance fees, promotional fees, service fees, and taxes—a very friendly offer for an emerging painter.

It’s not that he didn’t want to sign these contracts.

A big shot like Mr. Tree Sloth wanting to be his agent was an enormous opportunity.

But his time to activate Menzel Skill was limited, and his painting limitations were significant; he couldn’t handle these contracts for now.

A professional illustrator is the type where you must draw whatever the employer wants, completely lacking the choice that oil painters have.

It’s important to know oneself.

He was Mr. Nanguo with an artist experience card of only half an hour per day.

If he were to demand himself by a professional painter’s schedule, at least for now, he was still unqualified.

If it’s just half an hour of painting a day, there’s really no need for Gu Weijing to tie himself to a contract.

"It’s enough for others to recognize my paintings, no need for them to recognize me."

Gu Weijing pondered for a moment and replied.

"Although joining a gallery is essentially a debut for a painter. But after all, a painter isn’t a pop singer, and there won’t be too many social arrangements."

Anna wanted to persuade this stubborn painter to embrace the modern arts system.

"I want to maintain a quiet life, the identity of Detective Cat is just fine."

"Then seek galleries anonymously as Detective Cat, there’s precedence for this. Sometimes, mystery is a good thing."

This style of anonymous creation also has a historical tradition in the literary and art circles.

Even in classical times, there were incidents of painters from the same school sharing a single author’s name.

As for disciples ghostwriting under the master’s name, no matter East or West, that’s abundant among great painters.

Many artists love to maintain a sense of mystery.

The most famous case similar to Detective Cat in the art circle over the past decade should be Elena Ferrante.

She is the author of the "Naples Tetralogy," nominated for the Booker Prize, the highest award in English literature, and selected as one of the 100 most influential people of the contemporary era by "Time Magazine." Her work "My Genius Girlfriend" has even been adapted into a bestselling TV series.

But to this day, millions of fans worldwide only know Ferrante is a pseudonym; no one knows her real name or true identity, not even whether she’s male or female.

In conclusion, let the work speak; if you don’t paint well, you’ll be laughed at; if you paint well, it’ll become a beautiful tale.

Anna didn’t think Detective Cat couldn’t handle those complex painting tasks.

"But I don’t want to be bound by contracts. If I sign with a gallery, I might be required to paint many things I don’t want to... Money, to me, is merely a tool to enhance painting skills."

Gu Weijing replied.

The first half was true for him, and the latter half... was also true.

Anna fell silent.

Shakespeare once wrote in "King Lear" that greed is the greatest enemy of art.

Many masters or geniuses were burdened by fame their whole lives; those who weren’t famous wanted to be famous, and the famous wanted greater fame.

Numerous talented artists drained their inspiration on the road to fame and fortune, turning into mediocrities.

She could think of many examples.

But the master before her truly achieved this.

If Miss Anna initially felt a kind of affection and strange possessiveness about him, like discovering a pearl in the sea.

Now, she mostly had genuine respect from the heart.

Anna thought of someone who clearly possessed the skills of an artist, yet was willing to sell illustrations online for ten dollars apiece, and felt a mix of relief and sympathy.

Such a master, unwilling to be a slave to money and contracts, seemed quite normal.

With this thought, she felt a bit of shame amid her joy.

She thought offering a fee of 500 euros an hour reeked of vulgarity and was disrespectful to the master.

"Miss Anna Ilina, when did you become just like those art merchants, thinking only of money?"

She reflected in her mind.

Anna typed on the keyboard: "Admirable restraint."

"But if you really reject all gallery offers, some merchants who can’t secure a contract with you might defame your art style.

You initially won the one-dollar to one million dollars challenge hosted by Mr. Hibernian as a network illustrator. That was quite controversial.

Have you considered the doubts and questions you’re about to face?"

Anna feared he would be driven into depression by online trolls.

"What can I do?"

Gu Weijing shook his head.

His Nutshell inbox alone received countless trolls questioning the legitimacy and calling him a mere craftsman who draws without emotion in the past few days.

He was just good at sketching, nowhere near enough to be compared to a master.

After all, Detective Cat was just a network illustrator, fundamentally different from mainstream artists in the painting world.

"Illustrators have always been questioned as not belonging to the category of painting art, and I don’t care about being insulted."

Gu Weijing answered.

Illustration itself is considered the most craftsman-like category in the art world.

The prevailing societal belief is that art requires freedom and independence, whereas illustration is merely an extension of the employer’s will, bordering even below comics.

His style was completely based on traditional realism.

This photorealistic precision in today’s painting world would be seen as opportunistic, unconventional.

Being scolded online, Gu Weijing doesn’t feel good, but there’s nothing he can do.

This is the industry’s reality.

Even the legendary great painter Leng Jun from Dongxia, whose painting can easily sell for millions of US dollars, has been continuously questioned over the years because of his hyperrealistic style.

Events like the Singapore International Biennale, perhaps with obscure sections like spray painting, don’t even have illustration segments.

Besides, their criticism targets Detective Cat’s unconventional path, and what does it have to do with the orthodox painter Gu Weijing, who is about to become a disciple and grand-disciple under Elder Cao?

"No... there is a solution."

In a moment of realization, Anna made up her mind.

"If one day you find you need a painting agent, please consider contacting me."

"I’ll leave you in peace to focus on your creative work now."

...

Austria,

Yilena Manor.

Anna closed the computer, picked up the phone on her desk, and started dialing.

"Hello, is this Oil Painting Magazine? This is Anna Ilina, senior editor of the magazine’s visual arts section."

"I’d like to update news about an illustrator on the website. Yes, you heard correctly, an illustrator... Of course, I know we typically don’t write investment recommendations for illustrators, nor are illustrations accepted by mainstream painting art."

"But I still stand by my view."