Chapter Nine, A Paper Worth Ten Thousand Coins (I)

The young monk who arrived together with Guo Jing and Liu Wuji immediately appraised the unfinished painting; he was Monk Fu, who had taken vows at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Although this monk had renounced the secular world, he had not completely severed ties with it. He continued to mingle as he did on Panlou Street, engaging part-time in the trade of calligraphy, painting, and cultural artifacts, only his venue had shifted from Panlou Street to the Great Xiangguo Temple

Amitabha, Da Lang, are you not possessed by the spirit of an immortal Bodhisattva?

In order to focus entirely on painting, Wu Haogu has not opened his studio for the past two days; apart from eating, drinking, and attending to basic needs, he has been painting behind closed doors

Guo Jing, Liu Wuji, and Monk Fu sat down at the table, their eyes fixed intently on the painting by Wu Dalang. They were aware that Wu Haogu's Huang family was somewhat renowned on Panlou Street, and the Wu family's skill in fine line drawing was a treasured inheritance (Wu Zongyuan was a master of fine line drawing in the Northern Song Dynasty), having already attained at least fifty percent of Wu Zongyuan's prowess, yet they could not claim a boundless future.

"Lin" refers to writing or painting according to the original work; "Mo" refers to placing thin paper (or silk) over the original work to write or paint.

Moreover, Wu Dalang's techniques in handling the details and colors of the paintings are exceptionally skillful, resulting in artworks that are indistinguishable from the real objects

For example, the "near large and far small" of this building, along with the "virtual and real, depth and lightness, complexity and simplicity variations" of the distant background, are all handled perfectly—any more or any less would not achieve such an effect

Without mastering the perspective techniques of later generations, it is nearly impossible to quickly replicate the painting "A Good Ancient" by Wu.

Although this painting cannot be said to possess any particular artistic conception, it has nonetheless pushed the technique of meticulous realism to its limits, as if it has taken real scenery and miniaturized it onto a piece of familiar silk fabric

Wang Shen's status in the art world is significantly higher than his position in the officialdom, and he is well-known for his skill in copying the works of renowned masters, making him a well-recognized figure in the calligraphy and painting circles of Kaifeng

At present, Wu Haogu certainly does not have a camera available, nor does he possess the tools and pigments for creating oil paintings. However, he can still integrate the meticulous techniques mastered in this era with certain skills from later realistic meticulous paintings (Wu Haogu had also studied meticulous painting in a previous life, although not in depth), such as spraying techniques, powdering methods, and so on, along with hyper-realistic painting techniques, striving to achieve an exquisite and detailed representation.

Therefore, Wu Chengzhi does not hold a high opinion of Wu Haogu's prospects in the field of painting, believing that he is merely destined for a future as a minor official in the realm of calligraphy and painting, much like himself. As for Guo Jing and Liu Wuji, who serve as the errand boys for the Wu family's painting studio, they are naturally aware of Wu Chengzhi's assessment.

Moreover, Guo Jing and Liu Wuji, who are knowledgeable about various painting techniques (after all, they are private connoisseurs of calligraphy and painting, and although they cannot paint, they possess some discernment), also noticed that Wu Haogu's painting has already employed some techniques that he does not master

Because Wu Haogu knew that the prince consort Wang Shen had a lifelong friend in calligraphy and painting named Zhao Ji

Of course, becoming a great painter like the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty" was also the dream of his two lifetimes.

The second reason is to dazzle the eyes of "General Gao" and "Prince Wang"! Now, Wu Haogu can only rely on his own painting skills, not only to make money through forgery with his artistic techniques but also to astonish Bianliang with them

"Dalang, your painting of the pavilion and terrace is simply exquisite. How did you create it?"

"What? The Wang Duke's horse cannot be ridden?" Fu the monk was taken aback, "He is indeed a master of fine brushwork"

Three brothers, Xiao Yi, and the monk, what brings you here

Therefore, after Wang Shen acquires this painting, he will certainly be unable to think of tea or desire food... And this is precisely the goal that Wu Haogu aims to achieve

This level of realism in painting, as known by Guo Jing and others, is not a technique created by any previous masters... It is very likely a method pioneered by Wu Haogu

The painting on the silk depicts the architecture of the Sang family tile house, located not far from the Wu family's painting studio, and it employs the perspective techniques developed in later generations. The so-called perspective techniques involve the application of knowledge from geometry and optics to painting, including linear perspective, oblique perspective, overlapping method, foreshortening, aerial perspective, and color perspective, among others

"Nature can be incorporated into it," Guo Jing affirmed, "Once Prince Wang sees your painting, it is possible that he will protect your family.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs came softly, followed by a somewhat sharp voice: "Dalang, did you send someone to deliver the painting supplies and paper to me? Brother Guo San and Liu Xiaoyi said that you are going to move to Daxiangguo Temple to live..."

In fact, there are similar methods in traditional Chinese painting techniques, such as the methods of high distance, flat distance, and deep distance—collectively known as the Three Distances, which were proposed by the Northern Song dynasty painter Guo Xi (who passed away in 1090) in his renowned treatise on landscape painting, "The Lofty Message of Forests and Springs." However, the Three Distances are primarily a special perspective technique used in landscape painting, rather than a technique for realistic painting.

Only by astonishing Bianliang can one reach the heights of the "Four Masters of Song". Wu Haogu need not worry about those "great evildoers" lurking in the shadows, who continue to torment him for the sake of a "non-existent" famous painting

The reason he paints so earnestly is, on one hand, a habit cultivated over his past and present lives—he cannot be considered a great painter in either of these lives (at least not so far), but he has always dedicated himself wholeheartedly to his creations, and not a single painting has been done carelessly

"Dalang, if you take this painting to the market at the Great Xiangguo Temple, it could sell for hundreds of coins!"

Guo Jing and Liu Wuji have also been struggling on Panlou Street for many years as private dentists, while Master Fu, who has extensive experience at the Daxiangguo Temple, has encountered many fine "boundary paintings," including works by renowned masters (both copies and imitations). However, none of them can compare to this one.

This single skill alone is enough to make Wu Dalang the foremost painter of his time

The drooping willow branches sway in the wind, and the warm sunlight of early spring gently bathes the body. A gentle breeze passes by, causing the edges of the bamboo curtain to flutter. It is noon, the busiest time at the intersection of Panlou Street and Maxing Street. Looking out from the small building where Wu Haogu resides, both sides of the street are lined with numerous food stalls, one next to another, wafting enticing aromas, with various vendors' calls blending together.

Wu Haogu, upon hearing this, smiled faintly and said: "Third Brother, Xiao Yi, Monk, you are all making me sound like a paragon. Unfortunately, what they (referring to those plotting against the Wu family) seek are the treasures of the Saint of Painting and the Saint of Calligraphy, not the paintings of me, Wu Dalang"

Thus, it is easy to imitate in times of difficulty

The main gate of the Wujia Painting Studio was tightly closed at this moment, with only the windows on the second floor facing the street pushed open, and the bamboo curtains raised more than halfway.

"Merely looking may not suffice," Wu Haogu gently shook his head, "It is only when he cannot replicate my painting that he will understand the severity of the situation"

This is because Wu Haogu's paintings are still at the stage of "copying" and "imitating". His copies of Huang Jiafu's works and Wu Zongyuan's line drawings can be quite lifelike, but the imitative works (imitation means creating without a model, relying on one's own creativity) still reveal an element of intentionality that cannot be erased, and they are overly mechanical, lacking in artistic conception

The day before yesterday, when Guo Jing and Liu Wuji, along with Daoist Liu, went to the Great Xiangguo Temple to seek him, they informed him of Wu Dalang's intention to unleash a grand endeavor. As a result, today he came together with Guo Jing and Liu Wuji to paint the altar.

The voice suddenly stopped halfway, and the sound of footsteps also vanished. Wu Dalang gently set down the brush in his hand and saw Guo Jing, Liu Wuji, and a young monk of somewhat shorter stature, whose eyes revealed a hint of spirit, standing side by side behind him. The three of them were all gaping, staring blankly at Wu Haogu's easel.

In addition to the application of perspective techniques, Wu Haogu is also employing the style of hyperrealism in the meticulous architectural painting he is creating. Hyperrealism, also known as photorealism, involves artists not directly painting from life; instead, they first capture the desired images using a camera and then meticulously replicate those images onto the canvas by following the photographs, striving for an extraordinarily detailed and precise representation. If one were to summarize it in a single word, it would be: likeness! Hyperrealism, also known as photorealism, involves artists not directly painting from life; instead, they first capture the desired images using a camera and then meticulously replicate those images onto the canvas by following the photographs, striving for an extraordinarily detailed and precise representation. If one were to summarize it in a single word, it would be: likeness!

This hyper-realistic meticulous painting, titled "Sangjia Wazi Tu" by Wu Haogu, began its draft two days ago, specifically the day after Wu Haogu was extorted for 7,200 coins by Zhao Tieniu in front of his own studio. Due to the meticulous detail in the painting, it has not yet been completed.

Wu Dalang quickly stood up, moved three folding chairs from the room, and invited the three to sit down

Indeed, Guo Jing agreed, saying, "Even if the Saint of Painting were alive, he would probably not be able to create such a painting, right?"

If one looks in from the window, one can see Wu Haogu sitting upright behind a large wooden board propped up on a wooden frame, facing the window, holding a brush in hand, occasionally sketching gently on the other side of the board

Indeed, Da Lang, you have made remarkable progress in your painting skills after spending some time in the Kaifeng prison

Liu Wuji also said: "At least in today's context, Dawang's boundary painting can be considered a unique masterpiece."

However, the painting "Jiehua Loutai" that lies before them is clearly a masterpiece, no, it should be the work of a grand master of a generation!

"Then who is this painting for?" asked Master Fu.

Master Fu paused for a moment and then said: "With such skill, why do you need to rely on the works of others?"

Wu Haogu shook his head: "He cannot come up with it... he can only imitate!"

A master painter who can create a remarkable painting technique is undoubtedly a grandmaster

On the other side of the wooden board, there is a piece of three-foot full-open熟绢, and beneath the熟绢, there is a sheet of the same size of生宣 (which is Xuan paper that has not been treated with glue and alum water) serving as a lining. The lining paper is adhered to the wooden board with paste, and the edges of the熟绢 are also coated with paste and affixed to the lining paper above.

"This is a painting of Gao Qiu for the residence of Prince Wang," Wu Haogu said with a smile, "I wonder if it will catch the eye of Prince Wang?"