Old-time musicians

"Wow--"

Clean warm water was preheated from the steam pipe and flowed out from the faucet. Fan Ning held it in his hands and poured it on his face.

This is the wash area outside a public washroom in Turner Art Hall. It has spotless marble countertops, a clear sapphire glass sink, a golden swing-type shampoo valve, and a row of carefully cared for flowers inside. fence.

On the surrounding walls and ceiling, lamp grids with dark gilt patterns are interspersed with bright crystal light boxes, creating a noble and restrained light and shadow look.

"The decoration budget of pounds is somewhat different." Fan Ning took out a silk scarf to wipe the water stains on his face and hands, and stood in front of the elegant dress mirror to arrange his hair.

On November 28, the first performance day, the main part of the project was put into use in a hurry. If you want to extend it to more detailed areas, you will probably have to prepare at least twice as much money.

And after comparing and inspecting some cases on the spot, Fan Ning deeply felt that this was also a bottomless pit field.

"There is still a big gap between the 'luxury' specification and the 'palace' specification. If I followed the latter, I'm afraid I would have to add a 0 after the amount to start. Of course, art venues cannot be compared with the palace style decorated with gold and jade. All the valuable materials are piled high, and now the taste is just right.”

Fan Ning put on his light-colored unlined leather gloves, picked up the cane leaning on the edge of the stage, and strolled out. There were gradually more and more people in the corridor. There were several gentlemen in straight ties and luxurious suits in front of him and him. Looking at each other.

"Oh, look at this transparent and romantic lavender enamel!" The eyes of the middle-aged and elderly man in the lead brightened, "Fan Ning conducts, I said, this will definitely be the finishing touch, if you don't think more about it, If so, your perfect outfit in front of the public tonight will always leave some regrets.”

"Mr. Byron Earl of Kent, to be honest, I directly adopted your taste without much consideration." Fan Ning smiled and thanked the head of Kent Motors Company, and then shook hands with other gentlemen in turn. Among them were two high-level spokespersons from the Gugova Group and the Pioteau Winery Group, as well as several other large factory owners.

Before the day of the opening performance had even arrived, and before the several courtesy treatments had taken effect, the Earl of Kent already felt that his level of satisfaction had reached its highest point.

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The other two potential naming chaebol groups are also looking forward to the early arrival of the New Year.

Because Kent Auto customers, it is so noble to receive complimentary tickets and invitations!

Of course, being solemnly invited to attend an event of this caliber is a noble event in itself, but the letter also contains each person’s unique and targeted lettering, the elegant wording that presupposes the customer’s high taste, and the hot stamping signature directed by Fan Ning, even for large customers. I also received a small sterling silver conductor baton model engraved with the small characters of the old symphony orchestra as a souvenir!

That's it

The response from the investors has been extremely strong. Many of them have placed new orders or introduced them in upper-class circles. For a while, several luxury models with low production capacity and already in short supply have placed orders directly until March next year. .

Although the sponsorship plan of 5,000 pounds + luxury car has been replaced by the art title, the Earl of Kent could not help but write a letter to express his gratitude, and personally purchased and presented Fanning with a cane worth 2,000 pounds - the price of luxury goods It is always puzzling. If this amount is higher, it can already buy an entry-level nine-foot "Boethius" piano.

Its rod body is made of brown hardwood fir, emphasizing the solemn and condensed line shape, but the handle of the rod held by Fan Ning is a piece of exquisite and deep dark purple enamel, and the ring of the rod adopts the guilloché engraving that was popular in the middle of the last century. The craftsmanship uses exquisite carvings to present the flexible and rolling acanthus leaves and caisson patterns. Even the harness and wristband are embellished with the shimmer of gemstones to highlight the majestic and elegant unique temperament of the nobility of the past.

"Nostalgic and noble Debiyi design style." A silver-haired gentleman next to him said, "Mr. Fanning has also become a customer of our Gugova Group. I am honored."

"Thinking about what kind of walking stick to choose for social activities every day is a more serious and prudent issue than what to eat for three meals a day." The owners of large factories nearby agreed.

"Six o'clock in the evening." Fan Ning snapped his pocket watch shut, "Well, gentlemen, we can move from here to the art museum area first. The first opening performance of the symphony hall will be delayed one hour later than usual, at nine o'clock start."

"Please come first, Mr. Commander."

"Your arrangement makes us more relaxed."

Today's aerial view of Turner Art Hall has changed from the original "l" to a larger "b", and the original gallery location is only in the lower left part of the latter.

In the rich and soft fragrance of flowers and plants, the gentlemen walked on the carpet. When passing by the second-floor corridor above the ticket hall, the Earl of Kent glanced down, where guests from three floors inside and outside were enjoying the scenery. He smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed as he saw a jet-black stretch limousine.

It is the custom for Tioleon Concert Hall and Theater to accept admission tickets at six o'clock. Generally speaking, the peak flow of people is between seven and seven thirty.

This time it was different. The performance was postponed by one hour. On the contrary, everyone arrived earlier and was more concentrated, because today's six o'clock is still Fan Ning's scheduled bi-monthly exhibition time.

Music fans have chosen to detour from the ticket hall to the art gallery. The concert ticket can replace the 10 shilling admission ticket to the art gallery, and there are too many things worth stopping and admiring throughout this art venue.

Above the entrance of the museum hangs a huge poster with a title drawn up by Fan Ning himself:

"Sound and Color·Light and Shadow·A Moment of Memories - Bimonthly Impressionism Art Exhibition at the end of 913 in the New Calendar"

Before the concert started, the popularity here was even more popular than in the ticket hall. At 6:20, the traffic restriction measures had been started in advance. Those small and medium-sized media who had not established relationships in advance to seize suitable shooting positions were now I couldn’t even take a photo with the content clearly visible.

There were so many people from all walks of life in the cultural field who came to support us today. Some of the artists we were familiar with had a few words with Fan Ning and then went to the symphony hall to wait. It’s not that they are not interested in the art exhibition, but it’s open every day. , will last until the second half of December, so don’t rush and just go and watch the flowers among the crowd.

Viewing paintings is actually similar to concerts. Private experiences in public places sometimes require some physical and mental space.

The original mobile exhibition hall area on the first floor of the museum has been renovated and expanded. This time, the 240 works are displayed in several long and narrow S-shaped moving lines.

"On the Air and Warmth of the Fields," Vincent Van Nin, May 894."

"Countryside, fields, trees, mountains...the colors rotate passionately, and warm wind seems to be flowing in the air. Imagine looking at the front through the fire, the blazing sun, or the high-temperature gas under the alcohol flame. The scene will twist, like The rippling convex lens is a bit exaggerated, but you have to admit that it helps to remember the moment of light and shadow in early summer. This is the origin of Impressionism.”

"Winter Impressions of the Village, Pissarro Cumier, December 912, New Calendar."

"The brush strokes are emotions, very heavy and very fast. The contrast between the warm and cold colors of the sun is full of transitions in the middle tones. Imagine standing under the winter sun. The overall body feeling is cold air, but the skin facing the sun is full of heat and warmth. It captures The fullness of outdoor light is difficult to feel indoors. Maybe we should go out for a walk more..."

In the lower right area of ​​each painting, at a certain eye level, there is a short quote on the card, which is a guide written by Fan Ning.

Fan Ning, who is familiar with the development laws of art history, understands that the objective reasons for the origin and popularity of Impressionism are not only the impact of photography technology on realism, but also the emergence of new social classes under the industrial trend.

They are well educated, accept new trends in humanities and philosophy, have new aesthetic tastes, have a strong desire to speak out, and have considerable collection and purchasing power. They were the majority of the previously small group of fans of the "suggestion flow".

The most important group for Fan Ning’s guided tours is this group of people.

His guide method is undoubtedly ingenious. Generally speaking, there is no subjective evaluation, and he avoids the strong subjectivity of "profound humanistic foundation", "beautiful use of colors", "impactful lines" and "dignified and stable composition". The wording cannot be proved or falsified, and he does not talk about things that are too professional. He first objectively describes the key points of the painting, what are the characteristics, which cannot be exaggerated, and then gives wonderful imaginative hints, and uses resonant words. An open ending with personal feelings.

At this moment, not only the industrial gentry and the middle class felt the charm of these lights, shadows and emotions, but also many academic artists stopped, observed, felt and thought.

Yes, the academics. Fan Ning still attached great importance to listening to their ideas during his visit to Santa Ramburg, and sincerely invited many academic painters to come and give guidance.

Many people believe that the Impressionists in the history of art were those who "received their talents" while the academics were those who were blindly arrogant and "persecuted". The rise of Impressionism later severely slapped the academics in the face.

——This is a flat and non-objective cognition.

In fact, the Impressionist painters on Blue Star have been actively curating exhibitions, establishing groups, expanding channels, seeking cooperation from the media and collectors, and striving for academic understanding and recognition from the art investment market. Every time the academics view the exhibition of new works by Impressionist painters, they have to seriously feel, understand and evaluate them again.

There is a transition from negative to positive, and sometimes it's not that smooth, but it's not black and white.

They are not completely opposite, but are concepts of dynamic change. The innovative spiritual core of impressionism in the previous life grew up from the breakthrough from classical to romanticism. Their use of color is also based on the long academic research and condensation, on the realist trend of thought and the Barbizon School's exploration of natural light.

——Understand dialectically, the romantic style inherently contains all the factors that led to the birth of the impressionist trend of thought.

It is precisely because Fan Ning has the experience of being a "latecomer" that he can clearly see the laws behind the development of art history in the past. Therefore, in this old industrial world, he is able to break away from the disputes between schools and unite the forces that can be united with a broader mind.

So now, the innovation process of the art era has begun to move forward with the quiet transformation of individual aesthetics.

Fanning spent more time entertaining these industrial gentlemen than he liked.

In his view, the funds transferred into his pocket are laying the foundation for the true implementation of the "Music Aid" and "Art Popularization" plans in the future.

This gave his interactions and words a more sincere meaning.

Of course, these industrial aristocrats also know social etiquette and sophistication very well. After Fan Ning met with dignitaries from the central and local cultural departments as well as several well-known artists, collectors, and critics, they were introduced, greeted, and exchanged ideas. The business card meant that he would visit the exhibition on his own first and see him at the concert later.

Next, Fan Ning accompanied Director Humphrey and his party on a tour of the entire art venue.

It is etiquette to lead a tour, and they come with a task: the first item in the symphony orchestra ranking assessment is the evaluation of the hardware conditions of the "residential venue".

At about early seven o'clock, Fan Ning returned to the crowded art exhibition hall alone.

He saw Claude, Malay, Cumier and others wearing top hats with too low brims, mingling among the crowd of visitors to observe the expressions of the spectators, and suddenly found it interesting and wanted to laugh.

Bidding collectors always start to express their intentions in the middle and late stages of the exhibition, and then it is the guests' turn to observe their expressions.

Just as Fan Ning was thinking about whether to stay for an hour to go backstage to rehearse or stay for an hour and a half, suddenly, a white glove as cold as a corpse patted his shoulder.

"Commander Fan Ning, congratulations on the opening." The man's voice was soft but polite.

A chill penetrated Fan Ning's skin and blood through his clothes, and his heart and whole body suddenly shivered.

The first feeling of who you really are, the second feeling actually.

He turned his head and looked at the three people opposite.

The leading gentleman wears a broad hard-top hat, is tall and pale-skinned, and clutches a bright silver cane. Next to him are a blond man with a hooked nose, and a gentle lady wearing a high-collared cloak and holding a folding fan.

"Your Excellency He Meng, Captain Salman, welcome here." Fan Ning saluted gracefully, "Who is this beautiful lady?"

The appearance of the Special Inspection Department and his entourage was as expected by Fan Ning.

As a nominated artist awarded the "Boethius" by the discussion group, such important news is also a major event in the art cause of the empire. It is normal for various official organizations to send representatives to congratulate. At this time, Bishop Christopher was also Looking at the paintings with great interest among the crowd.

But this does not mean that Fan Ning is not vigilant.

"Dear President Fan Ning, you can call me Anna." The woman shook her folding fan lightly.

As soon as the soft and professional voice came out, Fan Ning immediately remembered the name before he could say it.

Captain Salman's dedicated liaison, a meticulous investigator, spoke to her on the phone himself.

Fan Ning made an inviting gesture and led them back into the exhibition's flow.

The three of them walked around like normal guests to view the oil paintings, stopping from time to time.

"The exploration of the understanding of light and shadow in these 240 paintings is wonderful, and some of them even have mystical tendencies. You should know that even ignorant people in the art world will occasionally feel the heterogeneity behind the surface of the world due to high inspiration. Color, of course, I have passed the test. As a public art venue, we must always guard against the risk of overly explicit strange power and even evil reputation. You should have richer screening experience on such issues..."

Fan Ning calmly led the three of them to several high-inspiration paintings for them to admire, and continued to introduce them in a low voice.

Anna kept responding to him with "uh huh", while the other two gentlemen only nodded silently occasionally.

The movement of several people was relatively random. Sometimes Fan Ning guided them from the front, and sometimes they followed the three people and introduced them from behind.

He Meng glanced at the paintings on the wall without saying anything else.

"Your Excellency, Inspector General, there are no paintings over there."

At the midpoint of the S-shaped moving line, He Meng took his steps towards a fork in the road. There were still guests visiting, but there were fewer people than on the exhibition moving line.

"There are several small round exhibition halls that used to display installation art..." The three of them entered one of the rooms without stopping, and Fan Ning slowly followed.

He Meng stood in front of a merchandise cabinet against the wall and stretched out his hand.

"Frankly speaking, it took us a lot of effort to clean up the debris accumulated in the corridor this time. Now this place is used to sell small souvenirs, and the one next door you are facing sells drinks and non-staple food." Fan Ning continued unhurriedly. Introduce slowly.

He controlled his breathing and spiritual state, but his heart was inevitably hung up.

Because where He Meng was standing now was less than one meter away from the secret door.