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Chapter 355 - 353, Tens of Millions Level Oil Painting (Second Update)_1

Chapter 355: 353, Tens of Millions Level Oil Painting (Second Update)_1

Those who came to visit the realistic oil painting exhibition were either those who also loved such things, art students, or simply people looking for excitement.

At this time, professionals would have their own opinions, such as the composition of this oil painting being at a master level, which made it very comfortable to look at and absolutely free of any dissonance; the girl occupied two-thirds of the entire painting, yet the remaining one-third did not diminish the audience’s attention to the perfect overlap of the snow mountain and the sunset.

Then, there were people who loved to nitpick details, such as the handling of light and shadow, or the lines and the like, but this painting definitely had no such issues.

The whole oil painting’s scene was tranquil and profound, and in terms of character modeling, it did away with beautification, her face was dirty, her hair was messy, but not a single person could deny her beauty which was a kind of breathtaking power.

The emotion reflected in the painting made everyone feel that it was so beautiful; the author was so bold in displaying the lovely things he adored.

Those who didn’t really understand would feel, after hearing the professionals’ praise, that it truly was amazing!

Moreover, Ren He’s paintings were never abstract; he laid bare his emotions and integrated them into the painting, so after seeing other masters’ works, the confused amateur viewers would think back on this painting and realize that understandable art was better...

Someone proposed to the organizer to buy this painting for 200,000 US dollars, but the organizer regretfully refused, "This is a painting sent by Master Richard; he specifically emphasized that even if someone offered 10 million, it wouldn’t be sold. He said it is a perfect piece of art."

Hisss, those in the know all took a sharp breath—Richard had sent the painting, and he held it in such high esteem?!

Everyone familiar with this circle knew that Richard was very harsh, and even his divorce from his former wife was because of his severity toward art.

His ex-wife was also a painter, but Richard, after looking at his wife’s works, would deride her and tell her not to defile art, leading her to choose divorce as she couldn’t bear being looked down upon by the person closest to her year after year.

That incident had caused quite a stir at the time, sparked when Richard painted a work comparable to one of his ex-wife’s as a contrast, to show her own deficiencies...

It turned out that Richard indeed was much higher in caliber than his wife; that painting later sold for a sky-high price, and his own works soared in value as a result.

But Richard never remarried in his lifetime.

As the saying goes, there is something despicable about a person whom one has reason to pity, and Ren He also thought that Richard had gone too far; if someone’s painting was bad, it was bad—why fuss about it so much...

And precisely because so many people knew of Richard’s character, everyone was surprised to hear: Richard actually said this is a perfect piece of art?

My goodness, how much could it be worth?!

Using money to measure value is a universal concept, and most people can’t escape it.

Since it would not sell for 10 million US dollars, its worth must be at least that high!

Suddenly, the appearance of an oil painting valued at several tens of millions at such an exhibition made some people think about stealing it at night, of course, just as a thought.

As a group discussed, Yang Xi and Ren He listened on the side; the two things these people were most concerned about were: how much it cost and who painted it.

At that moment, four or five Chinese exchange students walked in; as soon as they entered, they saw the painting and were instantly shocked: "Isn’t that Yang Xi? Has Yang Xi become so famous abroad that she is depicted in paintings?!"

For them, the sudden sight of the painting was somewhat mind-blowing...

They hadn’t heard the discussions of others and didn’t know what this painting was about; the only thing they were sure of was that the person in the painting was the domestic Diva Yang Xi they knew...

Isn’t this a realistic oil painting exhibition? How did Yang Xi end up in the painting?! Is it a promotional poster for a new album? They felt a bit confused now!

When some foreigners heard their exclamation, they asked what was happening, and the international students replied truthfully, "This is China’s hottest pop diva right now, her songs are really good!"

Upon hearing this, the foreigners were like, whoa, she has such a background? That makes the artist even more interesting!

And the international students gradually realized, whoa, this painting actually starts at ten million US Dollars... Are you kidding me, what’s going on with the world...

But then again, this painting is indeed very well done!

The international students took pictures of the painting and posted them online, sending them to friends back home as well, because the whole thing was just so surprising — to see a domestic music queen at a foreign realistic oil painting exhibition...

These few photos spread quickly and went viral in no time, especially among the domestic media!

Think about it, you’ve got a popular domestic diva, plus an oil painting worth tens of millions of dollars, it’s just too sensational. Besides, it has always been hard to catch news about Yang Xi, since she is so low-profile. She had just recently announced that she would temporarily leave the music scene, so many were worried whether Yang Xi would stop singing altogether.

Her fans had been anxious for a long time without any news from Yang Xi, only hearing that some foreign friends spotted her in New York.

At this moment, after seeing the news, her fans were the most excited: That’s epic, our Yang Xi is featured in an oil painting and it’s valued at ten million US dollars!

They didn’t care that the painting was actually valued so much because of the painter’s own skill level...

And the price was, in fact, overestimated because Richard said he wouldn’t sell it for ten million, originally using a bit of hyperbole...

But even he didn’t expect that owing to his brilliant divorce saga, this exaggerated statement would be blown even more out of proportion!

Of course, when it came to actual transactions, businessmen wouldn’t be influenced by this; they would still negotiate the price based on a comprehensive consideration.

Right now, news reports are anything but rational, filled with competitors eager for a spectacle; some tabloids even dared to claim the painting was worth hundreds of millions, without fear of straining their tongues.

But this painting truly became a sensation.

It caught fire overseas for several reasons: firstly, traditional Eastern beauty is rarely seen in the West, and Yang Xi was unmistakably beautiful; secondly, the artistic value of the painting was now soaring, with several masters giving their affirmation; and thirdly, everyone could understand the painting, feeling the strong emotions through their computer screens.

How popular did it become? So much so that quite a few American teens felt that having a girlfriend like her would be wonderful...

That Stubborn yet determined smile was just too enchanting.

Yang Xi was grateful she listened to Ren He’s advice to wear sunglasses and a mask; otherwise, being recognized in that exhibition hall would have been interesting, considering she and Ren He still had a teacher-student relationship. What a story it would have made in the media!

It was a sensation overseas, but even more so domestically, though the focus in China was distinctly peculiar as they were more concerned with Yang Xi’s current life.

Many started to speculate, "Where has Yang Xi gone, why does she look so disheveled?"

"Indeed, she looks disheveled, and she’s wearing a jacket like she’s on a mountain, can someone enlighten us about the location in this painting?"

"That’s the entrance to the 6000-meter camp on the South Slope of Mount Everest in Nepal..." Eventually, someone figured it out, as Ren He’s realistic painting style had faithfully reproduced the scene.

In the noisy online world, suddenly someone posted a comment, "Um... do you guys remember the silhouette from the Chinese travel magazine, about a Knight and a girl sitting in the sunset?!"