Chapter 606: This Painting Is Not Simple

Before the words had even faded, a burst of laughter erupted in the venue.

Some were well-intentioned, such as Sheng Guoan, Tian Rulong, and Chen Yangyan, because they knew Lin Sicheng had the confidence to back it up.

Others were curious, such as Zhang Zongxian: he had already experienced Lin Sicheng's intellect and scheming, which were not merely beyond most of his peers as he had previously thought, but far beyond the average person.

His methods were even so masterful they seemed inhuman.

He had also gained some insight into his ability to appraise antiques; at the very least, when it came to extensive knowledge and a retentive memory, Zhang Zongxian had never seen anyone better than him.

Sheng Guoan and Tian Rulong had indeed said that Lin Sicheng's eye for antiques was no weaker than theirs and that he had picked up quite a few good items, and Zhang Zongxian believed this to be true.

He was simply curious: from the time Lin Sicheng officially debuted until now, it had been little more than a year; no matter how clever his methods or how sharp his eye, the number of times he could encounter good items was ultimately limited.

Even if he could pick up a bargain every single time, how much could he possibly have collected in a year and a half?

Yet, listening to Lin Sicheng's implication, he would absolutely be able to come with high expectations and return fully satisfied, rather than just buying a few pieces at a high price regardless of their quality, as he had previously prepared to do.

Could it be that there was something even better than that Cloud-Clustering Seal of Qianlong?

Thinking of this, Zhang Zongxian became a little interested.

But the majority of the people felt unimpressed, thinking Lin Sicheng's words were too boastful:

My items are definitely good; it just depends on whether you have the eye for them!

But upon closer reflection, they felt it made sense: although the words were arrogant, the core remained unchanged. When all was said and done, one still had to let the items speak for themselves.

Lin Sicheng gestured, and Li Zhen carried a scroll onto the stage.

The cinematographer controlled the camera crane, aiming it at the long table in front of Lin Sicheng, and a synchronized image appeared on the large screen:

A four-foot hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, a light Jiang Landscape Pattern.

The foreground consisted of mountain rocks: first, the shore-side slope rocks and large boulders, then the stone banks and earthen slopes of the lake bay's harbor, followed by a belt of trees.

Pines, elms, weeping willows, and miscellaneous trees were all different, with thickets and shrubs beneath them. On the shore were clumps of grass and reeds, with houses nestled among them. Below that was the lake bay, with wooden boats moored within. On the boats were several people: three boatmen and one wandering monk.

On the shore were the paths of farmland.

The mid-ground was the lake, depicted with "fishing net" texture strokes to outline layers of waves, the lines varying in length to express the turbulent wind and waves, vast and boundless.

The background was the Zhong Temple, a three-story pavilion built on a peninsula in the lake. The base was blurred by clouds and mist, appearing and disappearing, ethereal as a fairyland.

There were not many scenes, but it was extremely distinctive; the key was that it looked very familiar.

Looking at the colophon again:

The first: Recording being blocked by a strong Wind, climbing the Zhong Temple pavilion to view the scenery, composing two seven-character regulated verses—

The second: Mooring at Jinsha River in the evening, a farmer's family sent a branch of white mushrooms to the boat; it did not wither for several days, and when I tried to pay, they refused, so I requested to gift them a poem—

The third:

In the summer month of the Yihai year, the two gentlemen, Grand Secretary Li Rongzhai of Hefei and Prefect Zhang Jianyang, invited me. Using the former Rice Fragrance Pavilion of Master Zhilu as a place to hang my hat, I was too lazy by nature to accept, so I thanked them and returned.

I was blocked by the Wind at Nest Lake for five or six days and painted this. Now I leave it with my Dao brother Zhang Jianyang to record one of the travels of my life.

Qingxiang Xia Zunzhe Yuanji.

Looking at the seals again: Qingxiang Shitao (intaglio), Head white but still illiterate (intaglio), Formerly Longmian Ji (intaglio), Little Passenger (relief)—

Everyone suddenly realized: Shitao's Nest Lake Map?

But there was only Shitao's own inscription, with no colophons left by later generations, and the seals were the same: only Shitao's seals, with no collector's seals from later generations, so there was no doubt: it was a later imitation.

The key was that it was too familiar.

Everyone present could be considered a collector, and there was no lack of experts among them, but to say one could remember the works of all ancient masters was unrealistic.

Even Sheng Guoan would not dare to say such a thing.

And this painting, just as it was unfurled, before even seeing the inscription and seals, made people feel familiar because they had just seen it not long ago.

Liu Taiqi pondered for a moment and remembered: "Isn't this that anonymous imitation from the Banghans Auction?"

Sun Yan and Zheng Shanghui also remembered.

There were a great many paintings auctioned that day, and this one had nothing eye-catching about it. The reason they remembered it so clearly was that the bidder was Lin Sicheng:

It could be said that at that auction, no one was more prominent than Lin Sicheng.

He only bid on three items in total, so as long as one paid a little attention, one could remember it.

Sun Yan also remembered: "I remember this painting sold at the base price, was it five thousand or six thousand?"

"Six thousand, General Manager Lin was the only bidder!"

"Then what does this General Manager Lin mean?" Zheng Shanghui looked puzzled, "Bringing such an item to warm up the venue?"

If one had to make a comparison, although the lineup today was not as large as the day the Banghans auction started, in terms of status, it was definitely higher, not lower.

Indeed, not as many people came, but just one Zhang Zongxian was worth more than ten thousand people.

Not to mention bringing out some earth-shattering, world-renowned masterpiece, but after all, it was the first item to appear, so one at least had to arouse the guests' interest and stir up the atmosphere.

Lin Sicheng, on the other hand, brought an imitation worth only a few thousand to warm up the venue?

Do you think the people here can't afford six thousand, or that they all don't have eyes?

Liu Taiqi recalled: "When General Manager Lin looked at this painting at the time, I happened to be there, and General Manager Huang was there too. I remember him saying: although the painting is an imitation, and not a very good one, it definitely came from the hand of a master—"

"A master?" Liu Yan frowned, "Since it's a master, how could it be poorly imitated?"

Zheng Shanghui also nodded: bringing such an item out felt like a joke.

There were more than just these few who had this thought, and more than just these few who had seen this painting.

Someone recognized it and told their companion, then it spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and more and more people knew.

The discussion in the venue grew louder: the first item was actually an anonymous imitation, and the key was that it was only worth a few thousand?

The heat was indeed there, but unfortunately: it was all negative.

Everyone stared at the screen, but to tell the truth, whether they were experts or laymen, they all had the same feeling:

This painting is mediocre.

Unable to make sense of it, Tian Rulong gave up and lowered his voice: "Director Sheng, what do you think?"

"The screen's light is too strong; I can only compare a portion," Sheng Guoan paused slightly, "but the brush style feels somewhat familiar!"

"It's right that it feels familiar!" Tian Rulong laughed in a low voice, "If it didn't feel familiar, would Lin Sicheng dare to bring it out?"

Sheng Guoan paused and nodded in deep agreement.

After all, it was the first auction item; even if it didn't blind everyone's eyes or stun the crowd, it at least had to be eye-catching enough.

Lin Sicheng had so many good things in his hands, why did he bring out only this one?

It couldn't be that he wanted to ruin his own reputation and lift a rock only to drop it on his own bowl?

This painting was indeed painted averagely, but since Lin Sicheng dared to bring it out as the first item, there must be some reasoning behind it————

The scroll was fully unfurled, and Lin Sicheng had the cameraman move the lens closer.

Pressing the remote control, the large screen split in two, and two "Nest Lake Map" appeared.

One was a high-definition photo of Shitao's authentic work, currently collected at the Tianjin Museum. The other was this one in Lin Sicheng's hands.

The screen was extremely large, equivalent to magnifying both paintings dozens of times, leaving every detail fully visible.

Comparing the two, the difference in quality was immediately apparent.

Lin Sicheng picked up the microphone: "All you teachers are experts with superb discernment, rich experience, and unique taste; you have surely all appraised this authentic work by Shitao. But I imagine there have been few opportunities as intuitive as today, comparing it with a copy."

"Compared to you all, I am a junior and a late learner. Today I am showing off my meager skills before an expert, sharing some shallow insights————let me state the conclusion first: I believe this painting is only an average copy————"

Before the words had faded, a burst of light laughter erupted in the venue: without Lin Sicheng saying it, anyone with eyes could see it.

The brush and ink were raw, the techniques were weak, the line control was overly cautious, and the color coordination was too balanced.

Furthermore, the composition was rigid, the perspective lacked innovation, and it was entirely confined to the mindset of "drawing a gourd based on a Floating model," with no liveliness to speak of.

It could be said that this was no longer a question of how average the copy was, but that it was very poor.

When the laughter subsided slightly, Lin Sicheng pointed at the painting: "First, let's talk about the composition and layout: the scenery in the original work is naturally scattered, with both loose and tight areas, and the positions of some objects are casual, fully displaying the contingency of impromptu brushwork.

"The copy, however, arranges all the scenery in a perfectly stable manner, with balance everywhere in the picture, leading to an overly neat composition and presenting an extremely strong sense of design.

"Secondly, the proportions of the objects tend toward standardization, lacking the simple, clumsy deformation of the original: the distant views, mountains, and clouds are handled too smoothly, with transitions that are too uniform, unlike the original's interplay of void and substance, and even more so, it lacks the mottled and fragmented feeling brought by Shitao's unique Ink Breaking method.

"Third, the lines in the original are staggered in length, varying in density, and intermittent, simulating the Wind and waves very vividly. The stippling brushwork of the copy is arranged neatly with uniform lengths, and one cannot feel the reality of the turbulent Wind and waves at all.

"The defects in the tree branches are even more numerous: Shitao's tree trunks are mostly twisted, and the lines are sometimes thick and sometimes thin. The copy's tree trunk lines are smooth and rounded, with gentle turns, lacking strange and twisted postures; the tree postures are beautiful, but not sufficiently ancient and stubborn.

"To put it bluntly: there is an excess of elegance, but a lack of wildness.

"Next, let's talk about the ink method: the original uses a lot of scorched ink, the ink color is deep and heavy, with strong contrast. The copy, however, uses mostly wet, light ink; the ink color is clean and bright, and the picture looks fresh, but it lacks the weight and depth of the ink.

"The Rendering is the same: the copy is overly controlled, the boundaries of the ink smudges are too clean, and natural ink bleeding and interweaving rarely appear, giving one a sense of lifelessness.

"Furthermore, the coloring: the original colors are calm and subtle, with a dark tone. The copy's colors are bright, the Fire Qi is slightly too heavy, and it lacks the dark, aged feeling of an Ancient Painting. Moreover, it is dyed extremely evenly, with almost no mottled or leaked dyeing, not only lacking a few traces of simplicity but also lacking a layer of vitality.

"Then there is the calligraphy and colophon; it can be said that this writing is truly similar, but it is only similar: the brushwork is too smooth, and although the writing is fluent and beautiful, it lacks the strange, wild, and unrestrained brush momentum.

"Finally, look at the whole: the original was painted when Shitao encountered Wind and was blocked at Zhongmiao during his travels, experiencing the drifting of Wind and Rain; the painting carries emotions of frustration, vastness, and drifting.

"The copy is merely a tracing of an ancient painting; it lacks such real life experiences, and the picture only has beautiful lakes and mountains, without that feeling of melancholy and vastness. The entire work's technique is too perfect, handled thoroughly everywhere, striving for no flaws.

"But it is precisely because it is too perfect that it gives one a sense of dull, rigid deadness————to borrow a phrase Director Sheng often says: the emotions and temperament between the lines do not match————"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience laughed again.

It wasn't that what was said was particularly funny, but combined with Lin Sicheng's body language and expressions, it gave people an inexplicable sense of interest.

It was like the same course being taught by different teachers; clearly, the content was the same, including the method of lecturing,

and the order was mostly the same. But some teachers could make it very interesting, while others made you want to sleep the moment you heard them.

While laughing, many people also heard something different: Lin Sicheng still held the copyist in high regard.

The composition was neat, the layout was balanced, and the object design was extremely standard. Regardless of the distant view, mountains, or clouds, everything was handled extremely well, and the transitions were uniform.

Although the lake view lacked a bit of nature, the waves were smooth and rounded, the turns were gentle, and the trees were tall, beautiful, and lush, elegant and natural.

Although the colors were too dull, they were bright, neat, crisp, and refreshing; although the Rendering lacked a bit of vitality, it was even, clean, fresh, and bright.

Of course, talk is talk, but every slightly more senior collector has their own appraisal characteristics and angles. But the problem was, the more carefully one looked, the more one felt that what Lin Sicheng said made so much sense.

Because these characteristics Lin Sicheng mentioned were all embodied in the painting.

If one were even more senior, one could ponder a few deeper meanings: the copyist had their own specific creative style; if you said they strictly followed a specific creative procedure and steps to copy this painting, that wouldn't be wrong.

But precisely because the rules and regulations were set too rigidly, and they strived for simulation, it was copied so strangely and so stiffly.

If one's appraisal ability were a level deeper, one could see even deeper secrets: the copyist had their own understanding of this Nest Lake Map.

Just as Lin Sicheng said, they did not have the life experience of Shitao, who had exhausted all desolation, drifting, frustration, and helplessness, so they could not empathize with the emotions hidden in the painting.

Since they could not empathize, the copyist took a different path, creating based on their own state of mind.

But no matter how much they took a different path, it was still just a copy; Shitao had long ago limited the artistic conception to the framework of desolate mountains and sad waters. The softer the copyist's lines and the brighter the colors, the more it gave one the feeling of "drawing a tiger but ending up with a dog."

Therefore, it made everyone feel that this painting was not copied well.

If Sheng Guoan were to speak his heart, it was indeed not copied well. But sometimes, you cannot just look at whether a painting is good or not; you must also combine it with other factors.

For example, this one: anyone who knows a little bit about painting can see that the copyist's brush and ink are very raw and the technique is very weak. To put it bluntly: the foundation is not deep, and they might even be a beginner.

But what kind of beginner, while still not having learned the basic techniques, could summarize unique creative techniques and a completely procedural creative style?

And even when copying the works of senior masters, instead of blindly copying, they boldly integrated their own understanding?

Although the integration wasn't great, this in itself was a manifestation of extreme self-confidence: what the master painted only suited the master's own style, not mine————

The more he thought, the tighter Sheng Guoan's brows furrowed.

Tian Rulong was interested: "Did you see something?"

Sheng Guoan nodded: "This painting is not simple!"

Tian Rulong was stunned: "Didn't you just say that earlier?"

If this painting were simple, would Lin Sicheng dare to bring it out as the first item?

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