I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 210



Only Noblemtl

Episode 210. Mind Map (2)

Where do we come from?

What are we?

Where are we going?

The title of a masterpiece by 19th century painter Paul Gauguin.

This painting is sometimes said to have the most philosophical title in the history of art.

The meaning of this rather heavy painting can be deeply guessed when we follow the trajectory of his life.

Gauguin, who only became a painter when he was middle-aged.

Discouraged by his failure to achieve the success he had hoped for, he left Europe for the South Pacific island of Tahiti.

Fascinated by the people and culture there, he spent the last ten years of his life in Polynesia, searching for his own style of painting, and actively creating new works that praised nature and primitivism and expressed his emotions and inner self.

But it was like the last great burning flame before it went out.

At that time, Gauguin’s situation was at its worst.

His body was sick, he was financially struggling, and his mind was unstable. Having lost all hope in life, Gauguin finally decided to die and pour all his last passion into creating a masterpiece.

That’s the question, ‘Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?’

A painting that started in despair.

Born from the depths of the soul, his paintings still pose questions to many people today.

It was the same for Soo-hyun too.

Su-hyeon was lost in thought. Have we solved the question Gauguin had that day 100 years later?

“no.”

Su-hyeon shook her head. Questions directed at the source are not easily resolved. That is why they become unshakeable.

“We look for it step by step. We work together to find it.”

Soo-hyun nodded.

A feeling of helplessness, like drifting aimlessly through a vast ocean. However, if I reveal my coordinates, send a signal, and match them with others’ coordinates, I might be able to see a bigger picture that I couldn’t see when I was alone.

Su-hyeon opened her sketchbook.

Bam.

I put a dot in the middle.

That was the starting point.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Again, four dots were drawn centered on the central dot, and eight dots were drawn outside that dot.

A radial path like a spider web was created.

Somewhere in there, Soo-hyun will be located, and others will take their places.

“What kind of event should I create?”

Su-hyeon meticulously planned the stages, imagining what kind of performances, audience participation, and events would be good to add to the basic framework of a board game board, and what kind of work would be completed.

Swish.

This time, I cut the paper into a certain size and made cards. I drew profound pictures on each sheet as symbols.

***

Lisa Studio Art Classroom.

“… … ?”

“……oh?”

“……and.”

The day of the second class.

The students who opened the classroom door with anticipation let out short exclamations.

Last week, an overview of Makoto’s work on the environment was presented here.

The classroom was decorated as a forest and a river was created at the entrance. When taking a step into nature, a joyful welcome was given. The experience was like entering another world, giving both surprise and joy.

Great start. The scale was so big that there was a lot of concern about the next runner.

If a similar style of work comes out, it will be evaluated as not being able to overcome the influence, and if a minor work comes out, it will be evaluated as having less impact than the previous time. But.

“Wouldn’t it be fun?”

“What is this? How do I do this?”

Students gathered in the middle of the classroom, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

A huge plate laid on the floor.

Looking closely, it was made by assembling several tiles into one shape. What was unique was that several tiles were spread out radially like a honeycomb or spider web, centered around the central tile.

“Isn’t it like a game board?”

“Yeah. You stand in the middle and throw the dice? You move like that.”

The students continued to speculate.

and.

“Look at the picture inside the tile.”

Someone pointed at the tiles with a finger.

“Hardship, sadness, joy, luck, misfortune, love, hurt. Pain, happiness, sacrifice, discovery… … . Pictures symbolizing emotions and events are drawn!”

The students’ eyes moved simultaneously as they followed his words.

“That’s right.”

“Oh. Is this a glimpse into life? What is it?”

Interesting enough situation.

But when those who don’t know how to rush in start to squirm.

Swish-.

Su-hyeon, holding a large palette, walked out to the center tile and stood.

“Phew.”

Su-hyeon took a deep breath and placed her hand on the paint sprinkled on the palette.

And, Chuck.

Su-hyeon leaned over and placed her paint-covered hand on a tile as if stamping it.

Taat.

A clear handprint was left on the tile.

“… … !”

“… … !!”

Students observing Soo-Hyeon while holding their breath.

Su-hyeon walked away without paying attention to him and stamped her hand on another tile.

Like that, one, two, three.

As we walked to the end of the radial line and finished stamping our seals, the kids nodded again.

“It shows you the choice.”

“Yeah. You’re drawing a trajectory?”

“What is the trajectory?”

“Life? Instinct? Past? Or Orientation?”

As the children continued to speculate, a round of applause was heard.

It was Professor Ian.

“This piece is also very interesting. Now, I’d like to hear an explanation of the piece. Soo-hyun? Are you ready?”

At Ian’s introduction, Su-hyeon quickly wiped the paint off her hands with a rag and stood again at the center tile.

“When we live a life of being chased, we tend to forget and lose our origins and purpose. I think the loneliness and fear that comes from floating around without knowing the coordinates are emotions that many people living in the modern era feel.”

Several students nodded in agreement with Soo-hyun’s words.

“Numerous artists and philosophers have asked questions about the origins of things, but no satisfactory answers have been found. So I am trying to find the answer through this work.”

Soo-hyun smiled brightly, returned to her seat, came out holding a large cloth, and spread it out on one wall, securing it there.

“……oh.”

“……and!”

There was a complex mind map drawn there.

In the middle, a character resembling Soo-hyeon was drawn, and numerous thoughts were spreading out through his head to the surrounding area.

A table of contents listing events that have influenced you throughout your life.

And a record of other incidents that resulted from it.

The mind map concisely summarized Su-hyeon’s life in one page.

“This is a mind map of my life. I created this board based on this.”

Su-hyeon pointed to the radial tiles on the floor.

“I categorized various emotions and events, and drew pictures that symbolize them on each tile. I divided emotions into categories such as joy, sadness, anger, and pleasure, and drew events such as growth and failure in detail. You can see what emotions and events my life, which started at the center point, experienced and created a map of life.”

The students’ eyes moved back and forth between the mind map and the board. After listening to the story, it turned out that the handprints that Su-hyeon had made were a picture of Su-hyeon’s life.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Students who had vaguely guessed the meaning of the work but now fully understood it nodded and began to ask questions.

“Is there any significance to the placement of the tiles? I’m curious as to what order the event and emotion tiles are placed in.”

“First of all, the tile in the center symbolizes birth.”

Su-hyeon nodded and answered.

“And the first tile closest to the center represents the instinctive emotions and events that can be felt immediately after birth. I also tried to arrange the tiles that extend outward after that according to the flow of time. In other words, I gradually increased the number of events and emotions that can be experienced and felt as you get older.”

“Wow. But those tiles look just like rings. Like the rings of a tree, several events repeat around the central tile.”

“You saw it exactly. Just as seasons change, our lives also have routines, and some events come around periodically. It could be a birthday or an important anniversary.”

“How do you plan to expand this work in the future?”

After the in-depth questioning, another ordinary but important question was asked.

Su-hyeon smiled brightly.

“Just as I stamped my hand, I plan to have the viewers of the artwork stamp their hand here as well.”

“Huh? You’re trying to encourage audience participation?”

“Wow. This is going to be a mess.”

The students were in an uproar at Soo-hyun’s answer. Soo-hyun, who had already imagined how the work would be completed, calmly answered their questions.

“I try to use paints of various colors if possible. Then, handprints of different sizes, shapes, and even colors will be imprinted on the tiles. Their handprints will draw different paths than mine, and they will even meet on some tiles. In the process of seeing the difference, my coordinates and the other person’s coordinates become clear. That is the meaning I want to see in this work.”

“In the end, let’s see what choices we made to get here and where it will go from here.”

Professor Ian, who had been quietly watching the presentation, frowned slightly and said.

“It will be a work that truly shows where I came from, who I am, and where I am going.”

“Yes, that’s right. You might even gain something from the differences between your mind map and someone else’s mind map.”

“It would be fun.”

Ian said, shaking his head.

“First of all, it is a very interesting attempt to put life on a canvas, or board. It is also fun to show the process of selection from the center to how it got to where it is now. It is also good to share the process and see others’ processes together. Above all, it gives the feeling of art that we do together, because it sounds like the artist is not concluding something and ending it, but rather trying to find the answer together.”

Is a professor a professor?

From the moment I first saw Su-hyeon’s work, her eyes were unusual, and with just a few words of explanation, she was able to accurately understand the intention and direction of the work.

“Soohyun, have you heard about how Lisa’s project is expanding?”

And Ian shrugged and said,

“Once one artist presents the original plan, other artists who are attracted to it apply to collaborate on the project, and it naturally grows in size.”

Although it was something Soo-hyun already knew, Ian emphasized it once more and explained the procedure.

“In Lisa, anyone can freely present any idea. But going out to the square is a privilege reserved for a very special few.”

Su-hyeon nodded at those words.

In Lisa, you can open your original work and hold an exhibition anywhere, but the indoor garden on the second floor of the building, or the plaza, is restricted.

A place where only unusual and special works are exhibited.

The space with the highest hurdles inside Lisa was the plaza.

But why are you suddenly talking about the plaza?

It was when Soo-hyun tilted her head and waited for Ian to speak next.

“Each class can recommend a piece of work to submit to the plaza once per semester.”

Ian said, shaking his head slowly.

“I want to decide on the work to be submitted to the plaza this semester using your mind map, Su-hyeon. What do you think? Do you think you can do it well?”

“yes?”

Su-hyeon, surprised, asked back.

Most of the students attending the class had not yet presented their assignments.

You want to benefit my work without even having to see it?

A proposal that leaves one dumbfounded.

How far does Ian expect the work to go?

Something that might have been burdensome in the past.

However, the direction of the work was set, and Su-hyeon’s goal was not small.

I couldn’t afford to throw away the opportunity out of humility.

In this project, Su-hyeon wanted to light a fire like Gauguin.

“Thank you. I will do my best.”

Su-hyeon smiled and nodded.