I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 244



Only Noblemtl

Episode 244. The Man and the Woman’s Circumstances (2)

“Have you finally made up your mind?”

Walter came running in. His cheeks were flushed red, either from the cold or from anticipation.

“Actually, before I show you my work, there is a painting I would like to ask for your opinion on.”

Su-hyeon first introduced Nozomi, who was sitting next to her, in a calm voice.

“… … So I got to see the painting that Nozomi owned, and it was a really great piece of work. But I wondered how it would look to other people.”

“Oh.”

Walter nodded slowly after hearing the whole story.

Is this some kind of test?

Want to see how sensitive and accurate my nose is when it comes to discovering works of art?

Walter’s eyes sparkled sharply as he carefully examined Soo-hyun and Nozomi’s expressions.

A little while ago, Su-hyeon made an absurd statement that she would show me three works whose authors could not be revealed.

Asking me to evaluate how much the work is worth.

What kind of work is it?

Considering Soo-hyun’s personality and the atmosphere in which the situation is unfolding, it wouldn’t be an absurd picture.

It would probably be an unpublished work by a somewhat well-known author, or a masterpiece by an author with high potential for growth.

Walter’s lips twitched.

This cute writer is not only talented, but also careful.

This is how you try to find out who is on the same boat as you.

Walter had proven himself by successfully completing breathtaking tightrope walks in New York, England, and mainland Europe.

So, even if Soo-Hyeon tried to test him, Walter didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. No, he actually enjoyed it.

The fact that he was questioning it probably means that Soo-hyun was seriously considering his last suggestion.

Besides, how many years have you been establishing yourself as a collector?

Walter knew many artists and works. Even if the intention of a painting was hidden, he was confident that he could identify who painted it.

That means he was skilled at calculating the value of a work of art, and that he was confident he could relieve Soo-hyeon’s anxiety.

‘You want to check if Walter’s reputation is not a lie? If that’s the case, then by all means.’

When he grew up with his own misunderstanding and his eyes sparkled at Soo-hyeon.

Su-hyeon placed the picture that she had asked Nozomi’s permission for in advance on the table.

“First of all, I would like to ask for your understanding for not being able to reveal the author. There are some complicated circumstances.”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s important is the work.”

Walter took his time and looked at the canvas placed under the table. Soo-hyun opened the cover covering the canvas and turned the painting towards Walter.

“… … .”

For a long time Walter was silent.

“Hmm.”

He only lets out a muffled sound every now and then.

“Can I see some other pictures?”

And after a while.

Walter pointed to two paintings on the wall.

The face had lost its characteristic arrogant smile, calculating gaze, and exaggerated expression. Walter seemed genuinely curious about the other picture.

“Of course.”

Su-hyeon opened two more paintings.

“I heard that this painting is titled , this one is titled , and this one is titled .”

“Hoo.”

Walter frowned and looked at the three paintings.

“It has a very unique atmosphere.”

Finally Walter opened his mouth.

“Honestly, I thought Soohyun was the one giving the quiz.”

“Quiz?”

“I thought of it as a test for myself to see if I could properly appreciate the value of a painting or not.”

“No way.”

“Well, it’s not like it won’t work out. It would be difficult to just trust what I said last time and show me the picture and leave it to me. You need to check my eye and assess my ability.”

Walter nodded.

“Anyway, I nodded because I was confident I could guess who the painting belonged to, but I have no idea about this one.”

“You don’t know?”

“Ah, it’s not that it’s hard to evaluate, but it’s just that it’s hard to know who created it. Is it a painting by a completely unknown artist? Huh? Even so, it looks like the artist’s skills are quite good. Why is it that this kind of painting has been… .”

Walter ran a hand through his rough beard, lost in thought.

“The more I look at this painting, the more I find it fascinating. If I were to imagine, the artist who drew this probably isn’t American. The colors and style he uses mostly feel exotic. Judging from the way he densely layers up his touches, it seems like it took a very long time to complete the work. The fact that he maintained a calm atmosphere from beginning to end despite the considerable density means that the artist’s personality is also calm and patient. He might be a very timid person who prefers to hide rather than stand in front of people.”

Walter shrugged and threw out some guesses.

As Soo-hyun listened to that story, she thought of Whitney.

Although she was not American, her current work style and personality were far from Walter’s assessment.

however.

“But is this really all there is to the work?”

The next moment, Soo-Hyeon gained confidence from Walter’s words.

“The artist who painted this painting couldn’t possibly have broken his brush. Right? Unless he had passed away in an unexpected accident. It’s a bit strange that only three of these paintings remain.”

That matched the sense of alienation that Soo-hyeon felt exactly.

An artist who draws pictures like this can never stop drawing.

But if you can no longer find this artist’s paintings in the world, there are two possibilities.

The author has either passed away or is painting a completely different picture somewhere.

“If Walter thinks this piece is good, does that mean there will be demand for it when it hits the market?”

Su-hyeon finally brought up the matter.

“Of course. If it’s supported by proper marketing, it’s a picture that could get some kind of response. If there’s a sequel to it, it’ll be the icing on the cake.”

“Would Walter be able to help with the marketing or the response-building work?”

“yes?”

Walter blinked.

“I can’t reveal the artist’s name, but I’ll tell you a few things about him. Listen to it and decide for yourself whether or not this painting can be sold.”

Soo-hyun said with shining eyes.

***

“Harry!”

A Moment Foundation, Manhattan, New York.

Walter burst through the AMF office door and rushed in to find Harry, the CEO.

“What’s the matter, Walter? What’s with that stupid face? Did you meet a late Santa on your way here?”

“Santa? Haha. Maybe this could be considered a gift. Anyway, come here, Harry. I have something to tell you.”

Walter nodded toward the conference room and Harry shrugged and rose from his seat.

And after a while.

“This might be a bit risky.”

Harry shook his head after hearing the whole story.

“If you only look at the negative aspects, you could judge it that way. It’s a painting left by an unknown artist. It’s not on a scale that can be exhibited, so it can’t go through a gallery, and even if it were to be released on the secondary market, there’s no way to know whether the price of the work would go up or not.”

“Yes. As you know, works that dominate auctions have something in common. Prolificacy is an essential element that cannot be missed.”

“But our goal is not something so general.”

Walter shook his head and said.

“then?”

“The idea is to show off our skills to blue chip writers.”

“Our skills?”

“We declared that we would focus on discovering works by contemporary artists, but there is still a mixture of suspicion in the eyes of those who look at us. There is also a misunderstanding that we are a gathering of naive and ignorant new artists who are trying to hit them on the back of the head and take advantage of them. That is why there are many artists who are reluctant to contact us.”

Walter listed several writers whom Harry had failed to recruit.

Harry would frown and sigh softly every time.

“Stop hitting me. If you haven’t forgotten that I’m always being called a Jew who can’t get along with others even if I don’t do anything.”

“Haha. What I’m trying to say is, let’s create an event that will erase that doubt in one fell swoop.”

“how?”

“What if we discovered an unknown writer with a special narrative and made the value of his work known to the world?”

Walter unfolded the scenario he created based on the information he heard from Soo-hyeon.

“So a promising new writer had an unexpected accident? A massive fire broke out and most of his works were lost, leaving only three pieces… … .”

“That genius artist tried his best to recover, but he got to a point where he could no longer move his brush. In any case, he was an unfortunate genius! The only three paintings he left behind! I don’t know about the long term, but wouldn’t it be possible to attract attention in the New York art world in the short term?”

“It will be a difficult task, but if we succeed, the way other writers look at us will change.”

Harry’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“So our goal is not to continue to promote this work. Our goal is to show that if we put our mind to it, we can give a lot of attention to the work of an unknown artist. And.”

Walter swallowed hard.

“If we can pull this off, there are a couple of benefits for us. First, we’ll get to rebuild our reputation among new writers and get to interact with blue-chip writers.”

“Are you sure? Are you sure he’s not just a newbie, but a blue chip writer?”

“Do you remember Soo-hyun I told you about last time? I was promised that I would be introduced to that writer, Steve, and the other excellent writers around him.”

“Hoo.”

Harry’s eyes changed at the word promise.

He preferred a small but certain promise to a big but uncertain possibility.

“And this is a 50/50 chance.”

Walter trailed off and looked at Harry.

“What is it?”

“Maybe while we’re doing this marketing, a writer might show up.”

“The artist? So, the owner of that painting?”

“Yes. That unknown writer who is said to be in a slump and has not yet finished his rehabilitation may appear.”

“You, do you know who he is?”

“I don’t know that much. But.”

Walter whetted his appetite.

“How many artists would sit still while their paintings are exposed to the world and become famous? Unless they are truly dead or incapacitated.”

“her.”

“There was definitely a desire in that painting. It was a calm and composed painting, but it was a painting that was burning with a desire for success. If someone drew something like that, it would definitely show up. And if we do it well, it could be a new turning point and opportunity for him and for us.”

“I feel like you only see the positive side of things, just like I only see the negative side of things.”

Harry stared blankly at Walter and opened his mouth.

“It’s an attempt that won’t cause us much harm.”

“Then do you agree?”

“Let’s give it a try. If it gives us a chance to prove our skills and recruit blue-chip writers, I have no reason to turn it down.”

“Yeah, good idea! Good idea, Harry.”

Walter laughed cheerfully.

And a few days later, something happened that would make him and AMF a force to be reckoned with in the New York art world.