Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 219:

Chapter 219:

219

Between Art and Art (4)

[The relationship between the two masters leads to a disaster]

Henri Matisse and Damien Carter, who had been at odds with each other, had an argument at the SNBA Salon Award Ceremony on the afternoon of the 14th of 2028.

Henri Matisse criticized Damien Carter for participating in the Art Nouveau Competition, which had confirmed his victory in the Salon, and Damien Carter defended his choice as a way of respecting the spirit of the competition.

Henri Matisse then took issue with the fact that he had been promoting his own work in front of it since the opening day of the competition.

He further challenged him to a rematch, saying, Did you withdraw after gathering votes because you had no confidence in winning? and Damien Carter accepted, resulting in a contest between the two masters.

The art world was divided in its reaction.

Some artists, including Kohun, supported Henri Matisses point and sided with him.

On the other hand, Damien Carters supporters, including art critic James Litter, argued that Henri Matisse was overreacting.

The competition between the two masters was scheduled to take place in January 2029, not in Britain or France, but in another country.

The news of the competition between Henri Matisse and Damien Carter quickly became a hot topic.

Jay Jopling, who was checking the articles that were coming up one after another, slammed the table and got angry.

How the hell do they know!

Only a few people, including Jared Satchi and Jay Jopling, were related to .

He had kept it a secret, so he was afraid that the past would be revealed when Henri Matisse mentioned Sapphire.

Calm down.

Damien Carter lifted his teacup.

You know as well as I do that theres no evidence.

Jay Jopling looked around and sighed, then sat down on a chair.

Are you confident?

Well.

Jay Jopling was annoyed by Damien Carter, who was drinking tea leisurely.

Dont you know what will happen if you dont produce results?

He didnt need to beat Henri Matisse.

The problem was how many people would support Damien Carter in the choice between Henri Matisse and Damien Carter.

Both were popular figures, but Henri Matisse was famous for having a lot of fans.

If the difference in votes was serious, Damien Carters brand value would plummet.

He couldnt guarantee that the sponsors would continue to support Damien Carter.

I know.

Then why are you acting like this? You have to make something.

Jay Jopling clenched his fists.

Damien Carter put down his cup. He slowly and calmly raised his head and said.

Thats not like you.

Jay Jopling reacted nervously to his attitude, which was relaxed even in a serious situation.

What do you mean?

Is it important for me to make good works?

Of course it is.

Thats strange.

Jay Jopling narrowed his eyes.

Isnt it? The one who made me who I am today is saying that. I havent changed, then or now.

Huh.

Jay Jopling let out a long sigh.

Im not in the mood for word games right now. Everyone is anxious because of that bastard Matisse.

Thats what Im saying.

What?

If I lose gracefully, it will hurt the image Ive built up. Ive already been shaken by Matisse and Kohun.

Then you should do it right!

Jay Jopling shouted.

Damien Carter stared at him silently, and silence fell between the two.

Thats what I should say, Jay.

What?

Prepare well.

Jay Jopling jumped up.

He was furious at Damien Carters attitude, which seemed like it wasnt his business.

Its you who decided to enter the competition! You have to take responsibility for making this mess. What are you talking about!

I told you. Ive always been the same.

Damien Carter filled his teacup.

That means Im counting on you this time.

Why?

I couldnt understand why Damien and his patrons refused to sell their works to anyone else.

If they had sold them at high prices, it would have been a simple answer: they wanted to make money. But if they didnt sell them to anyone else, the problem became complicated.

And this.

Michel closed the document he had opened and opened a new one.

On the table, there was a list of museums and galleries that were exhibiting Damien Carters works, along with their titles.

The works that are on display right now are only 97 points.

Henri Marso frowned again.

He could somehow understand the unsold works being too expensive.

But Damien Carter was a famous artist whose works would have been requested by many places for exhibition.

It would have been beneficial for him as an artist to receive a generous rental fee, but he couldnt comprehend why the works on display were not even 100 points.

What about the rest?

Henri asked about the whereabouts of the remaining 1,263 works that were not on display. Michel shrugged his shoulders.

Do you think he has them?

No way.

It was not an easy task for an individual to store 1,263 works.

Especially for Damien Carter, who was an installation artist.

Even if he was economically affluent, he had no reason to keep his works in one place without exhibiting them.

Henri Marso himself operated a personal gallery to make profits by utilizing his many works.

I think Arsen should look into that.

Henri nodded.

As Michel pointed out, he needed to find out how the works that were not on display were being used.

It was illogical to keep them in a warehouse while spending a lot of money.

Henri Marso called Arsen.

Michel waited until Henri finished his call and opened his mouth when he put down his smartphone.

Dont take it lightly.

What?

Even if Damien Carter is an artificially created artist, it doesnt mean that the people who like him will disappear.

Michel didnt worry about anything else.

He had known his brash personality since he was young.

He didnt think that he had provoked Damien Carter at the award ceremony without any thought.

He believed that he had his own reasons.

He was just worried that he might think that the feelings of the people who followed Damien Carter were also false, because he doubted that he was a fabricated master.

He hoped that he wouldnt be complacent even if he won the popularity vote.

I know.

Henri Marso answered calmly.

He knew better than anyone how important publicity was, as he had bought all the billboards at the Paris station.

Damien Carter was a unique existence in that matter.

He couldnt ignore him.

He just had a clear reason to not forgive him. Henri Marso couldnt forgive him for using himself, Michel, and SNBA.

Michel nodded.

Dont make too many enemies. You said youre a Parisian, but Damien Carter is using those people as his allies. Its separate from what he did wrong, but hes gaining power, you know.

Michel didnt insist on making him join the same side, as he knew Henri well.

He was not the type to be nice to others, and he didnt think he needed to.

He was just sorry that he was creating obstacles for himself.

Henri Marso turned his head and looked at the on the screen.

Do you know why Van Gogh painted this?

Van Gogh, who was admitted to the Saint-Remy mental hospital, left 150 works.

He tried to regain his peace of mind by painting things he could find in the hospital, such as flowers, trees, and night sky.

Michel couldnt be unaware of that fact.

Henri listened to Michels explanation and shook his head.

Iris doesnt need butterflies or bees. It reproduces by bursting its fruits alone, without anyones help.

Henri looked at Michel in the eye.

Its a self-portrait of Van Gogh, who was isolated from his fellow artists and in a mental hospital, not even entering the mainstream of the art world.

Why do you think so?

Theres a white iris on the left, alone.

Michel turned his head.

"He drew himself in the iris field."1)

1)Iris (Iris), Vincent van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas.