Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 198:

It was amazing, really amazing!

I told my grandfather and Bang Taeho about the Breakthrough project that Henri Marso was working on.

Cha Si-hyun was so excited that he used his hands and feet to explain.

He actually implemented the tilt canvas. How did he come up with that idea?

Bang Taeho muttered.

He seemed to know about the tilt canvas already, as he had been in the art world for a long time.

But he shook his head as if he couldnt believe it. It must have been as unbelievable to him as it was to me, Cha Si-hyun, and Blanche Fabre.

Its not finished yet. Thats why its only possible in Marsos studio for now.

Hmm.

He asked me to stay here and give feedback. He said he would reflect the features that I need to the developers.

My grandfather looked thoughtful.

He had been looking for a better environment for me to do art, and Paris was one of the candidates.

He had waited for me to adapt to a more stable environment when I lost my memory, but now that I had regained it, there shouldnt be a big problem.

I dont think its something to decide hastily.

Bang Taeho spoke instead of my grandfather. He turned his head and shared his thoughts.

Its a remarkable thing, but Im not sure if it will sell in the art market.

Why?

Cha Si-hyun asked.

There are many ways to make money. Among them, the sales revenue is a big factor. But it melts with just body heat, right?

Yes.

There will be restrictions on the storage method as well. Will collectors be willing to buy the work if they have to deal with a difficult storage system?

It would be a burden for anyone who wasnt a large-scale museum.

Even if it wasnt a object drawn with Breakthrough, there were plenty of works.

The only reason to collect it was that it was a new method and Henri Marsos work.

Even if that was enough value, would other artists works be able to gain value?

Other artists works using Breakthrough might not have much value.

If there was a work using Breakthrough, it would be Henri Marsos, so the advantage of a new method would disappear.

There would be no innovation or novelty, and it wouldnt be different from a canvas. There would be no reason to buy something that was hard to store.

Henri Marsos Breakthrough was the most likely to have value.

I dont have any scientific knowledge, so I dont know, but I wonder if its really possible. And its still in development, right?

At first, I thought that Breakthrough would happen as Marso named it, but after hearing Bang Taehos words, I realized that there was a lot to consider.

I think it would be better to solidify your image rather than focus on new technology, considering the effects of the Whitney Biennale and the Art Nouveau Competition.

Henri Marso might be able to pull it off, but Bang Taeho seemed to think that it was risky to go along with him.

If my style had been more solid, the situation of the Art Nouveau Competition could have been different.

When TV first came out, everyone called it an idiot box.

My grandfather said.

When they sat in front of the TV all day, the adults who were not familiar with TV were worried that the kids would become stupid.

I still dont know what hes trying to say.

But after 10 years, 20 years, everyone wanted to be on TV. There were people who wanted to make TV programs, and many people achieved their dreams that way.

Yes.

It was the same when computers came out. Now there are fewer people like that, but when they first came out, they even resisted making simple documents on computers.

Its convenient.

Right. A convenient technology came out, but they couldnt accept it. They said it was easier to read reports written by hand than to use something difficult like Excel. But look at it now. You cant do anything at college without Excel.

Bang Taeho, Cha Si-hyun, and I all focused on my grandfathers story.

Games are the same. They said that playing games would make people violent, that brain cells would die, but it turned out that it actually helped brain development.

I think I have a little idea of what my grandfather wants to say.

Professional gamers are now fully established as a profession, right? Grandfather doesnt know, but there are experts who analyze and manage game teams. If they can find their dreams and live their lives with that, I dont know if I can say thats bad.

Yes.

New technologies and cultures always face opposition. They look like horrible things to the eyes of people who are used to a world without them. TV was like that to Hoons great-grandfather, and smartphones were like that to grandfather.

My grandfather took out his smartphone.

But in the end, great-grandfather watched TV until he died, and grandfather is using this smartphone. Once you know, theres nothing more convenient, but you dont know, so you reject it. Thats how generational conflicts arise.

Grandfather thinks that if Hoon wants to use it to draw, he can do whatever he wants. You never know. What seems impossible now might be a normal thing in 10 years.

Yes.

Then maybe youll have a very small good thing happen to you, because you adapted faster than anyone else.

My grandfather might have such an open mind because of what happened with my father.

A small wish.

He had a fight with his son because he wanted him to walk the same path as him.

After that day, the two of them never met again.

Does my grandfather know?

My father didnt do Korean painting as my grandfather wanted, but he followed my grandfathers work style.

Whether he knows it or not, my grandfather must be blaming himself for fighting with his son.

What do you think, Hoon?

My grandfather asked me.

Its fun.

Hmm.

Actually, I didnt think of it as a big deal. To me, Picassos paintings and Breakthrough are the same.

They both stimulate parts that I never imagined or thought of.

Like Lautrec, Klimt, or Picasso, Breakthrough is also a new thing that inspires me.

My grandfather smiled.

Lets take our time to find a place to live. Or you can take the house where you lived with your mom and dad and live there.

Yes.

***

How was it?

Why. Wasnt it fun?

Meanwhile.

Blanche Fabre was shocked and troubled by the new technology that Henri Marso showed her.

She had a lot of things to say to him, as she had been looking forward to meeting him, but when she saw him in front of her, her mind went blank and she couldnt say anything she had prepared.

Moreover, after experiencing the Breakthrough project, she couldnt think of anything else.

Blanche, who had been ostracized for a long time, was envious of him, who was loved by everyone for his independent and solitary personality.

She wanted to be like him, or at least be recognized by him.

She was proud of herself for not wasting a single moment and working harder than anyone else.

She thought she was getting closer to him as the critics noticed her, the media covered her, and she won awards in various competitions.

But recently, some events made her anxious that catching up with Henri Marso might be impossible.

The Antermittang system reform and Breakthrough were proof that he was not an ordinary artist.

He was representing the era and creating a new world as he had declared.

When he first filled the Paris station history with his self-portraits, the critics and the public treated him like a madman.

But now he was revered as a hero of the French art world and was about to rewrite the history of painting in the near future.

Today, he only talked to Ko Hun.

He had met her eyes a few times, but she felt no emotion in his gaze.

She realized that she couldnt get into his sight even by performing well in the Art Nouveau Competition, where many masters gathered.

Blanche clenched her fists.

She was furious.

She was so frustrated by the reality that she couldnt speak properly in front of him, and that she wasnt even his interest.

Dad.

Yes?

Ill work hard.

Blanche bit her lip and held back her tears.

Her father, Leon Fabre, sighed softly as he looked at his tender-hearted daughter.

Ill work really hard.

He felt sorry for his daughter, who was putting up thorns because she didnt want to get hurt, and he wanted to cheer her up more.

Youre doing well now.

Leon Fabre wanted to hug his daughter tightly, but he knew that she was too proud to accept his comfort, so he smiled.

How was Ko Hun?

He changed the subject and Blanche wiped her tears and spoke.

She tried to loosen her tight voice.

He was cute.

Cute?

He talked about butterflies and he knew how caterpillars become butterflies.

He must have been interested in them before.

Yes. We agreed to exchange books later.

He wrote a book too?

Blanche nodded.

Leon Fabre was glad that his daughter had made a friend with the same hobby, even though she had a hard time.

When are you going to see him?

He wanted to do a small favor for Ko Hun and Kim Ji-woo, the reporter who had taken Blanche home when she was lost today.

Blanche blinked.

We didnt make a promise.

No?

Ill ask him later.

I dont know his contact.

You didnt ask for his phone number?

Thats personal information.

Leon Fabre silently stroked his daughters hair.

***

You met Marso?

-Yes.

When? After I left?

-He contacted me right away.

What, what did you do?

-We ate pizza.

It must have been delicious.

-Yes. And I saw what Marso was preparing. You should have seen it too.

Huh? What was he preparing?

-Its a secret. Im watching a drama, so Ill hang up. Ill tell you later.

Hey, wait a minute. Cant you give me a hint?

-No. He said its a secret.

Just a little bit. Hello? Hoon, Hoon!

She shouted desperately, but only the sound of the call being cut off was cruelly ringing.

Aaaaaah!

Kim Ji-woo buried her face in the bed and flailed.

She had hurriedly written an article after finding out that Ko Hun was the protagonist of .

She had a clue from the fact that Pierre Malo had made a frame for Ko Hun and that the only works that had received Pierre Malos frames so far were and .

But it was not clear that Pierre Malo had made frames for only two people, so she had been watching the situation.

The two hottest people in the art world right now.

Henri Marso and Ko Hun.

The two artists were competing for the top spot without revealing their names, and so far they had been the only ones recognized by Pierre Malo.

She couldnt resist knowing this story.

But why did they go to Marsos mansion right then!

The problem was that Ko Hun and Blanche had been invited to Henri Marsos mansion after she had moved quickly.

She regretted missing the meeting of the young artist who symbolized the future and the master who represented the era.

Desperate Kim Ji-woo lifted her head.

She was very curious about what Henri Marso was preparing, but she had to finish the manuscript she was writing.

There were only two days left for the Art Nouveau Competition.

She had to hurry to meet the closing ceremony.