After dinner, the old lady chatted with Mr. Shi and Mr. Wang for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.
Zhang Junping and Huang Xue naturally followed the old lady back to school.
"How are you feeling today?" the old lady asked with a smile on the way.
"The harvest is very big!" Speaking of today's harvest, Zhang Junping was still a little excited.
"Oh? What's the harvest?"
"The biggest gain is getting to know Mr. Shi and Mr. Wang!"
"Yes, the fact that you have this awareness shows that you are very clear-headed!" The old lady nodded with satisfaction, "Works are very important, but people are equally important. The criteria for judging art works are idealistic. No matter how good the work is, it still needs someone to do it.
You have to wave the flag and make a name for yourself!
Not to mention the distant past, in recent modern history, is there really only a few great calligraphers and painters in China such as Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Huang Binhong, Fu Baoshi, Guan Shanyue, etc.?
There is one among the forty-five thousand people in China, one million or ten million, and there are more than just these!
Why do people remember and know only these seniors?
Of course, there are some seniors who are indifferent to fame and wealth, do not like the noise of the world, and only regard calligraphy and painting as hobbies to cultivate their sentiments. The greater part is because there is no publicity or they do not know how to publicize it, and in the end they can only be lost to the public."
Zhang Junping smiled understandingly, nodded and said nothing.
Huang Xue opened her mouth slightly, with a look of disbelief on her face.
What the old lady said was different from what they learned in class.
Completely two extremes.
"Don't say these things outside, we still have to emphasize the importance of the work!" Perhaps sensing Huang Xue's strangeness, the old lady smiled and said: "The reason why I tell you this is because Xiao Pingzi's level has reached.
Huang Yatou’s level is just a step away, so I know that these trivial things will not affect your progress!"
"Grandma Liu, I know that I won't talk nonsense!" Huang Xue hurriedly promised.
These words of the old lady can be described as golden words of wisdom.
It's not taught in schools. What schools always emphasize is the importance of works, and creating good works is the way to go.
The art industry can be said to be very cruel, and talent, hard work, and connections are all indispensable.
In the art world, mentorship is very important, because the master represents not only the inheritance of skills, but also the expansion of people's connections.
Generally, masters will remind their apprentices about the importance of personal connections when they start their apprenticeship. They will also recruit friends and introduce their apprentices to their own friends. This is actually paving the way for their apprentices.
Everything the old lady did today was to pave the way for Zhang Junping.
"Okay, as long as you know these things, you should study hard and create better works!" Finally, the old lady reminded me.
"Don't worry, Grandma Liu! Our main task at this stage is to improve our skills!
As for the connections, there are you and Master Yang!" Zhang Junping chuckled.
"You brat, you're relying on me!" The old lady scolded Zhang Junping for relying on her, but she was very happy in her heart, and the smile on her face never disappeared.
…
After the trip to the Cultural Relics Research Institute, Zhang Junping returned to his original busy and peaceful life.
I go to the furniture store every morning, have breakfast, process and make mortise and tenon structural models, and guide my elder brother-in-law and others to draw lines, cut materials, and process furniture parts. In the afternoon, I go back to the studio to continue studying ancient furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the meantime, I also guide Huang Xue in decorating the house.
The originally simple decoration was spoiled by a group of college students who were keen on artistic creation.
Zhang Junping really regrets hiring someone to decorate the school.
College students have ideas, but having too many ideas is sometimes not a good thing.
His design drawings were completely revised by a group of senior brothers and sisters, one idea at a time, one thought at a time.
Zhang Junping can understand those who have passion, ideas, and creativity. As long as the overall framework remains unchanged, Zhang Junping is willing to respect their opinions.
However, a week has passed and these brothers and sisters are still arguing endlessly with the design drawings.
Zhang Junping's design drawings were changed beyond recognition, and then they started fighting among themselves, and they really couldn't reach a consensus.
Zhang Junping couldn't tolerate it anymore, so he summoned several senior brothers and sisters who were involved in the decoration to the studio in the evening.
"Senior Brother Wu, Senior Brother Li, and Senior Sister Bai, as art students, each of you has your own understanding of beauty. This is normal.
But don’t forget, we are not asking you to engage in artistic creation now, nor is it a creative competition! We are just doing work-study, earning rewards through labor to improve our lives and subsidize our study expenses!
Look at you guys, we've been arguing for a week and we still haven't finalized it yet!
Sister Bai, I admit that the mural you designed is very artistic, but don’t you think it is too advanced and abstract?
Can the aesthetics of ordinary people accept such artistic creations?
And Brother Wu, your design is indeed beautiful and can be accepted by ordinary people, but this is a home interior decoration. How much space do you need for this space design? After you complete your design, there is still room to place furniture.
Aunt Lin, do they still have room to move around at home?" Zhang Junping suppressed his anger and commented on the weird designs of several senior brothers and sisters one by one.
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"If you don't have a better design, then follow mine!
Several senior brothers and sisters are older than me and have more social experience than me. They should have heard the saying that if you work hard without following the rules, it will be useless even if you are exhausted!"
"As I said before, your design is too bland and has no highlights at all!" Senior Brother Li directly denied it.
"Brother Li, the decoration style I designed is elegant and warm. This style matches the furniture I designed!
If you want to change it, I have no problem with it, but it can’t destroy the overall style!
Otherwise, what should I do if my furniture is incompatible with the decoration?"
"..." Although several senior brothers and sisters were not convinced, they gave Zhang Junping some face and did not continue to refute.
"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Wu, Senior Sister Bai... think about it, this is just an interior decoration, why should you be obsessed with your artistic creation?
Isn't it good for him to make money and then buy canvases, paints, and creative materials to create art according to his own ideas?"
"Will the ground be changed?" a senior sister named Lin asked.
This senior sister was the first to propose modifications. She thought the white tile floor designed by Zhang Junping was too plain, so she designed a floor paving plan herself.
The floor paving designed by Sister Lin is really beautiful, using ceramic tiles of different colors to create various patterns.
The assembly pattern also follows the overall design style, but it is too labor-intensive.
"Senior Sister Lin, regarding the ground, I still say the same thing. Aunt Lin has given me so much money, and she won't add another penny!
If you don’t mind spending more time, I have no objection!” Zhang Junping said with a smile.