"Furthermore, artistic conception is the crux of painting. Without an artistic conception, it is useless no matter how intricate the painting is. The Dual Traversing Dragon is equivalent to splitting the painting into two, resulting in a crack in the artistic conception... Thus, even if this painting is completed perfectly, it will be difficult for it to reach the third level."
No matter how well the left and right hand complemented one another, the painting would still be split into two. The artistic conception of the painting would definitely be lacking.
"Showing off one's painting skills too much and losing sight of the purpose of the painting. Exaggerating!" After explaining, Master Yuanyu shook his head.
After the initial shock, his impression of Zhang Xuan didn't improve. Instead, it worsened.
Arrogant and rude, he made them wait until noon. Wanting to adjust his state of mind before painting, causing him to waste four to six hours. Not knowing the concept of time, he even showed off his painting skills, losing sight of the purpose of the painting. This is an unstable state of mind, an exaggeration to the extreme.
Without a peaceful heart when painting, all he wants to do is to impress others. No matter how skilled he is, what is the use of it? It is difficult for him to become a master of his generation.
"Brother Zhang is still young, it is normal for him to like to show off..."
Master Lu Chen understood the temper of his old friend. He didn't hide anything from him and spoke directly. Thus, he smiled bitterly.
It is normal for youngsters to like to show off their skills. After all, he can't be like them, who are about to enter the grave.
"Creating the best painting is to show off. The Dual Traversing Dragon is just a tool used by the craftsmen on the streets to mass produce paintings. If you don't change this habit, it will be difficult for you to achieve anything in your life!"
Master Yuanyu's tone wasn't polite at all.
"Er..."
Hearing his evaluation, Huang Yu and Lu Chen fell silent.
In terms of painting, they were definitely not as qualified as the elder before them, so they couldn't refute his words.
Just as Lu Chen was about to say something, Bai Xun's voice sounded.
"Look, they are starting to connect..."
Everyone turned their gazes over and saw that Zhang Xuan's brushes had already come together. The painting on the paper was also starting to connect.
"This... It's impossible to connect them!"
Taking a look, Huang Yu couldn't help but say.
The two paintings were about to be joined together, but the depth, style, and charm of the ink on both sides of the paper were not the same at all. Even the color was different. In this situation, even if the two paintings were successfully joined together, it would be two different styles and not one painting …
Half of the painting was bright while the other half was dark... Even if they were to be connected, it would still be a failure.
Could it be that he failed?
"I can't connect it …"
Master Lu Chen, who was intending to put in a few good words for Zhang Xuan, fell silent at this moment. His complexion didn't look too good either. Exerting force with his fingers, he broke a few strands of his beard without realizing it.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, based on his research in painting, he could clearly tell that the two paintings were completely different from one another. It was as if they were two different worlds, and it was impossible for them to be fused together. Could this young friend Zhang really be as exaggerated as Brother Yuan said?
Even though he had only met the other party once, the other party had been humble, prudent, and courteous. He didn't seem like such a person …
If that was the case, it would be difficult for him to achieve greater heights in the field of painting in the future...
"If it can't be connected, it would be a waste. To think that I would have waited an entire afternoon for such a thing..." Master Yuanyu shook his head in disappointment.
When Lu Chen spoke of Zhang Xuan's deeds, he still harbored great hopes for him. He thought that the other party was a young genius who could bring painting to greater heights. Only after witnessing it with his own eyes did he realize that the other party was just an exaggeration.
If he was incapable, he could have just painted peacefully. Yet, he chose to pretend to be an expert and use the Dual Traversing Dragon. Great, now that the two paintings are of different styles, it is impossible to connect them together. Let's see how you are going to get out of this situation.
To act cool, one must possess the ability to do so. Otherwise, one would only end up looking like a fool.
Clearly, this Zhang Xuan was the latter.
Sighing, he slowly closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the painting anymore.
It wasn't that he didn't want to look, but he was afraid that the other party would embarrass himself and he would be even more infuriated.
"Un?"
"No, this..."
"How is this possible?"
Just as he closed his eyes, exclamations of astonishment sounded by his ears, as if he had seen an unbelievable sight.
Frowning, he opened his eyes once more and saw Master Lu Chen, Huang Yu, and Bai Xun staring at the painting in front of them with dumbfounded expressions, as though they had seen a ghost.
"What's wrong? Even if it can't be connected, there shouldn't be a need for them to be so shocked... "
Perplexed, Master Yuanyu couldn't help but take a look as well. With a single glance, his eyes narrowed and his body swayed, stunned, "This... This... What is going on?"
He was dumbfounded as well.
Right in front of him, at the spot where the two paintings were connected, Zhang Xuan moved his brush lightly and a wall appeared. As though a barrier, it separated the two paintings into two parts.
The previous incompatibility between the two paintings didn't seem out of place under the partition of the wall. Instead, it felt as though they were in a completely different world.
"It's this small courtyard..."
Bai Xun couldn't help but exclaim.
At this moment, he realized that the painting in Zhang Xuan's left hand was the courtyard they were in. There were people painting and people commenting on the painting, creating a peaceful atmosphere. On the other hand, the painting in his right hand was of another courtyard. There were flowers and birds flying in the air. There were even various animals shuttling about, and the crisp chirping of cicadas gave the impression of a bustling utopia.
One side was filled with people while the other side was filled with animals. One side was filled with silence while the other side was filled with noise. These were two different environments and two different situations. Yet, under this wall, the incompatibility between the two sides merged into one, creating a sense of perfection.
"A stroke of genius, this is definitely a stroke of genius..."
Master Lu Chen couldn't stop trembling.
Just like Master Yuanyu, he also thought that Zhang Xuan's painting would be ruined. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the two contrasting scenes would be so harmonious under the same courtyard wall. The movement and stillness of the painting gave him a sense of beauty and enjoyment.
There was movement in the stillness, and stillness in the stillness.
It could be said that this wall was definitely a stroke of genius.
Separated by a wall, the quality of the painting immediately increased by more than one level.
"Incredible..."
Master Yuanyu pondered for a moment before spitting out these two words.
It was obvious that he hadn't expected this wall to be built.
If the artistic conception of the two sides of the wall were the same, it would be a failure.
"I have embarrassed myself!"
After the wall was finished, the entire painting was also completed. Zhang Xuan put down his brush and chuckled, "I'll have to invite you all over to appraise it!"
He had just learned how to paint, so he didn't know what to paint. Thus, he painted the courtyard they were in and the courtyard next to it.
"Let me take a look!"
Master Lu Chen walked over and lowered his head to look at the painting.
Huang Yu, Bai Xun, and the others followed closely behind.
Previously, they were too far away to see the painting clearly, so they weren't able to tell what it was initially. However, upon closer inspection, they couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
The scenery of the courtyard was vivid and lifelike, as though they had come to life. Under the interpretation of his brush, they floated on the paper, creating an extremely beautiful painting.
"How beautiful..."
Huang Yu couldn't help but praise, and her eyes lit up.
Even though he was painting with both hands, the details were impeccable. Even the tables and stools could be seen clearly. The expressions of everyone in the painting were imprinted on it, as though they were imprinted on it. The painting was indescribably beautiful.
"It's a pity..."
After looking at it for a moment, Master Yuanyu couldn't help but shake his head. Even Master Lu Chen by the side had a look of pity on his face.
"This painting is beautiful, what else is wrong with it?" Not knowing why they were sighing, Bai Xun couldn't help but ask.
To be honest, he couldn't tell what was wrong with this painting. However, he felt that it was on par with the previous two paintings.
"The workmanship of this painting is impeccable, and there isn't the slightest mistake. The colors and coordination... are all top-notch works. However, just like what I said previously, the fusion of left and right is overly focused on the details, resulting in a lack of artistic conception! Without artistic conception, it can only reach the second level, Spiritual Canvas. There's still a long way to go before reaching Infused Intentions! "
Master Lu Chen shook his head.
Painting can be divided into four realms, Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, and Breathtaking Verisimilitude.
Previously, Master Yuanyu and Master Lu Chen's paintings were of the third level, and they contained artistic conception within them. With a single glance, one would feel refreshed.
Even though Zhang Xuan's painting was exquisite, and there were no problems with its structure and layout, it was a pity that... it lacked such a feeling.
Without artistic conception, it could only reach the second level, Spiritual Canvas, and it couldn't be considered as a masterpiece.
"It's a pity. However, Little Brother Zhang is still young. When you reach our age, you'll be able to easily produce a painting of the third or even fourth level!"
Master Lu Chen consoled.
Even though Zhang Xuan hadn't reached the third level yet, he was still shocked.
After all, Zhang Xuan wasn't even twenty yet. For him to possess such profound painting skills at such a young age, even he was full of praises for him.
"Looks like you do have some talent!" Master Yuanyu nodded his head. He turned to look at Zhang Xuan and said with a reprimanding tone, "However, it's best for youngsters to keep a low profile!"
After the series of events, his impression of Zhang Xuan had worsened. However, this painting was indeed not bad. Other than the lack of artistic conception, he couldn't find any fault with it. It seemed like this fellow wasn't a scammer, and he was truly capable.
However, for him to be so arrogant and make them wait for so long, Master Yuanyu couldn't help but feel a little displeased.
"Keep a low profile?" Hearing the hidden meaning in the other party's words, Zhang Xuan knew that the other party must have gotten angry because he had dragged on for too long. Thus, he smiled awkwardly, "Yes, yes, I was the one who took too long. I apologize!"
"That's more like it!" Seeing the other party's good attitude, Master Yuanyu nodded his head in satisfaction. "You have a good foundation now. Train well and travel well. It won't be long before you are able to paint a painting of the third level. Don't waste your talent because of your arrogance!"
"Indeed. If you want to create a painting with artistic conception, you must first observe and gain a deeper understanding of the world around you!"
Master Lu Chen advised earnestly.
"I understand!"
Knowing that the other party meant well, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
"Alright then. Since we are done with the painting, the two of you can begin appraising it..." Seeing the other party accept the painting humbly, Lu Chen didn't say anything else. Just as he was about to let Huang Yu and Zhang Xuan continue with the examination, Bai Xun's astonished voice sounded once more.
"Wait a moment... Why do the people and birds in Master Zhang's painting... not have eyes?"
Previously, everyone was only looking at the layout and structure of the painting, so they didn't notice these details. At this moment, they realized that the people and birds in the painting didn't have eyes.
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