Episode 107: The Famous Stranger
After a grueling filming session, art director Charlotte entered the conference room with assistant director Martin.
Her body frozen from the cold weather, Charlotte sank into the cozy sofa, basking in the warm sunlight.
As the warmth from the heater enveloped her, her auburn hair gently cascaded down.
“Haa…”
With her tension easing, her once-tense muscles rejoiced.
There were so many variables in on-site filming. The small joys that came from busy days were moments like these.
“Phew…”
Martin, too, leaned back silently. As he exhaled deeply, his chair sank deeply.
Just as he thought that if he closed his eyes now, it might already be morning when he opened them, Charlotte’s languid voice broke the silence.
“Exhausting, isn’t it? But compared to persuading investors, this is heaven.”
“Absolutely. It’s all thanks to director Fraser that we can work in such a good environment.”
“You’re not just saying that because I’m here, right?”
“Haha. Of course not. Besides, the staff salaries are quite high.”
Art director Charlotte was married to the chief director Fraser.
She had worked alongside assistant director Martin and Fraser’s assistant for a long time.
Martin respected the two as his mentors.
The props Charlotte created, the scenes Fraser directed… At times, he thought they were too meticulous, but when he saw the edited final movie, he realized it was worth it. Each shot combined to create beautiful mise-en-scène.
Martin also wanted to become a director like Fraser.
‘This is my first project being credited as an assistant director, so it must succeed. Only then can I shoot my own works independently and debut properly.’
As if reading Martin’s mind, Charlotte spoke.
“Martin, it would be great for your career if this movie does well.”
“Of course.”
“…Even if it doesn’t go well, don’t bury the script you wrote. Try submitting it elsewhere… You would have done well even without learning through apprenticeship, you graduated from a good university.”
“Heh… The fieldwork is different. I’ve learned a lot here, which is why I can direct. Do you have any concerns?”
Charlotte pressed her temples with her long fingers.
“It’s because of the painters I selected. They can’t produce the paintings Fraser wants on-site. I feel sorry because Fraser trusted me completely and left the audition to me… Conversely, I also feel sorry for the painters when Fraser gets mad. It’s tough on both sides… It’s my first time experiencing this.”
“Well, there was quite a bit of friction during this week’s shoot. But, isn’t this level of difficulty common in movie production? I understand the director’s position. Just like how a stunt actor’s action performance is crucial for a great scene, the painters’ performance is vital for an art film.”
“Hmm…”
“We provided everything, from coal smell and smoke effects to the complete train station set. The only thing missing was the train.”
Monet’s paintings aren’t about realism. It’s about the color of light and the ambiance of the scene.
Even in “Saint-Lazare Station,” the train’s shape isn’t clearly visible due to the smoke.
Martin thought it would be possible if they practiced while looking at the original painting.
Charlotte shook her head.
“Catching the color scheme isn’t that easy. Fraser is very particular… No, I should have focused more on live drawing skills than portfolios during the auditions.”
“Well… How about going to the prop room and talking with the artists? If you boost their morale, good works will come out.”
“What should I say?”
“When they only receive the script, it’s hard to imagine how the screen will look. Even actors are surprised when they see the movie. It was the same for me back then.”
“True.”
“If you explain why you keep repeating certain shots for a particular direction, the painters will understand.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Martin spoke in a gentle voice.
“Director Fraser rarely gets angry. He gives minimal feedback because a tense atmosphere on set affects the actors’ performances.”
“Right. I think he’s more sensitive because this project is based on a scenario he has been planning since childhood. He kept postponing it, wanting to make it when he could get more investment…”
Charlotte had a sad expression thinking about Fraser.
Seeing him revise the script recently because some directions didn’t come out well broke her heart.
“Degas would be tougher than Monet… Isn’t it better to edit it in a montage style? He would get mad if I said that.”
Monet and Degas played crucial roles in the story, which troubled her particularly.
While Charlotte was deep in thought, Martin clapped his hands as if he had a good idea.
“Oh! Right. Do you know about the artist R.F?”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s the one who recently found a new Da Vinci Code. It’s a hot topic these days. How could you not know?”
“I’ve been too busy lately.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Anyway, he recreated the Last Supper exactly without using perspective.”
“…What? Is that even possible?”
Charlotte looked as if she had been struck by lightning.
Suddenly, she thought this person might be the solution.
“That’s what I mean. How can such a person exist?”
“Can you find out where his studio is? I’d love for him to participate in our movie…”
“Oh, if I could, that would be great. But he uses an alias and never reveals his face, just like Banksy.”
“What… then why did you even mention it?”
“Haha. I was hoping we could find someone similar.”
Charlotte sighed as she looked out the window.
Snow was falling.
They say that if you take a tour around Paris, you can see the entire history of Western art.
From ancient times to Renaissance art until 1848, the works are at the Louvre, and from Impressionist works until World War I in 1914, they are at the Orsay… So where are the works of contemporary artists from then until now?
At the Pompidou National Museum of Modern Art.
“Wow… It’s an honor to have my work displayed here. Even if it’s just for a preview exhibition.”
Kang Lim entered the Pompidou Center with Seoyeon.
The unique design that exposed the building’s skeleton was charming.
Even the internal pipes were all brightly colored.
[Christie’s January Preview Exhibition is held on the 4th floor in the planning room.]
The world-renowned auction house Christie’s is located in Manhattan, New York, and the Hong Kong Convention Center.
Usually, preview exhibitions are held nearby.
However, since the highlight of this auction was 19th-century French Impressionism, they decided to reveal the works at the modern art museum in Paris.
Thanks to this, Kang Lim was able to exhibit in a foreign national exhibition hall. This was quite lucky.
‘Well, when they held the auction with the theme “Japanese and Korean Art,” they held a preview exhibition at Shinsegae Department Store. It’s not particularly special, so I shouldn’t get too excited.’
Kang Lim walked through the crowd with a calm smile.
Seeing the crowded audience, it was hard to stay calm.
The audience was not gathered in the main exhibition hall but in a corner displaying works by new artists.
Everyone was holding Art Prestige magazines, and on the cover was an anonymous artist wearing a hood.
They were standing right behind him but didn’t recognize him… This was thrilling.
“Wow! So many people came to see the preview exhibition… It’s shocking.”
Seoyeon was excitedly taking pictures of the exhibition hall.
Just as the excitement started to build, suddenly, reporters swarmed in.
‘Why is that person here?’
Among the reporters, there was a familiar face.
A man with a short sports haircut and an incongruous bushy beard, William Carter.
A super-rich American known for his amber-colored eyes.
He famously poured 10 billion dollars into acquiring the luxury group LVM and currently showcases incredible marketing with the world’s best advertising company.
He’s also the owner of the Chelsea Gallery in New York and has always discovered artists with a keen eye.
Many top-tier artists in the world have been nurtured by him. They call it sitting on “Carter Money.”
Kang Lim pulled down his navy baseball cap and passed by Carter.
With the reporters’ attention focused on the collector, a chuckle escaped.
‘This is fun. He’s not here to buy, though.’
The works Carter collects are all shocking and provocative.
He likes artists who stand at the center of controversy, receiving both praise and criticism… He prefers uncomfortable and eerie works.
[Art has value when it makes a provocation that transcends norms], his philosophy is well-known.
Perhaps because of this taste, Carter dislikes paintings.
He thinks paintings are too tame and old-fashioned.
When Carter appeared, the crowd filling the exhibition hall amusingly parted.
Of course, some people didn’t know who he was, so Kang Lim’s painting area remained crowded.
Carter slowly approached the painting, and the reporters flashed their cameras.
A painting of size 40. He traveled all the way here just to see a piece that was 100x80cm.
Hence, the anticipation was even higher. He would be angry if it was a waste of time.
Carter sighed and opened his eyes after closing them.
Fortunately, his previous thoughts vanished like melting snow upon seeing the painting.
‘…I’ve never seen anything like this.’
<The Chef’s Dish>. As the title suggests, it was a painting of a dish set on a table.
The unique part was the texture and composition of the painting.
Usually, when painting with oils, different brush strokes are used to express texture.
Short and rough strokes for hair, and smooth strokes without any brush marks for glass.
By varying the expression of shadows and highlights on the surface, you naturally reveal the texture of the object.
However, this painting went a step further.
It used various materials that matched the texture of the painted objects, making it look like the real thing.
It felt like a collage where, instead of painting a leather bag, one would cut out leather and paste it.
‘How many different materials were used?’
Carter squinted his eyes.
The crème brûlée painted on the table first caught his attention.
A dessert in a cute cup.
A small metal spoon was stuck in it, and creamy custard oozed out from the gap.
‘The custard cream must have been done with oil pastels to give it that rich feel. But what’s that paint on the surface?’
The surface of the crème brûlée made with caramel and sugar sparkled where it was slightly scorched.
It was so well-expressed that one would want to break the surface with a sharp metallic object.
‘It’s a dry pigment, but the surface sparkles. Did they mix a medium into acrylic paint? No, you can’t paint like that with it…’
It was bisque, a glittering stone powder pigment, but Carter lacked knowledge of traditional pigments.
All he could recognize was the creamy custard.
Carter turned his gaze to the table.
The smooth wooden surface. It was a matte birch with no coating.
The warm ivory tone painted with white clay softly enveloped the entire painting.
‘The background color is nice. I don’t know what they used, but…’
In the middle of the table was a large porcelain bowl.
‘Why is this bowl protruding like a relief… Did they coat it with plaster? And only on the left side?’
Carter chuckled at his ridiculous guess.
If they had coated one side heavily with plaster, the surface would’ve already cracked.
There was no sign of such on this painting.
It felt like it was carved out of marble and then painted on top.
The thick and solid feel of the porcelain was entirely conveyed.
Around the left edge of the bowl was a rose bush pattern. It was a high-class dish commonly seen in hotels.
The content inside was what mattered. Various foods were mixed together.
The sight contrasted with the neatly placed crème brûlée, spoon, and fork on the side of the table.
The outside of the bowl was clean, but the inside was a mess.
‘I really don’t know how they did this…’
The mixed dishes didn’t look like dog food.
You could recognize each layer of food.
Like a Photoshop brush with reduced opacity, the food underneath was visible.
Clear consomme, cream-drenched chicken fricassee, and seasoned lobster thermidor…
The various dishes were delicately expressed like layers of croissants.
They were as transparent as the food left by a ghost.
Carter rubbed his eyes and leaned in closer to the painting.
Just as his pointed nose was about to touch it, the curator’s sharp voice rang out.
“Please step back! We’ll set up a guard line.”
The curator brought a metal pole with a red ribbon tied to it.
Setting up a line for a rookie artist’s painting. Normally, people would step back out of basic etiquette… This indicated the painting’s strong pull.
Carter slowly stepped back, observing the surroundings.
Just like him, the others found it hard to believe this was a hand-painted work and not a graphic.
“Why is the paint so transparent? Is it watercolor?”
“Other parts are opaque, but only the food in that bowl is like that?”
Kang Lim had backed the thick Korean paper twenty times, making it as hard as a canvas with gesso.
As a result, people didn’t realize the base was paper, allowing him to layer diluted mineral pigments.
Kang Lim mixed paint not on a palette but directly on the painting.
The diverse colors emerged from where the various dishes overlapped.
It was both beautiful and grotesque.
“…But don’t those foods look familiar? Like a course meal.”
“Oh! Right. That star-shaped pattern on the fleur de sel. It looks like that restaurant?”
“Could it be…”
As people speculated about the meaning of the painting, the curator reappeared.
“Please step aside. We will change the lighting.”
The curator climbed a ladder.
She turned off several lights around the painting and installed a strong spotlight on the left side.
As the light fixed on one spot, people started murmuring.
Carter also straightened up among the crowd, staring at the painting.
A soft exclamation escaped his lips.
Letters were subtly appearing on the painting.
[BE NOT INHOSPITABLE TO STRANGERS LEST THEY BE ANGELS IN DISGUISE]
‘Do not treat strangers poorly, for they might be angels in disguise.’
A well-known phrase from Shakespeare and Company.
It emphasized the spirit of tolerance in Paris.
