Episode 115: Unexpected Situations
In a narrow alley adjacent to a remote village, farmers were eating potatoes.
Was it very hot? The black skin beneath their rolled-up sleeves glistened with resilience. It was a color that conveyed the primitive strength of the laborers.
Behind them, a golden field stretched out. It shimmered brilliantly, much like the bustling movement of a busy workplace.
The color of the wheat field, evenly spread with a knife, was simple and bold. It seemed the person who painted it didn’t hesitate for a moment in choosing the colors.
The field did not blur as it receded. It remained intense to the end. Like a massive wave approaching, it suddenly engulfed the viewer’s gaze.
“Do you see the field layered flatly without any shades or contrasts? It looks just like Katsushika Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa.’ To me, the field painted by Kang Lim felt like a gigantic tsunami.”
Fraser said this while looking at the making film camera, his eyes reflecting a nostalgic recollection as if he couldn’t forget the shooting day.
On that day, Fraser anticipated how Kang Lim would express a flat ukiyo-e with oil paint.
He was also curious about the method to reveal Gauguin’s unique primary color scheme, which influenced Fauvism artists like Matisse.
But to capture such a composition… he knew it would be done splendidly, but it exceeded his expectations once again.
“It was a scene where Gauguin was painting the view outside the window. In reality, there was nothing outside, and it was up to Kang Lim to decide what to paint. The only constraint was that the painting had to incorporate the majestic aspects of Gauguin’s early works. It had to contain the colors of the scorching Tahiti island and the flatness of oriental paintings simultaneously.”
Fraser demonstrated by contrasting the clothes worn by the laborers with the scenery.
“Look at the colors of the leaves and the field. They are as colorful as in autumn. But the rolled-up clothes of the laborers are short-sleeved. This means it’s summer. People who lack understanding of paintings might see this as a mixture of seasons. But that’s not the case.”
He showed Gauguin’s early work
“This is similar. It wasn’t painted incorrectly; it means subjective colors were used. It’s not that the trees have autumn leaves, but that the colors of trees and fields that don’t exist in the world were painted. It shows Gauguin’s unique coloring method. As seen in
Fraser pointed to a part of the painting with a very gratifying smile. They were small houses overlapping in the village.
“If you look at the overlapping houses, you can find traces of shadows described with clumsy brushstrokes. It clearly shows the potential to become a master, but it also shows that his own painting style hasn’t been fully established yet.”
Next, Fraser pointed to a mountaineer standing at the right corner.
He was far from the farmers but wasn’t drawn small. It’s as if perspective and depth were intentionally disregarded.
“The shabby traveler. This also has meaning. It matches the appearance of Courbet in <Hello, Courbet>. Courbet was a realist painter who said, ‘If you show me an angel, I’ll paint it.’ He didn’t want to paint a noble life but wanted to see reality. He also influenced many Impressionists.”
“Gauguin indeed painted <Hello, Gauguin> as a homage to Courbet’s work. Did Kang Lim also borrow it as an homage?”
Rachel, the making film producer, opened her mouth.
She seemed amazed as she had never seen Fraser so bright.
“No. It’s beyond an homage; it expresses confidence. It shows Gauguin’s character, who had a strong pride.”
“How so?”
“Gauguin declared that he would go beyond realism once again. He used colors that deviated from reality to express its depths. You could say he opened Symbolism.”
“Wow, I see. Kang Lim’s knowledge of art history is quite impressive. He showed the abstraction that Gauguin desired within the painting.”
“Indeed. This aligns with the parts that emphasize thought and spirituality in oriental paintings.”
Fraser smiled pleasantly. It had been a long time since he enjoyed an interview scene this much.
“Kang Lim is directing within the canvas. He vividly penetrates the painter’s life through the painting. This is truly astonishing.”
“What exactly does it mean that he’s directing?”
“It means he has excellent mise-en-scène. Every element in the painting embodies the flow of a movie and the characteristics of a character. Mise-en-scène means that every element appearing in the frame acts like an actor.”
“…That’s high praise! I also felt that Kang Lim understood the script well when I saw the first shoot with Mr. John Ford. Back then, he summarized the betrayal of the count in a sculpture.”
At Rachel’s words, Fraser shook his head, meaning there was no need to speak more of it.
“I was also impressed by that. Kang Lim surely plays a significant role in my film. His direction completes the details.”
“Wow, hearing this from the director about a stand-in actor, people will be genuinely surprised when this video is released.”
Rachel’s eyes widened at Fraser’s praise, but he answered in a matter-of-fact voice.
“No. I always think stand-in actors play a significant role. They also act like actors. Whether doing action scenes or drawing, understanding the character’s emotions is essential for creating good scenes.”
“Does that mean Kang Lim is also acting?”
“Yes. He accurately understands the script and reflects it in his work. In fact, Kang Lim’s gaze changes with each role. Not to mention his work.”
Fraser recalled Kang Lim’s expressions.
When sculpting the count, he was fully immersed in the protagonist Christian. Usually a klutz, his face showed seriousness when revealing his artistic ingenuity.
It was the same when he played Gauguin. His face fully displayed the joy of an artist inspired by a new painting.
“From now on, when shooting the making film, don’t miss filming Kang Lim’s cuts. You will see remarkable scenes.”
Rachel also observed Kang Lim’s uniqueness as she followed the shoot.
Making films are popular because you can see the unexpected situations on set as they are.
Usually, it’s good to follow the actors to make the editing fun.
But this time, the protagonist was the stand-in actor.
With Kang Lim, they could capture new scenes every time.
After finishing the shoot, Kang Lim entered the planning office.
He saw Seoyeon stretching and yawning.
It was just as busy on this side day and night.
Seoyeon greeted in a sleepy voice.
“Oh, you’re here? Good job today.”
“You too.”
“Hey, you had a shoot at dawn. But this script is really fun. I want to follow and see the set.”
“Were you reading that again?”
“Yeah.”
“…I’ll ask Director Charlotte. If it’s just you, you might be allowed on set. You can say you’re my manager.”
“Wow! Really?”
Seoyeon was reading Kang Lim’s script.
It was so interesting that she read it repeatedly. He worried that she might not find the movie fun when it was released if she read it all like that.
“The twist in the protagonist’s romance part is fun. I think people will be really surprised when they see it in the video.”
Seoyeon said, rubbing her lips with her index finger.
“Actually, there are many stories about a wife who falls in love with a pure young man because she’s tired of her violent husband. There are quite a few classical works where the protagonist likes an older wife.”
“That’s true. But the twist is that the countess’s son’s face looks exactly like the protagonist’s. The countess doesn’t know that.”
“Yeah. That’s the best part! The story gets really interesting when the protagonist pretends to be the count’s son. Since he has a family, he competes with Percy properly.”
“Right, at first, he collects paintings bit by bit, but as he gets richer, he fosters painters freely. That’s where the story gets rich.”
In the castle of Count Robert, where the protagonist Christian works, lives a beautiful countess.
In the vast castle, as spacious as the Versailles Palace, Christian, who worked only in the designated garden, fell in love at first sight with the countess, mistaking her for her younger sister who came to visit.
Later, upon realizing she was the countess, he tried to give up, but witnessed the count beating her and decided to rescue her.
“But how can he hit his wife for such a reason? Even if it’s a story, it makes me angry. I hate people who only insist on their own feelings.”
“Right. Watching that scene being filmed made me angrier. I almost started to dislike the actor.”
As Seoyeon said, the count was a person who only cared about himself.
He had been ruthlessly violent because his wife gave birth to a mentally disabled first son.
The count valued honor and dignity more than his life, so as soon as he noticed the child was a bit lacking, he confined him to another castle. It was to prevent any attachment.
The countess hadn’t seen her child for 15 years and lived in sorrow with her lovers.
But how long could they deceive the eyes of others?
Other nobles remembered the countess being pregnant and asked where the child was. They gossiped, asking if he was still studying abroad, saying he should now help with his father’s business.
When the count decided to treat the child as dead.
Like a twist of fate, Christian appeared.
Christian, who had the same face as the son, also had an excellent eye for art.
The Robert family was an art investment family with a vast collection. It was filled with incredible works from 16th-century Baroque paintings.
The count, who always competed with the rival Percy family.
The protagonist only pretended to be his son at first, but gradually gained the count’s trust by proving his abilities.
The count never dreamed that Christian was planning to run away with his wife and money.
“The script is fun, but the actors bring it to life. Mr. John Ford’s acting is no joke. He has to play both Christian and the mentally disabled son with the same face, but he becomes a completely different person.”
“Ah, come on. Now I’m curious. I want to see it.”
Seoyeon got up and made warm barley tea.
Kang Lim held the mug and warmed his cold body.
“Ha, still, I like it here the most. The set is often cold and boring with lots of waiting time.”
“Yeah. Rest for now and check what I’ve implemented with the planning team.”
“Thanks.”
Kang Lim took a sip of the barley tea and looked at the monitor Seoyeon had turned on.
It showed the effect of covering the entire exhibition hall wall with the black gouache color he painted as a background.
“I only experimented with a part of it, not the entire hall. If the light shines too close, the painting reflects the light and doesn’t look pitch black. So I attached the light at the highest part of the ceiling.”
“Good job. The soft light makes it look like you’re viewing the painting in space. It really looks like just the back is floating.”
Kang Lim nodded, looking into the screen. The black space felt much deeper than he thought.
“What about the other installation tools?”
“I handed over the design you drew to the production team. Once Isabel’s solo exhibition ends, it will be assembled in the hall.”
“Great, it’s perfect.”
“Really? Actually, I thought it would be better if the black was even darker.”
“No, this is enough. It’s a new experience when viewed with the naked eye.”
“Hmm… It’d be nice if there was a darker paint. One that doesn’t reflect light at all.”
Kang Lim laughed, looking at Seoyeon.
“Someday Vantablack will be commercialized. We’ll have another exhibition then. If this goes well, we might get invitations from other places.”
Seoyeon asked with wide eyes.
“Vantablack will be commercialized? Isn’t that used for aerospace research? I heard it’s really expensive.”
Vantablack is a new material developed by Surrey NanoSystems in the UK.
It absorbs 99.9% of light, so it doesn’t reflect on the surface and looks as dark as a black hole.
It absorbs not only visible light but also infrared light.
In short, it’s the blackest black in the world.
“Yeah, for now, we used matte gouache without gloss to simulate it by layering it several times. When it’s commercialized, we can repaint it over this.”
“…….”
Seoyeon stared at Kang Lim.
She found it fascinating how he spoke confidently about future events.
“Aren’t you a person from the future like the movie protagonist? You did this before too…….”
“…Me? Before?”
“Yeah, you said a non-smelling turpentine would be developed, and it really came out. Goosebumps!”
Seoyeon leaned forward, coming closer.
She blinked, looking into Kang Lim’s pitch-black eyes as if she couldn’t understand.
“What… why.”
“How did you know?”
“…Just a hunch.”
Kang Lim was flustered, and Seoyeon smiled broadly.
Her round eyes curled into crescent shapes.
“It’s really strange? Maybe I’ve watched too many time leap movies.”
