Episode 117: Inner Psychology
Carter admired the scenery of the filming set. The bustling movements of the people swept past his eyes.
The scenario that Frazer always discussed wanting to film was finally being realized… It was a refreshing feeling.
“Charlotte must have had a hard time… She had to create a set to match that picky guy’s taste.”
Carter chuckled at the old memories.
Unless the genius painters of the 19th century come back to life, I assured him that he wouldn’t be able to produce the scene he wanted.
Especially, I said it would be absolutely impossible to imitate Degas. He had the most precise drawing ability in the history of painting.
“Is that guy supposed to be Degas’ counterpart?”
Carter looked into Kang Lim’s face. He was a young man with soft black hair, straight eyebrows, and a clean impression.
He was curious about who would contradict his words, but he didn’t expect it to be such a young Asian man.
“His eyes are deep, and he has an atmosphere.”
He turned his gaze to the video village.
Frazer’s eyes were shining as if he had found the painter who could recreate the scene of his dreams.
The actors and staff on the set felt the same way.
You could tell just by the atmosphere of the filming site how much they trusted this young man.
People were recreating realistic scenes for Kang Lim. All eyes were cheering for him, and thanks to that, Carter’s expectations were rising even higher.
“But imitating Degas is difficult. Can he really capture the scene of people dancing in this large ballroom?”
The reason it’s hard to become Degas is not just because of observational skills.
He is the most mutant-like person in Western art history.
Western art history is largely divided into those who emphasize line and those who emphasize color.
David and Ingres emphasized clear forms and outlines of lines, being the successors of Classicism.
On the other hand, Delacroix and the Rubens school emphasized color and expressed strong emotions on the canvas.
Impressionism derived from the Romantic line that valued color.
If you look at the landscapes of Impressionist painters like Monet, you don’t see lines.
They broke down forms and dominated the canvas with color.
“But Degas was an exception.”
Degas belonged to Impressionism but valued lines.
In fact, the painter he respected was Ingres. He even drew his self-portrait in the same pose as Ingres’ self-portrait.
He constantly expressed his respect by drawing lines. He thought meticulous observation and drawing were the basics of painting.
So, while other Impressionist painters were observing outdoor light, he entered indoor spaces to draw the movements of dancers.
He wanted to capture the movements of living beings, not the colors of ever-changing light.
“The more surprising thing is that he didn’t ignore color either.”
Degas was an Impressionist in that he expressed moments, and he also handled the colors of luxurious indoor lighting well.
In short, he was a person who mixed two art styles. He was the first painter to connect classicism and modernity, like Beethoven in music.
Degas showed strict lines with the dynamic movement of the human body, while also adding vibrant colors to highlight liveliness and dynamism.
“Only someone who possesses both opposing traits can express Degas. He was at the center of a major current in art history.”
Someone who can embrace two worlds at the same time… Is Kang Lim really such an artist?
When Carter looked at the large canvas in front of him, the slate was struck.
“Scene 77-! Ballroom and Birthday!”
Kang Lim picked up a brush in front of the canvas.
Bright lights shone in the ballroom, and guests began to enter one by one.
Servants received the belongings of the nobles at the entrance. Most of them were gold-plated canes and feathered hats.
Of course, gentlemen did not take off their silk hats. They wore monocles even though they weren’t blind in one eye.
They boasted as they walked with their emaciated frock coats and sophisticated cuffs.
Ladies revealed their ample bosoms over tightly laced corsets. The voluminous crinoline skirts shaped by the waistband swayed.
As you passed by them, the scent of powder applied to their faces, ears, and necks wafted up.
Young ladies chatted while slightly covering their mouths with elaborate Spanish fans.
There was a rumor that the son of Count Robert had terrible burns on his face. It was said that he had been locked away because of his hideous skin.
At that moment, a young man of outstanding appearance walked through the crowd.
His dazzling appearance silenced the noisy mouths in an instant.
Click, click. Silence fell over the ballroom, and only the sound of Christian’s shoes echoed.
He climbed the stairs and stood in the middle of the platform.
When he declared that he was the son of Count Robert, the fans held by the ladies slightly lowered, revealing their gaping mouths.
The most surprised person was his rival, Percy. He dropped one of his cream-colored gloves and couldn’t believe his eyes.
The composition ascended steeply as it receded.
Christian looked down at the people from the central terrace.
He raised a champagne glass and smiled brilliantly.
This moment was the turning point of the movie, where the protagonist’s identity was reversed.
He now had to live as a member of the Robert family, not as Christian.
His grand entrance and handsome appearance were merely elements to hide his flaws.
He was still unfamiliar with erasing his identity. The gold trim on his clothes and the lace cuffs were cumbersome.
Christian watched the nobles from a distance.
The artificial lighting fell on their greasy hair.
The lively music and the movements of the dancing people scattered with quick brush strokes.
The noisy chatter was dizzying, and the smell of perfume stressed him out intensely.
As soon as he was reborn, he harbored a fear of extinction.
He was afraid that his true self, not born a noble, would be revealed.
He feared that he would be abandoned if the woman he loved found out the truth.
There was a pantomime dancer between Christian and the nobles.
The dancer’s ridiculous gestures suggested an invisible wall between them.
There was a large glass window behind Christian.
The reflection of his back in the window was infinitely fragile. It seemed dangerously close to melting away, swallowed by the color of the night sky.
The limbs of the dancing nobles were cut off between the open windows.
Only the empty shells, like fallen corpses, were left.
Kang Lim put down his brush in front of the canvas.
“Bravo!”
“Wow! This is truly insane.”
“It seems better than Degas’ painting…”
“They look like real living people.”
Rachel smiled as she showed the filmed making-of footage.
Rachel captured the moment when the staff cheered in unison after Kang Lim’s live painting was finished.
Charlotte shook her head. In the interview room, the painting created on set was placed in front of her.
Her body trembled slightly, still unable to believe it was completed.
“So this is why Kang Lim asked for a long horizontal canvas…”
Kang Lim depicted the events seen from Christian’s perspective.
The long take scene was too long to memorize, but he worked on it calmly as if it were nothing.
He unfolded the entire sequence on the canvas, following the camera’s movement.
Had he anticipated this direction beforehand? The paintings drawn in order on the long canvas matched perfectly with the scenes of the movie.
“…Wow! It was truly, truly amazing!”
Rachel began the interview with a flushed face. She too had never seen such a sight before in her life.
“This scene was the most dramatic sequence in the movie! Artist Kang Lim accurately depicted the liveliness of the ballroom. The subtle muscles of the characters and the lifelike movements, even the vibrant colors, make it a masterpiece that leaves you speechless.”
“Yes. This is truly unbelievable. He surpassed my expectations once again.”
Charlotte still seemed to hear the voices of the staff cheering on set.
“Not only the ballroom set but also the luxurious costumes of the nobles prepared by the director were perfectly implemented. Even the texture expression is excellent.”
“And that’s not all. The liveliness of the characters who are wary of the protagonist and those who admire him is all captured. More importantly, Christian’s psychology is so well expressed that it’s chilling.”
Charlotte pointed to the pantomime actor depicted in the painting.
At the time, parties invited opera singers or pantomime actors.
They were extras added for historical accuracy, but Kang Lim used them as important elements in the painting.
“This pantomime actor positioned between Christian and the nobles reveals the invisible wall between them. This composition is astonishing.”
“Wow, so it had that meaning? The actors must have been moving continuously, yet he intentionally painted them in that position.”
“That’s right. Kang Lim had to rearrange the stage using the given conditions. He captured the composition according to his creative intent.”
Charlotte pointed to the glass window reflecting the bustling ballroom.
“That glass window too. Just like a change in the key of a musical piece, it is depicted in completely different colors. The actual lively atmosphere of the ballroom disappears and instead sinks.”
“Yes! You can feel the anxiety and fear from Christian’s back.”
“Look at the flickering brush strokes. It shows the dark inner world of Christian, who has a vague identity.”
Rachel looked closely at the scenery depicted in the window.
Not only Christian but also the dancing people looked grotesque.
“The composition makes the figures’ bodies cut off through the slightly open window. It’s somewhat eerie!”
“Ah, that not only reveals Christian’s gloomy emotions but also is a characteristic of Degas.”
“A characteristic of Degas?”
“Yes, Degas captured momentary poses from odd angles. In many of his works, figures are cut off like snap photos. He showed excellent sense with unconventional compositions.”
“Wow. Director Frazer was right. Kang Lim not only expressed the flow of the movie but also didn’t miss the character of the painter who drew it.”
Charlotte laughed as she recalled the conversation she had with Kang Lim before. He had a unique interpretation of Degas.
“Haha. Yes. When you talk to Kang Lim, you can see how deeply he delves into the inner world of characters. He interprets the characters and breathes life into them.”
“For example, in what way?”
“Many scholars usually analyze Degas as a misogynist, but Kang Lim didn’t think so.”
Degas’ mother had an affair with his uncle and died early. The unhappy family relationship was a big trauma for Degas, and he remained single for life. In the movie, too, he appears as a villain with a nasty personality.
“Kang Lim interpreted Degas as someone under suppressed desire. He feared forming human relationships rather than hating women. His cynical attitude was ultimately self-defense.”
“Does Director Frazer interpret it that way too?”
“Yes, just as the movie’s protagonist has trauma from his previously pathetic life, Degas also has a wounded inner self. The two are in similar positions, so Degas was used as a painter to depict the protagonist’s inner world.”
“I see.”
“Also, Degas being abandoned by his mother reminds us that Christian’s face resembles the Countess’ son. It hints at precarious love and a tragic ending.”
“Wow… Kang Lim read all of the director’s intentions.”
Charlotte searched for Degas’ painting “The Ballet Class” and showed it.
“Yes, Degas painted ballerinas so much that it’s hard to call him a misogynist. He also genuinely helped poor dancers. In a letter to the opera house director, he wrote that he felt like the company members were his family.”
“The Ballet Class is like that too.”
“Yes, here you can see a man whose head is cut off, right? There was always a sponsor behind the stage.”
At that time, poor ballerinas were forced into prostitution. The bourgeois class sought after young teenage ballerinas, and Degas depicted such aspects of society too.
“He must have felt disillusioned with society itself. Although he distanced himself from women, it’s hard to call it hatred. Degas even told Mary Cassatt that she was a painter, not a woman, and made great efforts to include her in the art world. He must have had complex emotions, just like in Kang Lim’s painting.”
Charlotte pointed to the nobles depicted in the ballroom.
The cut-off figures were excessively glossy, like animal entrails.
“…The more you know, the more there is to learn. About Kang Lim’s works.”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s cut the tape here for now.”
“Sure.”
As Rachel organized the making-of footage, she looked back.
Where could William Carter, who appeared on the set earlier, be? There were so many things she was curious about.
