Episode 120: Puzzle
How long had it been since they entered the gallery with Frazer? Charlotte looked at her phone.
It wasn’t the Louvre, but it was the first time she had seen an exhibition popular enough to stay open until 9 PM.
Charlotte stood in place, observing the changing expressions of the audience.
Just how immersed were they? The way people reacted to the artwork varied greatly.
Twenty-four paintings were hung on the gallery walls, and the expressions of the depicted figures grew brighter over time.
People were curious about who the woman was and what had happened to her.
“Truly, the artist meticulously observed and captured one person… It’s hard to convey such intense and poignant emotions beyond realistic depiction. What an amazing artist.”
After viewing the entire exhibition, people returned to the piece they liked the most.
Frazer was no exception. He stood in front of the 12th series.
“Do you like this one? I prefer the works R.F. did when he was older over those he did as a child. They show a strong woman who appears bright despite harboring anxiety. The final piece feels like she has achieved complete freedom; it’s overwhelming.”
“…….”
“How could anyone express such feelings? And with such jubilant colors!”
Unlike the excited Charlotte who showered praises, Frazer was lost in the painting.
He continued to fixate on the 12th series and spoke.
“Ah… that was good too. In fact, all of them are great. All 24 pieces are masterpieces.”
The woman in Carter’s perspective appeared humble, perhaps even shabby. She sat down, staring blankly into space.
Light from outside the window crossed the narrow room.
A dry breeze followed the light, gently brushing the woman’s hair.
“The equinox, when day and night are of equal length… the autumnal equinox when water starts to dry up.”
Carter liked the way the artist metaphorically represented the woman’s emotions with the weather.
Loneliness and desolation were sensually rearranged in the composition.
“Charlotte… It’s fascinating that the woman’s appearance is so realistic, yet the interior setting is highly abstract.”
“Exactly. I was amazed by that too. Doesn’t it look like two different people drew it?”
The legs of the chair the woman sat on were precariously bent.
The edge of the desk was excessively sharp, and the grass drawn on the wallpaper was sharply pointed.
The sunflower placed by the window was withered, facing away from the sun. The distorted petals… everything was drawn to emphasize anxiety.
“Even the arranged props were used to reveal the woman’s psychology. Nothing is without meaning; it’s almost obsessive.”
“Haha, just like us. I also like the frame of the painting! Movies can’t attempt this kind of thing…”
“No, movies can also alter the frame itself. The aspect ratio of screens has changed over time.”
Charlotte pondered the history of film. Indeed, the aspect ratio of rectangular screens had changed.
“True. In 1932, the aspect ratio was 1.355:1, and as TVs became widespread, the horizontal width was expanded to 1.37:1 to provide a sense of immersion that couldn’t be felt at home.”
“The Cinemascope ratio was stretched to 2.35:1. Later, as CG and special filming techniques were used in movies, the horizontal width was reduced when TV couldn’t replicate it.”
“Right. If it’s too wide horizontally, you can’t achieve vertical aesthetics.”
Frazer laughed and said.
“Haha. There was a director who wanted to distinguish the era of the movie by using this frame ratio.”
“Wow… That’s a really sensitive attempt. Do you think R.F.’s frame has a meaning too?”
“I’m sure it does. He’s not an ordinary guy.”
Charlotte marveled at the parallelogram-shaped canvas she had never seen before.
It paradoxically looked both like an open window and uncomfortably narrow.
Frazer agreed with her observation.
“Usually, when depicting a lonely subject, they are drawn small on a wide screen. Often, they are looking out the window.”
“Like Edward Hopper, who painted modern city dwellers. R.F. did the opposite.”
“Right, R.F. placed the subject in a narrow space, making them look at the canvas wall, conveying a psychological suffocation.”
“I also liked the pieces where the subject made eye contact with the audience. It felt like an eerie SOS call.”
“Yes, he utilizes the subject’s gaze well, even extending it beyond the canvas.”
Frazer opened his notebook and recorded the props and composition contained in the painting.
Just as Edward Hopper’s work inspired directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Gustav Deutsch, there was much to learn from R.F.
“So, who is R.F.? A Chinese person? I heard Chinese people divide the 15 days of winter into three periods of 5 days each: early, middle, and late.”
“Korea also has distinct four seasons and is a country that subdivides the weather. And it’s hard to infer the artist’s nationality just from the content…”
Frazer, answering Charlotte’s question, suddenly froze.
In that moment, Martin’s words to him flashed through his mind.
[Kang Lim mimics every action of the actor.
It’s as if he remembers every frame that passes by in a second.
He replicates the actor’s actions in sequence, like replaying them with a projector.]
Frazer cautiously moved his steps. His body trembled slightly.
He returned to the entrance of the exhibition and re-read the prologue.
“R.F. gained perfect memory ability after witnessing a murder in childhood…”
Fragments of memory once again stirred Frazer’s mind.
R.F.’s paintings, where realistic depiction and abstraction coexisted. Kang Lim’s paintings harmoniously combined the contrasting elements of lines and colors. The two pieces overlapped.
Kang Lim, too, was someone who connected two worlds.
[Director, you once said Kang Lim directed on canvas.
It was the same in the video. Look at the details of the scenes he directed.
He concretizes every scenario, from the sound and lighting on the screen to the actions and gazes of the characters.
He even catches the time happening outside the screen.]
“The meticulousness that assigns meaning to everything on the screen reveals the character’s inner psychology…”
Frazer felt a thrill like being struck by lightning.
He looked around with a dazed expression.
Charlotte worried, seeing his crazed look.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
“…Where did Kang Lim go?”
“We were watching for too long, so he left first. The staff told us to look freely and leave.”
Frazer put a hand on his forehead and sighed.
A wry laugh escaped his mouth.
“Ha… haha. We were all fooled. We were all blind men…”
A few days later, time passed quickly.
Kang Lim visited the shooting site today as well and got used to the making film crew following him.
“Scene 153. In front of Rouen Cathedral-!”
As the slate clapped, a new scene began.
Today’s role was Monet, and Jang played his son.
The boy still had short legs, so he had to take three steps for every step Kang Lim took.
Monet always wore a clean suit with a shirt adorned with the finest lace, carrying a wooden box with his materials.
Even without money, he always did so. He cared greatly about social prestige and had considerable pride as a painter.
[When moving, the camera captures a low angle. To the son, he seemed like a towering, proud father.
Also, following the character’s back makes it feel more realistic. It gives the audience a sense of moving along.]
Frazer thought of the notes in Kang Lim’s notebook as he filmed.
It was a record showing solid basics and meticulousness.
“The sun will rise soon…”
Kang Lim stood in front of Rouen Cathedral.
He set up a lightweight wooden easel and took out his brush, paint, and palette.
The child actor sat beside him, his bright eyes shining.
It was hard to tell if it was acting or genuine excitement.
Of course, there were many onlookers behind the shooting site too.
The set was crowded with all kinds of staff and actors.
Especially the actors who came to watch even when they had no scenes to shoot. It was a curious phenomenon.
Kang Lim’s painting scenes were that interesting.
“He’s quite the mood maker on set…”
Kang Lim patted the child actor’s head.
He was proud of how the boy seemed despite the early morning shoot.
A light fog rose in front of the two.
Kang Lim read a letter and then, with a slightly angry face, quickly moved the easel.
The camera’s direction also shifted from the front of Rouen Cathedral to the side.
[This scene shows Monet reluctantly accepting a commission from Christian to make money. Monet’s picky personality should be highlighted.
Usually, when asked to paint a cathedral, people expect a religious painting. They depicted the architectural style grandly. That’s how cathedrals were recorded in art history.
But Monet, as if to spite Christian, rejects traditional styles. This point should be emphasized.]
Frazer moved the camera to reflect Kang Lim’s thoughts.
As the camera moved, the pointed roofs characteristic of Gothic architecture were cut off one by one.
Only the slanted entrance of the cathedral remained, emphasizing a unique composition.
Camera 2 was filming Kang Lim’s canvas.
He had already finished sketching and dipped his brush in paint.
[To give the screen a vibrant feel, color the shadows in the scene like the colors Monet used in his paintings.
Add cyan to the darker shadow parts and orange to the lighter parts to create complementary relationships.
This separates the character from the background, making it easier to focus on his actions.]
The camera zoomed in on the colors squeezed onto the palette.
Cobalt, peacock blue, violet, ivory… small amounts of vermilion were placed in order.
Kang Lim observed the cathedral and applied the colors.
The colors mixed on the palette, but even faster on the canvas.
The bluish, moist mist spread out.
The shadows of the cathedral were filled with strange colors.
The child actor’s mouth opened wider and wider as he watched.
It was the moment he realized that shadows also had colors.
Soon, the sun began to rise from the top of the cathedral.
A crucial moment. The camera captured the point where the sunlight met Kang Lim’s hand.
Vermilion and white mixed appropriately to transform into sunlight.
Kang Lim’s hand moved so quickly that it didn’t even seem fast.
The brilliant sunlight turned the cathedral’s outer wall yellow.
The cold stone building seemed to melt little by little.
The massive weight of the cathedral was newly depicted with each brushstroke.
Kang Lim’s touch was so delicate that it expressed even the humidity felt in the atmosphere.
He continuously produced multiple pieces of the
He showed how colors changed with the light.
“Cut-!”
After completing the painting, cheers erupted from all around.
After finishing the shoot, Frazer smiled as he looked at Kang Lim.
He thought of the R.F. paintings he saw over the weekend.
How many people could capture the weather so precisely?
Now all the pieces of the puzzle fit, and he could be sure of Kang Lim’s existence.
The likelihood of a genius with excellent observational skills appearing at the same time and place was almost nil.
“Perhaps Kang Lim might make Carter realize what he’s been missing…”
Kang Lim was surrounded by actors.
“Live painting like this is no big deal now, right?”
“Kang Lim, I heard you’re good at directing films too?”
He heard all sorts of things. Rumors spread fast.
Kang Lim roughly smiled at Rachel, who was filming the making film.
When he turned around, Frazer was still staring at him.
His gaze was unusual. When Kang Lim tilted his head, Frazer’s satisfied expression was even more strange.
Why, when a mean person shows a kind face, isn’t it scary?
“…Was my notebook not much help?”
When he was thinking that, the art team staff ran to Kang Lim.
They wildly shoved their phones at him.
“Kang Lim! Look at this. Why didn’t you tell us!”
“…About what?”
“You were colleagues with R.F. Why did you hide it?”
“R.F.’s second solo exhibition is being held at Heyum Art Museum, which you’re affiliated with!”
“That art museum must be really good. Are you going to hold a solo exhibition right after R.F.’s exhibition?”
Kang Lim shook his head at the barrage of questions.
There were too many clueless people here.
Frazer put his thick hand on Kang Lim’s shoulder.
When did he come next to him… The weight felt heavy.
“Let’s go see that exhibition again.”
