Episode 71: Picky
“This is the painting the chairman of the association bought this time. How much did he pay for it… was it 50 million won?”
In the photo Ryu Junhee showed, there was a large tiger standing.
Bright golden eyes.
Luxurious stripes carved into its stiff fur.
A massive paw trampling a twisted pine tree.
The pine tree was uprooted, lying on the ground.
“Oh, it’s well drawn.”
Between the tiger’s growling mouth, sharp teeth were visible, and its eyebrows and whiskers twitched.
The painting was so realistically depicted that it seemed like the tiger might jump out of the frame at any moment.
It was a unique brush technique of oriental painting, drawing each hair one by one.
Kang Lim smiled slowly as he looked at the painting.
‘The chairman might become my fan. After all, I’ve spent years honing my skills in oriental painting.’
Seeing Kang Lim’s smirk, Ryu Junhee took a step back.
What a strange guy.
Usually, people get flustered when they find out someone’s taste is in oriental painting.
But he looked rather confident.
“…Do you know much about oriental painting? You don’t seem very surprised. It’s usually hard for those who base their work on western painting to match this taste.”
“I just stopped for a bit while preparing for college in my senior year of high school. I originally did it for a long time. Does this person also like oriental painting?”
Why did he choose oriental painting? It’s so far removed from contemporary art trends that most people avoid it.
Ryu Junhee still looked at Kang Lim curiously as he spoke.
“The chairman is famous for being an oriental painting collector. As you can see, he doesn’t have a good eye, but he likes old-fashioned images.”
“Indeed, why did he spend tens of millions of won on such a painting?”
“I think he just bought it because it’s well-drawn, and it’s also painted by the celebrity Kim Sucheol.”
“There are so many really good artist celebrities, but why…”
“Exactly.”
“But don’t rich people usually study a lot about art? This painting has no investment value at all; did he just buy it because he liked it?”
“There are many new rich people who suddenly got wealthy by buying land once.”
“…”
Kang Lim looked bitterly at the painting Ryu Junhee showed him.
The pine tree that should be in the top left was rolling at the bottom.
The paper is long vertically, and the tiger’s standing posture…
It was a blatant imitation of Kim Hongdo’s
‘It would have had some value if it were said to be a copy, but presenting it as his own work makes it look petty. With that level of depiction, he should create his own work instead of copying others.’
“Hyung, can I see other paintings besides this one?”
“There’s nothing to see. They’re all like this. They resemble the paintings of Joseon era artists that the Kansong Art Museum or Hoam Art Museum would collect. He seems to like the feeling of being a copycat.”
“Well, his taste is clear, so it’s convenient.”
“Yeah, it’s very definite.”
As they chatted, Kang Lim suddenly became curious.
What did Ryu Junhee, who only works with oil paintings, submit?
Since he is an artist himself, he wouldn’t have followed someone else’s work.
“What did you submit, Hyung, to win the prize?”
“I submitted a painting of plum blossoms. When it comes to Sagunja, it’s for old people.”
“Oh, it’s similar to your usual work since you always paint flowers.”
“True, so I guess it was comfortable for me. I have a similar painting in my studio; do you want to see it?”
“Wow, yes. I’m curious.”
Kang Lim followed Ryu Junhee.
Room 204, right next door, was Ryu Junhee’s residency room.
The studio was emptier than expected.
Seeing Kang Lim’s expression, Ryu Junhee laughed.
“Ha ha, are you surprised because there’s nothing here? This isn’t my only studio. I have one in Paris, one in New York, and one in Berlin. I only use this when I come to Korea. I sleep here when I don’t want to go home.”
“Ah…”
Ryu Junhee brought out the largest wrapped painting.
It was a 150-ho large work, over 2 meters wide.
“What size of work can you submit to the contest?”
“Between 60-ho and 120-ho.”
“Then paint it at 120-ho.”
“…Ha.”
“Bigger is better. The Grand Art Exhibition of Korea receives tens of thousands of submissions. Standing out is the key.”
When Ryu Junhee unwrapped the bubble wrap, red flowers blossomed across the canvas.
Intense magenta and dazzling opera pink.
Even the sporadic yellow pollen flying around was fantastic.
It wasn’t that the thin petals were drawn one by one but rather painted powerfully, as if shot with a paint gun.
The stamens, casually dotted among the red camellias, were full of life, and the branches rising from below divided the canvas.
The overlapping color fields matched well with the bold composition.
It had the intensity of a single brushstroke.
It made you feel the life force of the subject itself.
“Wow, it’s really in a different class.”
Kang Lim immediately understood why he was told to paint a large picture.
A large painting overwhelms people.
Especially a painting this colorful and free.
Kang Lim thought he hadn’t been to enough exhibitions.
This was on a completely different level from looking at kids’ paintings at school.
‘Ryu Junhee must have had various experiences traveling around the world… That scale will be reflected in his paintings.’
Ryu Junhee rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s an early work, so it’s embarrassing. Most of what’s left here are things I don’t even want to show publicly.”
“You say that, but you’re showing it…”
“Ahem.”
Ryu Junhee scratched his head. In fact, it was a painting he liked and kept personally.
“Of course, this painting is the starting point of my signature style.”
“This is my first time seeing such an impulsive and flashy work. It’s very decorative. I love the colors.”
“I didn’t show it to you to get compliments. Look closely at those branches; don’t they look like oriental painting?”
“Yes, it looks like it was drawn with ink in one stroke.”
“That brushstroke was influenced by preparing for this useless contest. I thought it would be fun to paint oil paintings like oriental paintings, and now I still do it.”
Kang Lim burst into laughter.
It was so typical of Ryu Junhee.
Indeed, one grows through working. Absolutely.
Ryu Junhee, also laughing as if he found himself ridiculous, said,
“Isn’t that why I was selected for the Korean Pavilion at the Biennale this time? Because I use oil paints in an oriental way.”
“Oh, is that so? Even if that wasn’t the reason, I think you’d have been chosen because it’s good.”
“Do your best too. You might discover something great. Even if others say it’s corrupt, if you’re confident, isn’t that cool?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s win the grand prize without lobbying.”
“Sounds good. Then I should go buy some materials.”
“Shall I give you a ride?”
“No, I’m meeting someone, so it’ll take a while.”
“Where?”
“Insadong.”
Kang Lim lightly greeted Ryu Junhee and ran off.
Watching his quickly disappearing back, Ryu Junhee tilted his head.
Is he really going to paint with oriental painting materials?
Exit 6 of Anguk Station.
Galleries sparkling with clean exteriors.
The cultural street selling cute souvenirs.
Cafes neatly decorated with Hangul signs…
Resisting all those temptations and entering a hidden alley.
There are many shops selling materials for framing oriental paintings.
No signs, and the shops look so shabby they seem gloomy.
But once inside, you’ll find traditional materials piled up densely.
‘Well, of course, the materials shop at Insadong’s main intersection sells the best…’
Song Jiwoon sighed as she worked on the accounting.
It’s already been 10 years since she started running this shop with her grandfather.
The boom in Insadong is long gone, and it doesn’t attract as many foreign tourists as it used to.
The only customers buying the shop’s goods are a few oriental painting students, graduate students, and oriental painting artists.
‘There aren’t any people, so why does Insadong still charge such high rent? Is it even reasonable for the rent to be 1.5 million won?’
Grandfather had told Song Jiwoon,
[You can forget everything else, but never forget how to overcharge customers.]
Ding-a-ling.
As the shop door opened with a bell ringing,
Song Jiwoon put on her business smile, remembering her grandfather’s words.
“Welcome!”
“Hello.”
As soon as he entered, Kang Lim checked the list of materials he needed to buy.
The materials he had been using since childhood were too old and needed to be replaced.
He had saved money from participating in contests and doing part-time jobs…
Now was the time to finally flex.
Investing in materials is essential for an artist.
‘As expected… It’s shabby, but inside, it’s really spacious.’
As Kang Lim looked around, Song Jiwoon followed closely.
He looks like a college freshman, perfect for overcharging.
“Are you looking for something specific, customer?”
“Ha ha, no.”
Is the grandfather not here… Kang Lim looked into the shop.
Grandfather Song Gijeong was the owner of this shop and the only private tutor Kang Lim had in his childhood.
He came out once a week to teach calligraphy and Sagunja at the community center.
‘It was only 50,000 won a month, but what I learned was invaluable… Did the owner change?’
Even though it was a familiar shop, a customer is still a customer.
Kang Lim wanted to look at the materials comfortably first.
“Oh, I’ll just look around by myself.”
“Sure, please feel free.”
Passing by the neatly displayed powdered pigments, he entered the corner where inkstones and inksticks were organized.
Though he said to look freely, the shop owner was still the owner.
Song Jiwoon followed closely behind Kang Lim.
“……”
Trying not to be conscious of it, Kang Lim squatted down to look at the inkstones.
There were two main types: a 7-inch inkstone that fit in his palm and a 12-inch inkstone the length of his forearm.
‘For a large work, the 12-inch would be better…’
The inkstones were beautifully carved with symbols like rocks, pine trees, turtles, and cranes.
But the important thing was the quality of the material itself, not the appearance.
Kang Lim decided to avoid the shiny inkstones and only looked at the dull ones.
Shiny inkstones coated with wax to make their colors stand out are of lower quality.
‘People might think these are more expensive…’
He picked up the heaviest-looking inkstone.
Inkstones are flat with a sloping inside.
The sloped part collects ink, and the flat part is where you grind the ink.
The flat part is called the ‘Mukdang,’ and if you touch it with your hand, it feels rough.
The inkstones sold in stationery stores don’t have this.
“That’s a very expensive and good inkstone! Try grinding some blue ink on it. It’s fantastic.”
Ink is generally black but is divided into purple-black and blue-black.
Sensitive artists buy different inksticks depending on the tone of the painting they want to create.
“This is blue ink, and it’s of excellent quality. I’ll give you a discount if you buy it together.”
“……”
Kang Lim took the inkstick handed to him by Song Jiwoon.
When he held it up to the fluorescent light and checked it, he saw fine cracks at the tip.
The lifespan of ink is about 15 years. If there are cracks, its life is over.
“This is old ink, so it’s the best for creating an atmospheric painting.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement. Such ink is used when copying old paintings.
But it’s not good for a new painting.
When the ink’s activity is low, the bleeding moves randomly.
It doesn’t produce rich tonal values, and the rough particles hinder brush movement.
Kang Lim sniffed the ink.
“It seems like dead ink, not old ink. It won’t absorb into the paper, and only the glue will spread.”
“What? No, it’s not that deteriorated.”
Returning the ink, he continued examining the inkstones.
“But that’s really a good inkstone. I brought it from China, where they call it the inkstone used by kings.”
“How much is it?”
“250,000 won. It’s the most expensive.”
“And the others are cheaper? I don’t care about the price, though.”
“Of course, the others are cheaper. Expensive isn’t just for nothing.”
Kang Lim scratched a line on the flat ‘Mukdang’ with his fingernail.
A white line appeared with a screech.
When he tried to rub it off, it didn’t come off easily.
This wasn’t about scratching the inkstone; his fingernail was worn down, leaving a white mark. An inkstone that leaves such marks isn’t good.
“The inkstone is too dry… What’s so good about it?”
He touched another inkstone next to it.
A faint fingerprint appeared and then disappeared.
Satisfied, he picked it up and blew on it.
As expected, the mark didn’t disappear easily. It was a moist inkstone.
‘It needs to be moist so water doesn’t soak in, preventing mold on the painting.’
Finally, he checked the bottom and top of the stone.
The back wasn’t rough, and the color was the same as the front.
This meant the same quality stone was used for both sides.
“This is good. You said it’s cheaper than 250,000 won, right? I’ll take this.”
What should I do? The customer is too knowledgeable.
Song Jiwoon’s face turned pale. That inkstone was actually 400,000 won.
Ten years of working in this business. Only seasoned artists who have done ink work for a long time would do what this young man was doing.
It was similar to pianists checking the minute tuning state of a piano.
“Please pack this. And give me any decent blue ink.”
As Kang Lim urged again, Song Jiwoon made a dumbfounded face.
Should she just tell the truth? Her heart was burning with anxiety.
Just then, a thunderous voice echoed.
“Hey, try deceiving a ghost instead! You should know who to overcharge!”
