The Versatile Master Artist-Chapter 76 - 68: Soulmate

"I now only offer digital versions of illustrations. Of course, the price can be relatively cheaper..."

Gu Weijing sat in the studio, with the computer connected to a printer and file folders.

He was discussing the client’s commission requirements online.

Every time he closed a deal, he would print out the client’s requirements or corresponding photo templates, attach the corresponding serial number, and prepare to use his skills to sort it categorically in batches.

The illustrator’s reputation is the business; Gu Weijing looked at the thick stack of file folders beside him and felt a certain sense of achievement from being acknowledged.

After some thought, he made a decision,

starting today,

all his orders would only offer digital versions of the illustrations.

This is the norm for online commissions; many painters only create digitally and don’t even have paper drafts.

By not providing physical versions of the illustrations, although it avoids the risk of the works being widely circulated, the collectible value will also diminish significantly.

At least, many trend-followers would no longer be willing to buy them.

But this isn’t a major issue.

After all, Gu Weijing’s user base was now too large for him to handle well alone, and he could not accept most commission requests.

After an initial screening, Gu Weijing kept about twenty order requests that could meet both parties’ requirements in a short period.

Most of these orders are not complicated.

A few were actually buyers from major top-tier part-time studios on Nutshell, with very active purchase records in the past three months. After "Mr. Hibernian" was exposed in a video, clients came to him with a mindset of commissioning.

Even the cheapest of these orders still only required a hundred and seventy US dollars.

Gu Weijing didn’t think anything of it, even though they were cheap. The requirements were very simple, and there was basically no possibility of not doing them well.

For example, there were four orders of very simple line-drawn portraits, and if planned well, they might take altogether just the time of a Menzel Skill session.

Compared to before, it was much more light-hearted and enjoyable.

After accepting this batch of orders, Gu Weijing estimated that he could complete a large portion of them this week.

Just as he took out his drawing pen, ready to embark on the second step of completing his professional mission chain.

A new message alert suddenly flashed on the computer screen.

He didn’t initially intend to pay attention to it.

However, he vaguely remembered this avatar belonged to a sloth, a user who had persistently messaged him several times.

The other party seemed very persistent.

This piqued Gu Weijing’s curiosity.

...

"Hello?—[Detective Cat]"

Seeing the new message alert flash on the computer, Anna finally exhaled a long breath of relief.

"Lady Detective Cat, until you fully understand the contract, make sure you never randomly accept gallery requests."

Her fingers danced quickly across the keyboard, immediately typing out a line.

"Uh, sorry. May I ask who you are?"

A few seconds later, a new message flashed on the screen.

[This is Anna Ilina, and I would like to become your personal art agent.]

Anna instinctively typed out this line on the keyboard.

Staring at that line, she hesitated for two seconds with her hand on the enter key.

"No... I can’t do this." She gritted her teeth, forcibly resisting the urge to send the information directly, then reluctantly deleted the line from the computer screen.

Anna indeed wanted to become the personal agent of Lady Detective Cat.

Although she could not be a great artist, Anna wanted to discover her Van Gogh, which had always been her biggest dream.

If she couldn’t possess the talent to become great, she would become a great adjutant, a companion in art.

Every successful artist has benefited from the help of a patron.

Like Count Montesquieu and Proust, Madam Pompadour and the president of the French Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Chief Painter Boucher, who brought Jean-Jacques Rousseau into Parisian high society through Madam Hua Lun...

Whenever people mention these great names and works, their sponsors who were intertwined with them throughout their lives, the discerning Bo Le, are the most indelible parts of these artist’s legendary stories.

Art is harder to erode than glory.

This was Ilina’s family motto, and it was also what Anna found most romantic.

If she truly found such a person.

Then, hundreds of years later in a museum, whenever people mention that great painter’s life, they would say, "Once, when this great painter was still obscure, a woman named Anna Ilina discovered their talent. She spent her life helping them, achieving them, they were companions on the path of art."

Is there anything more beautiful than this?

A true romance unrelated to lust, gender, or even seeing one another, just the throbbing of the soul and mutual connection.

She saw the potential in Detective Cat.

In classical society, a painter was most closely connected to their patron, like Anna’s Greek great-grandmother, an important art patron of the Pre-Raphaelites.

But in modern commercial art society, the sponsor and painter model has gradually faded away.

In its place is the mode of common interest between agent and painter.

A painter and her agent are the closest partners and comrades on the path of painting.

They share trials and triumphs alike.

The painter is responsible for achieving greatness in the realm of art, while the agent is tasked with paving the way for the artist’s career, opening markets for his work, handling work-related minutiae, negotiating art contracts...

Behind every successful painter, there isn’t necessarily a virtuous spouse, but there is definitely a virtuous art agent.

Nothing gets closer to the soul of a master painter than becoming the other half of their artistic life.

Although Anna’s main profession is an art critic, she certainly possesses all the qualifications to become an excellent agent.

She has connections, influence, and maintains good relationships with various galleries.

She can not only arrange suitable works for him but also provide artistic guidance.

Not to mention those young painters who have just become famous, even if she wanted to be Professor Yajima’s agent, he would welcome her with open arms.

Unfortunately... it cannot be for Detective Cat.

At least not in Anna’s name.

"What a shame, if only Thomas hadn’t posted that video."

Anna was somewhat annoyed.

She wished she could discover this hidden gem anonymously.

Paving the way for him quietly without being noticed, anonymously writing art criticism, guiding him in participating in exhibitions, letting his paintings be appreciated by the public, and then revealing his identity to the world.

But not in this sudden explosive mode.

The reason is simple.

She has always presented herself as a strictly professional art critic, never having signed an artist before.

The result is that she first lifts an unknown painter to fame in the world’s number one celebrity video, only to later be exposed as his art agent.

Some insiders would consider this as the tale of a discerning eye spotting talent.

Most would see it as a conspiracy theory, evidence of a black curtain.

People claiming she received money to elevate him, that there were secret exchanges of interests during the video, and so forth...

Those art tabloids are vicious,

and the audience loves it.

There once was a young African painter, who was spotted by a well-established female agent old enough to be his mother, and she catered a lot of art resources to him in Paris.

Their cooperation was good, yet because of a few intimate expressions during a meal captured by tabloids,

it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but the female agent had offended many in the circle.

And so she was immediately labeled in tabloids with terms like "keeping an art swallow boy," attracting countless gawkers, and creating a chaotic scenario.

Finally, the two ended on a sour note, the agent’s reputation was tarnished, and the young artist’s future was shadowed - this is politics.

Anna never considered Thomas reaching out directly to Detective Cat or leaving personal contact info.

Purely to avoid suspicion.

Such news is really unsightly and with terrible impact.

It’s unsuitable for herself, Thomas, and especially for the Detective Cat whose career has just seen light.

Though Anna has connections, her scathing reviews have similarly offended other artists.

Like when she lashed at Van Doorn, certainly his fans are displeased.

Though Van Doorn hasn’t responded yet, it’s certain he’ll feel displeased or even resentment.

Van Doorn has never been a gentleman in the circle; his networking isn’t inferior.

Such news now exposed, he would seize this chance to attack them.

Anna herself doesn’t mind; her heart is strong.

But what about Detective Cat?

Many artists have minor social fears; historically there are those unable to handle criticism who committed suicide.

Anna thinks she shouldn’t delay the painter for her ideals; he deserves better, need not choose her.

Also...

Now that he’s newly famous, contracts of all sorts rush to him, while she persuades others not to randomly sign contracts, she tells him Anna Ilina wishes to be his agent.

Though it’s for his own good, how would he perceive it—

She wants to demand favors in return?

Anna doesn’t want to give a bad impression to their pure soul connection from the start.

"Who are you, why do you say that, are you still there?"

Detective Cat, seeming impatient due to her silence, asked.

"Can I add you as a friend? I’d like to chat—"

Anna quickly typed.

"—three hundred, no, five hundred Euros, per hour."