"If viewed through the traditional lens of appreciating classical artworks, judging from the photos, I think this painting itself might not quite qualify to be called a master, as you say."

Hanks enlarged the photo, scrutinizing it meticulously like a hawk, and said, "From what I can see, there’s nothing in terms of artistic concept that stands out."

The value of traditional painting is entirely reflected on the canvas and paper.

Pieces with superior technique are simply more impressive than those with inferior technique, and works rich in emotion are more valuable than those that are emotionally barren and empty.

People admire paintings by appreciating the brushwork and craft that the artist has poured into them.

The value is indeed in this aspect.

But modern, avant-garde art shifts more of the focus to interpretations outside the work itself.

For example, Duchamp naming a urinal "Fountain" was a satire of Ingres’ famous nude painting "Fountain."

"Why is the naked body of a beautiful girl considered art, but my urinal isn’t art!"

He hoped to provoke the audience—to think about art that doesn’t rely on perfect brushwork and profound techniques, where anyone can be an artist.

The focus is on societal reflection on aesthetic concepts, not the urinal itself.

It’s like the canned feces, where the value lies in the "ruthless critique of consumerism" that critics can interpret, not the excrement inside the can.

These two artistic concepts are not superior or inferior to each other and can both fetch sky-high prices, with over a hundred million dollars being not uncommon.

However, the former is more stable in price and can better withstand the test of time.

Excellent technique and intense emotion are always as rare and precious as shining gold.

Ever since the Neolithic era, when people started collecting beautiful stones and shells, the impulse to treasure beautiful objects has been hidden in human genes.

Ingres’ "Fountain," ever since its creation, needed no interpretation, no understanding of art, and even an illiterate farmer could tell it’s a great painting.

Whether in 1856, 1956, or 2156, as long as the human social structure remains unchanged, its high aesthetic value is universal and can always sell for a high price.

But the canned feces, when it becomes the focus, is art, and when it loses attention, it’s just feces.

Put simply,

from an investment perspective,

classical art is like gold, while avant-garde art is akin to cryptocurrency that could make one rich overnight, with different risk tolerances.

Traditional painters like Uncle Sakai are popular because, in the eyes of gallery owners, artists with excellent technique are always valuable assets that can steadily appreciate.

In Hanks’ view, the technique of this painting falls short by a lot.

"So, you’re saying you don’t want to sign this artist?"

Uncle Sakai doesn’t seem in a hurry to promote Gu Weijing, just casually asking.

"It’s not that we don’t want to sign."

That’s not what Hanks meant.

This painting also has its highlights.

"This painting has a bit of... a bit of Lang Shining’s essence. This painting style itself is unique, and just for this reason, Ma Shi Gallery has some interest in this artist. The technique level is enough for some small exhibitions."

Art broker hunters make their living by appreciating artworks and judging artists’ levels,

and have a sharp eye.

With the promotion of top galleries like Gagosian, the art industry is more prosperous than in Van Gogh’s or even Picasso’s era, by an unknown magnitude.

The component of the bubble is present,

but the objective fact is that even with inflation factored out, the average price of high-end art has multiplied several times over the past half-century.

In 1940, buying a Monet painting in Europe cost about the same as a Beetle car, which was already expensive at the time. Nowadays, you might need capital worth half a dozen Rolls-Royces just to consider an artist of Monet’s caliber, and it would still be a niche work.

Billions of dollars in transaction volumes are circulating in this field every year, driving many professional hunter-brokers like Hanks to search tirelessly for talented artists.

Great talents are not common, but those with enough art appreciation ability have increased.

As long as one is not in too remote a place, the chance of being a misunderstood genius like Van Gogh is much lower.

For an ordinary work, he can casually scan and understand the art genre, composition design, emotion expression, and metaphorical symbolism to about seventy or eighty percent.

The painting style that combines Eastern and Western elements has always been a jewel in the art field, with a large number of Lang Shining’s paintings still in existence, considered "Chinese paintings that foreigners can understand."

Hanks knows this.

Though it’s just a draft on the surface,

he still saw the hint of Lang Shining in the painting, which is itself a very good selling point.

"As I said, this painting isn’t bad, just not good enough."

"In the classical art field, Ma Shi Gallery hopes to see techniques so outstanding that they give you goosebumps, those truly master-level pieces."

Hank scratched his head, looking at Yakai Ichiro beside him, and said, "Professor, you understand what I mean. If you were Sophie Marceau, this painting might only be as pretty as my high school cheerleader, pretty in a small-town girl way, but not alluring enough to bewitch the world."

The chubby uncle, who weighed about two and a half times more than Sophie Marceau, knew this guy was flattering him and chuckled despite being flattered.

"Indeed, this technique still seems a bit immature, not mature enough, needing time to mellow."