"I advise you not to hold out too much hope..."
James' brows were twitching a little.
"I heard that Dodge hasn't been in public much recently, and the reason is also related to his abnormal state."
"As for what he likes to paint now..."
"This is it."
Turning the corner, they finally saw the huge vertical painting under the guidance of the young man.
It is almost three meters high and more than two meters wide.
The vertical side is inlaid with a gold frame. The content is a pile of dark red paint, accompanied by white bones, skulls, rotten flesh, swords, armor, guns and cannons, outlining a bloody purgatory all over the world.
Chapter 44: Unspeakable Images
This is imagery.
As soon as he saw the picture clearly, Hitzfeld knew that there might be something wrong with the thinking of this famous master.
Because "swords and armor" are usually unlikely to appear at the same time as "guns and cannons". Especially since this looks like an abandoned battlefield, there is only one explanation, that is, the accumulation of elements in the picture is a simple image.
It is not something that really happened, but the painter turned his thoughts into reality and expressed them on the canvas with brushes and paints as the medium. Imagery here can also be understood as "imagination that wants to be expressed in a certain way."
The imagination that this painting wants to express is a bit outrageous...
People of this era may not be able to understand it, or in other words, even if another modern person stood here, if this person's interpretation of the painter's style change is not comprehensive enough, then he or she will most likely not understand the connotation of the work.
First, let’s look at the lower part of the painting: this is simply a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, but if you look closely, you can see something uniquely symbolic from the accumulation of minced meat and bloody mud.
Linen clothes, farm tools, wooden spears, etc. This is what the illustrator deliberately expressed. Every time a war comes to the world, the first to suffer and those who are buried at the bottom of the mountain of corpses must be civilians or untouchables.
The equipment scattered upwards were more high-end. She saw iron swords, armor, helmets with faint shield emblems, shields, etc. The implication here should be the knight class of a country.
As they went up step by step, the status of the corpses became more and more noble, until they reached the top, a cross with a ring stuck in the bloody mud hillside - there was also a golden crown hanging on the tip of the top of the cross.
"It's exaggerated..." James' voice came from the side, "I don't know what inspired him after he turned 50, and he started painting these bloody things... These are not suitable for casual exhibition to others, I think this is why they put it in the corner."
"James," Hitzfeld called out to him.
"count?"
"Tell me what you see in this painting."
Asking me this kind of thing suddenly...
James was stunned, then walked a few steps away to stare at the picture, then walked a few steps closer to observe the details, and finally said: "Maybe... praising everyone's sacrifice? Implying that we should give everything to protect His Majesty?"
Hitzfeld looked at Daryl and Xia Yibing again, and Daryl said that this might simply be the artist wanting to remember the death.
She had not been influenced by any trends of thought, so she looked at things from a more direct perspective. I thought it was definitely wrong to say this, but I never thought... Hitzfeld actually smiled faintly when she answered.
Daryl is right?
Xia Yibing's heartbeat began to speed up, and she felt a little nervous for no reason.
If this trend continues, she will be the third one to be asked. Although she knows that even if she lies or does not answer, it will not affect her relationship with Aisuen, she is not someone who will easily give up in any aspect.
She had to answer it, and she had to answer it better than anyone else.
Think about it carefully... think about it more... there must be a reason for her to ask this question... She thinks we "should" be able to answer it, what does this mean... It means that she thinks the answer is very simple, or even possible... she said it before.
From this perspective, the answer must be closely related to the transformation of Count Dodge's style. And Ebony Dodge has undergone four transformations, namely "from no style to realism", "from realism to hyperrealism", "from hyperrealism to impressionism", and "from impressionism to this bloody style".
There is indeed a connection between them, and it can be said that there is a traceable path... That is roughly the artist moving towards "truth" step by step, and the artist's core pursuit is "truth".
But what does bloodiness have to do with reality?
There was a movement in her heart, as if she had pierced through the thin layer of paper, and a ridiculous idea suddenly came to Xia Yibing's mind.
Could it be that... the painter who has reached such a level has actually aimed his spearhead at the religious monarchy?
The circular cross inserted at the highest point and the golden crown hanging on the top of the cross, don’t they mean praise and protection, but rather are they more inclined to ridicule and disgust?
Is Umri-Dodge blaming all these sacrifices for happening around religious kingship?
She thought it was ridiculous, but it was the only way to explain why the girl didn't just give the answer directly, but used this method to guide her thinking.
Then Daryl was partly right...
This is indeed to remember death, but the kindness revealed is only for those at the bottom of the sacrifice - it is to remember their sacrifice, the blood they shed for religious monarchy over the years...
Thinking of this, Xia Yibing couldn't help but smile bitterly.
She knew she couldn't say these words... The ideas that Hitzfeld had expressed before were already very strange. If she hadn't restrained herself in the end and expressed extra respect for the masters of aesthetics, and if she herself hadn't been a count, if someone else had expressed these new ideas, he would have been rejected and targeted by the entire upper class.
This upper class circle is not just composed of aristocrats, but also includes wealthy businessmen, factory owners, and even anyone who wants to cling to them and gain benefits from this chain.
But that's all fine.
She is a count, so those people dare not do anything to her. This is just controversial, not to the point of being exaggerated.
And what she hinted at this time was extraordinary.
What will others think if I tell them?
Count Xieyang visited the Dodge Gallery today and expressed his views, suggesting that Count Dodge is dissatisfied with the Order and His Majesty?
Was she slandering him, or was Earl Dodge really having second thoughts?
Considering that Alvin and the others were planning to carry out a liquidation... this was bound to stir up a super storm that would engulf everyone, and would also inevitably drag down the Barish family.
Xia Yibing is not afraid of trouble, but she would rather keep the trouble away from herself rather than push her angel up there to shelter her from the wind and rain.
So when Hitzfeld looked at her, she first narrowed her left eye at her, and then simply said: "...I can't see anything special."
Hitzfeld understood.
After spending about two hours in the Dodge Gallery, they went to the museum next door in the afternoon and then said goodbye to James, planning to go home and have a good rest.
Before leaving, the young man Lawrence said that they could contact him at any time if they needed help, and that he would be at home during this time and would be there if they needed him.
"Baron Le Fay must have smelled something."
Once in the car, Hitzfeld took off his boots, curled his feet up on the seat, and pressed his fingers on his sore soles.
"Otherwise James wouldn't be waiting for us here. His intention to lick the kingship is too obvious..."
She could understand what Baron Le Fay was thinking... It would definitely not be okay to just follow Elwin's lead and lick his ass. On the one hand, it would be too direct and a bit embarrassing. On the other hand, it would alert other nobles and ministers, and might even disrupt the royal plan.
Then licking her, the new earl, would be the best.
It can also hint at Lawrence's specific tendencies without showing them too much.
Sometimes you can't help but be convinced by the cunning minds of these old foxes.
After waiting for a long time without any response, Hitzfeld turned his head curiously and found that Xia Yibing was concentrating - staring down at her black silk feet.
Do you like my feet so much...?
His heart seemed to skip a few beats, but Hitzfeld's face showed no emotion.
She turned sideways and turned her head to the other side. A pair of plump and slender black silk legs were lifted up and directly stuffed into the woman's arms.
This was definitely a very bold act, especially with Daryl watching from behind... Hitzfeld quickly pulled the fabric of her long skirt to cover her knees, her tone a little hesitant.
"If you want to try it, why don't you massage my feet?"
Xia Yibing was stunned by her.
I was attracted by her initiative and her rare boldness.
Especially in front of Daryl... Even if she is a robot, this is definitely a leap forward!
It means that she has completely accepted it and become completely dependent on it... from growing that hairstyle to being willing to offer it to satisfy you... this transformation is also visible to the naked eye and can be seen clearly!
Then she couldn't be satisfied with just massaging feet.
Grabbing the man's ankle and dragging him over, Xia Yibing arrogantly demanded that he kneel and sit in her arms face to face. She then started the car.
"Xia...!?" Hitzfeld was shocked and angry.
"I have to drive and massage your feet at the same time, how can I keep my hands busy?"
Xia Yibing, on the other hand, had a very convincing argument.
"You're not heavy anyway, why don't you sit like this... I can put my hand down and touch it directly..."
"summer……!!!"
"Go home early and rest early... Okay, stop talking and hold me tight!"
"I'm going to speed up!"
Chapter 45 Listen to the Wind
Just as the security chief was speeding down another road, James drove back to the Lawrence residence.
He didn't need to care about the car once it drove in. He just stopped and let the servant drive it away. He hurried to the study in the back, where he calmed down and waited for the baron to arrive.
Baron Le Fay arrived about ten minutes later. He had just woken up and looked full of energy. Seeing James standing in front of the table with his arms propped up and browsing the newspapers, he suddenly said, "Why don't you find a place to sit?"
"Ah!" James was startled by him. Cancan said, "There is only one chair here..."
Yes, there is only one chair in the study, the one behind the desk.
That was the seat that belonged to Baron Lefebvre, and only he could sit there. Normally, no matter who it was, even the Baron's wife, who came to bring him tea and wanted to talk to him, they would stand and talk.
That's why James was so nervous... He didn't understand what his father meant by saying this. Was he hinting at this side, implying that he could try to take over the power in his hands?
But the baron seemed to just mention it casually and did not go into details. After sitting down, he asked him directly: "Tell me everything you saw and heard today."
This was also what the father and son had agreed upon. As the only person in the family who could move around, James went out to gather all kinds of information and then brought what he saw to the Baron after returning.
"Okay." Suppressing the uneasiness and disappointment in his heart, James was silent for a moment to organize his words, and then he orally narrated his interactions with the three people today in a very formal manner, almost without any omissions.
"Does that mean they are still inseparable?"
"Yes."
"How does their relationship seem, are they close enough?"
"I didn't do it on purpose, but Ms. Imaar sometimes showed some intimacy that went beyond the limit. Count Hitzfeld sometimes resisted, but his resistance was not too obvious."
"No one but you harassed them this afternoon, right?"
"No, not one."
"Well, that means this show was effective." The baron held his chin up in thought. "I don't believe that those young masters' families have sensed the crisis, but since Imaer has made it so obvious, it is almost a warning to everyone. If anyone dares to approach, I will have to doubt whether they got the position purely by luck."
"I ran into Yellen when I came back," James said. "They obviously had someone watching me - or watching them. They knew I was in the Dodge Gallery with them that afternoon, and they laughed at me and told me to wait for retaliation from the security agency."
"Don't waste your time on trash... Did you respond?"
"No."
"That's good... go on, James. Tell me about their performance at the gallery."
So the young man continued his description, and Baron Lefay nodded as he listened, his eyebrows gradually furrowed.
“Humanity needs people who can discover beauty to lead the trend of thought, but artists themselves do not produce anything. They are absorbing the productivity of society to pursue their ideals!”
He exclaimed: "Even I can't say such concise and thought-provoking words. This is not just an understanding of aesthetics and art, it has risen to the level of philosophy!"
"Dad, do you think it makes sense?" James observed his expression carefully. "I thought so too... Her research in this area is very profound and different from that of ordinary people. It's simply not something that can be raised in this circle."
"She didn't belong to this circle originally."
"……what?"
"The Hitzfeld family is full of mysteries." Le Fay narrowed his eyes. "What I can find out now is too thin and too little to prove anything. But she is definitely not someone who grew up in the same environment as you."
He didn't want to say more about this, and urged the young man: "Forget about it, continue. Are you only talking about paintings later?"
"Yes, I always wanted to ask them what they were doing in the morning, but they always changed the subject..."
"How many times did you try to ask?"
"twice."
"Stupid!" Le Fay sternly said, "You shouldn't have kept asking when they didn't tell you the first time!"
James was a little uncomfortable - it was just one more question, it shouldn't be that serious, right?
