This morning, Professor Yang Baocheng, an expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal, received a call from his old friend Li Jiancai, saying that he had taken a fancy to a painting in a gallery and wanted to invite him to palm his hand. Yang Baocheng was a little embarrassed after hearing this, because he never took private work, but Li Jiancai was an old friend of his for decades.

Li Jiancai knew what Yang Baocheng was thinking, so he hurriedly said, "Old Yang, I know your rules, but what I like is Master Xu Beihong's" Galloping Horse ". I have a friend in the calligraphy and painting world by my side, and he thinks it is genuine. You are an authority on Master Xu Beihong, so I want to hear your opinion."

When Li Jiancai said this, Yang Baocheng had no choice but to agree. After he came to the gallery, he saw the painting that Li Jiancai mentioned. The whole painting was rich and varied in ink color, with the simplicity and condensation of traditional Chinese freehand brushwork, and combined with the block surface and light and shadow of Western painting, the shape of the horse was vividly depicted.

As soon as he saw it, Yang Baocheng's heart skipped a beat. Half a month ago, he saw this painting at the home of Fang Jianming, the graduate student he brought. When Fang Jianming was in graduate school, he studied Xu Beihong, and his research depth on Xu Beihong was comparable to that of Yang Baocheng.

The painting was imitated by Fang Jianming. Although it has both form and spirit, in Yang Baocheng's eyes, there are still some differences in the temperament of the two.

Yang Baocheng looked at the painting on the wall and thought: Li Jian is his old friend, so it stands to reason that he should tell him directly that this painting is imitation, but Fang Jianming is a talented and intelligent child. Over time, he will become a great asset, but he is ill-fated.

After deliberating for a long time, Yang Baocheng turned his head and asked Li Jiancai, "Old Li, how much is the price for this painting? Li Jiancai did not expect Yang Baocheng to ask this question. He was stunned for a while, pointed to the gallery owner and said, "He quoted 200,000 yuan, and after grinding for a long time, he said that the minimum 180,000 deal, I want to collect it myself. Is this painting real?"

Li Jian is the boss of a real estate company. 180,000 is just a drop in the bucket for him. Yang Baocheng smiled and does not answer his words.

"This painting of the horse has a god, the unrestrained part is not crazy, the subtle part is not trivial, the bones are strong, the momentum is majestic, and the form and spirit are full." The colleague in the calligraphy and painting industry said, "It has the demeanor of Master Xu Beihong, I think it is a genuine work."

Yang Baocheng pondered for a moment and added: "Another characteristic of Master Xu Beihong's horse painting is that the lines are as strong as a cone of sand, and as smooth as flowing water. Their thickness, thickness, dryness, and dampness all follow the body and the surface relationship turns, and change with the stiffness or thickness of the painted part." Having said this, he stopped and glanced at the gallery owner, and said, "From the overall perspective of this painting, it also reflects this characteristic, but there is a little problem."

"What's the problem?" Li Jiancai hurriedly asked.

"There is no time for writing the inscription of this painting." Yang Baocheng smiled, "And Master Xu Beihong, Wei Bei, has a deep foundation, and the brushwork of the painting inscription Wei Bei and Cao Li is strong. From this point of view, this painting is a little weaker."

"You mean this painting is fake?" The gallery owner and Li Jiancai exclaimed at the same time, but their feelings were different.

Yang Baocheng looked meaningfully at the gallery owner: "The painting is real, but it is Master Xu Beihong's early works, so the price is" obedient and obedient." Yang Baocheng said this, the gallery owner also took a step back. Li Jiancai spent $ 150,000 to buy this painting.

Yang Baocheng helped Fang Jianming this time. Although he cheated on his old friend Li Jiancai, he decided to buy back the fake painting from Li Jiancai after he made money from the publication of his monograph. But no one expected that half a year later, the director of the Urban Construction Bureau was arrested for corruption and bribery, and the discipline inspection department found a large number of antique calligraphy and paintings in his house, including the "Galloping Horse" bought by Li Jiancai. Only then did Yang Baocheng realize that Li Jiancai bought the painting not for collection, but for bribery.

In order to prevent corruption from escaping the law, the discipline inspection department decided to set up an expert appraisal team to identify and evaluate these antique calligraphy and paintings as a reference for sentencing those who paid and accepted bribes. Yang Baocheng was an expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal and an authority on Master Xu Beihong, so he was naturally invited to join the expert appraisal team and served as the team leader.

The night before the expert appraisal team started the local work, Li Jiancai's wife suddenly came to Yang Baocheng's house and said that if the painting that Li Jiancai had bribed to the director of the Urban Construction Bureau was identified as authentic, he would be imprisoned, so that Yang Baocheng would look at the face of an old friend and let him go.

Yang Baocheng smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid I'm powerless. There are more than ten people in the expert appraisal team, and it doesn't count if I say it alone."

"You are the team leader and the authority to study Master Xu Beihong, who would not listen to you!" Li Jiancai's wife said, taking out a thick wad of money from his bag and putting it on the table, "Old Li said, I will thank you after it is done."

"Take the money back!" Seeing Li Jiancai's wife take out the money, Yang Baocheng's face suddenly pulls down, "Actually, you should understand that Old Li's bribery is a crime.

Li Jiancai's wife simply tore her face off and said, "I can't control that much. For so many years, Old Li has cared more about you than his own brothers. You can decide how to identify yourself!" After saying that, she left angrily.

Yang Baocheng sat in tears all night.

After the appraisal work began the next day, many painting and calligraphy experts raised objections to the authenticity of the painting by Master Xu Beihong. Knowing that Li Jiancai's wife had done their work, Yang Baocheng said coldly, "Why don't you understand that bribery is nothing more than giving money in disguise, which has nothing to do with the authenticity of the painting and calligraphy itself. Buying a fake is a matter of vision, but they don't want to give it away. Even if it is fake, it can punish corruption, and it is the most genuine work!"

The final decision was made, and the appraisal and evaluation of other paintings and antiques was based on this standard.

Yang Baocheng was also very sad to send his old friend to prison with his own hands. After the appraisal and evaluation work was completed, he fell seriously ill.

After Fang Jianming heard the news, he came to see him with a gift and brought the painting of Master Xu Beihong that he had just imitated recently for the teacher to clap his eyes on.

"Looks like you've been working hard on the Wei Tablet recently. It's enough to make a fake out of it." Yang Baocheng glanced at Fang Jianming's painting and asked, "What are your plans for the future?

"In the future?" Fang Jianming was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "No matter how hard I work, I can't surpass Master Xu Beihong, so I can only enjoy the shade under this big tree."

"It seems that I helped you wrong." Yang Baocheng's face dimmed, and he said after a long time, "Everyone has their own aspirations, so you can't force it. You go, don't say you are my student in the future."

The next day, the city's evening newspaper published a message: Mr. Yang Baocheng, a famous expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal, announced that he would no longer do any work on calligraphy and painting appraisal.