3. A model of retreat halfway - Philip.
When Philippe set foot on the artistic soil of Paris with the courage to break with his family, he felt an atmosphere of success envelop him. When he and his classmates from abroad were in high spirits and talked about art and life, "I knew that I would become a great artist," he said to himself, "I felt that I had such a temperament." God, I believe I am a genius. ”
Every year in March, the Paris Fine Arts Exhibition is held. Everyone can send their favorite works to the exhibition, but there are strict requirements for the selected works of the exhibition.
It has been two years since Philippe came to Paris to study painting, and he is very satisfied with the work he has put into painting the portrait of Miguel Ajuria. He sent the painting to an art exhibition, and it was returned a few days later. Some of the works submitted by his classmates were selected for one and some for two, which annoyed Philip and he began to doubt his abilities.
For some time, Philip was becoming more and more uncomfortable with his paintings, uninspired, restless, and restless. He analyzes himself: talent and self-confidence are the ingredients for success. He couldn't help but see that his feelings about art were different from others, and he was slow to react. A great painting can immediately excite other practitioners, and his appreciation of the painting is intuitive. He felt that he also had the temperament of an artist, but he wondered if he had a greater talent than a shallow skill of copying accurately. Philip felt that he lacked creativity, that he painted with his brain, and that he knew in his heart that the only valuable painting was drawn with his heart.
Philippe found that living in Paris was not as cheap as he had been told to be, and by February he had already spent more than half of the money he had brought with him. After more than two years in Paris, he had less than 1,600 pounds in his hands, and he had to be very frugal. In ten years, he can't expect to earn a son. In the history of painting, painters who have not made any profit abound. He must be content with poverty. If one day he could paint a monumental painting, it would be worth it, but he was afraid that he would be a second-rate painter at best. For this reason, he sacrificed his youth, gave up the joy of life, and missed all kinds of opportunities in life, is it worth it?
If I feel that I can't become a really good painter, I'd rather give up and stop painting", says Philip to himself, "I don't think it's good to be a second-rate painter." ”
Philip remembers a classmate once saying to him, "I'll be honest with you, even if you study here for a thousand years, you won't be of much use." You're a person with no talent, no originality. It's not just me – they all say the same thing. You can't be a painter in your lifetime. You'll never be a painter!You don't have the talent to be a painter. ”
One day, Philip asked his peers to look at his paintings and give advice. My colleague said, "I'm not going to do it." People ask you to criticize, but in fact they only want to listen to praise. What's the use of criticism?What does it matter if your paintings are good or bad?A person only paints because he has to. This is a function of the human body. Only a few people have this function. When a painter gets a special feeling from what he sees, he has to express it. You can only use lines and colors to express your inner feelings. The great painter always forces the world to look at nature through his eyes. But in the next generation, another painter saw the world in a different way. And the public still judges his work according to the eyes of his predecessors, not his own. If we can force the world to accept our vision, people will call us great painters. It doesn't matter what happens to our work in the future. We've got everything we can when we paint. ”
One day, Philip found another writer friend and said, "I don't believe I can do much in painting, and I don't see any benefit in being a second-rate painter." I was about to quit. I wonder if you're willing to give me a little adviceThe writer said, "If you can get out, do it early." ”
Philip was undecided on whether to continue his artistic career. It all comes down to his desire to succeed in life.
One day, Philip waited for his instructor at the intersection and said, "I've been learning from you here for almost two years." I'd like to ask you to be honest with me if you think I'm still worth continuing ?...... learningMy family is poor. If I don't have the talent, I'd rather change careers sooner. ”
The teacher said, "Don't you know if you have any talent?"”
"My friends, all of them think they're geniuses, but I know some of them are wrong," Philip said. ”
The teacher followed Philip to the studio, saw Philip's work, and said: "There is nothing more humiliating in the world to constantly worry about your own livelihood, and I despise those who despise money the most." They are either hypocrites or fools. You often hear people say that poverty is the most powerful spur for artists. In fact, they have never experienced poverty firsthand. They don't know how stingy poverty can make you. It subjectes you to endless humiliation, kills your ambitions, and eats away at your soul.
The artist is not asking for wealth per se, but money sufficient to secure him, so that he can maintain his personal dignity, work unhindered, and be a generous, straightforward, independent person. Your hands can be considered dexterous. As long as you work hard and persevere, there is no reason why you can't become a conscientious and competent painter. At that point, you'll find that there are hundreds of your peers who can't draw as well as hundreds of your peers who draw as well as you. In the paintings you showed me, I didn't see talent, only diligence and wisdom. You can only be an ordinary painter forever......If you want to ask my opinion, I'd say, take the courage and try your luck in something else. As unpleasant as it sounds, I would like to say to you bluntly: If I am someone at your age who gives me this kind of advice and makes me accept it, then I am willing to give him everything I have in this world. When you can't get it back, you find yourself mediocre and incompetent, that's sad. ”
Philip believed that since people have only one life, success became crucial, but he did not believe that success was only achieved if he became rich and famous. But he didn't know exactly what success meant. Maybe it's to enrich your experience and give full play to your talents.
Philip's hesitation on whether to continue his artistic career was ultimately due to his desire to succeed in his life.
Some people work hard but in vain, and he has all the conditions to become a good painter, but he lacks talent.
Philip recognized himself and gave up painting.