Chapter 44 Chapter Forty-Four

Nevertheless, when Miss Price offered to take him to the Louvre the following Sunday, Philip gladly went.She took him to see the Mona Lisa.Philip looked at the famous painting with a faint disappointment in his heart.However, he had read and reread Walter Pater's remarks on the painting until he knew it by heart--one of Pater's wisecracks, which added a certain color to this world-famous masterpiece--Philip Then he recited this passage to Miss Price. "That's purely literati's tricks," she said in a slightly contemptuous tone, "don't believe that." She showed him the famous paintings of Rembrandt, and at the same time gave an introduction to them, which was quite logical.She stood in front of the painting "The Believers in the Village of Emmes."

"If you can grasp the beauty of this masterpiece, then you have a little knowledge of painting." She showed Philip Ingres's "The Slave" and .Fanny Price was a domineering guide who could not allow Philip to watch what he liked, but insisted on Philip admiring the works she admired.She is very serious about learning painting and has a lot of energy.Philip passed by the window of the promenade and saw the gorgeous, elegant and sunny Tuileries Palace outside the window, just like a landscape painting by Raphael, he couldn't help shouting: "Hey, it's so beautiful! Let's stay here for a while." However, Price was indifferent and said indifferently: "Well, it's okay to stay for a while. But don't forget that we are here to see the paintings."

The autumn wind was coming, and the air was fresh and refreshing, and Philip felt very refreshed.When they were standing in the spacious courtyard of the Louvre near noon, Philip wanted to follow Flanagan's example and shouted at the top of his throat: To hell with art! "Let me say, how about we go up to the Avenue Michel together and have something to eat in a restaurant?" suggested Philip. Miss Price cast him a suspicious look. "I've got lunch ready at home," she said. "That's okay, you can save it for tomorrow. Just let me treat you once."

"I don't know why you want to invite me." "It would make me happy," he replied with a smile. They crossed the river, and there was a restaurant on the corner of the Rue Saint-Michel. "Let's go in." "No, I won't go in, this restaurant is too rich." She walked on without looking back, and Philip was obliged to follow.After a few steps, I came to a small restaurant, where a dozen or so customers were already dining under the awning on the sidewalk.In bold white letters on the restaurant windows: Dejeuner 1.25, vin comprls. "It's impossible to have a cheaper lunch than this, and besides, this place looks pretty good."

They sat down at an empty table and waited for the waiter to bring them omelets, the first item on the menu.Philip looked at the passers-by with great interest, as if fascinated by them.Although he was a bit sleepy, he felt an indescribable pleasure. "Hey, look at that one in the short coat, how funny!" He glanced at Miss Price, and to his surprise he saw that she ignored the sight and stared blankly at her plate, two heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. . "What's the matter with you?" he exclaimed. "Don't say anything to me, or I'll get up and go," she replied.

This confuses Philip completely.Luckily at this time the omelet arrived.Philip began to divide it in two, and each of them ate.Philip tried to find innocuous topics for conversation with him, and Miss Price, for her part, seemed to be trying to restrain herself.However, the meal was always a bit of a disappointment.Philip had a poor appetite, and the way Miss Price ate made it even worse.While she was eating, she couldn't help but tsk-tsk, her gobbling greedy look was a bit like a wild animal in a zoo.Every time she finishes eating a dish, she always wipes the vegetable bowl with slices of bread until the bottom of the bowl is white and shiny, as if even a small drop of marinade is reluctant to let it stay on it.When they were eating Camembert, Philip saw with disgust that she had eaten her share, down to the rind.Even a hungry ghost who hasn't eaten for a few days may not be as greedy as her.

Miss Price is volatile and moody, although she was still polite when we parted today.Yes, maybe tomorrow I will turn my face and turn my back on you.But then again, he learned a lot from her after all.Although she herself is not very good at painting, everything can be passed on orally.She knew a little bit of the knowledge taught by Yu, and Philip made progress in painting only when she was there to teach him from time to time.Of course, Mrs. Otter helped him a lot, as did Miss Chalice from time to time.Point out the deficiencies in his products.In addition, Lawson's eloquence, and the model provided by Clutton, also benefited Philip a lot.Miss Fanny Price, however, hated it most when he took advice from others; and when Philip went to ask her advice after talking to someone, she always refused the door venomously.Lawson, Clutton, Flanagan and others often use her to make fun of Philip.

"Look out, boy," they said, "she's in love with you." "Playing the piano randomly," he laughed. The idea that someone like Miss Price could fall in love was utterly absurd.Philip had no choice but to think of her ugly face, her thatched hair, her dirty hands, and the dirty, torn brown clothes she wore all year round: it seemed that she Money is tight.In fact, who here has a lot of money?She should at least pay attention to her appearance and keep it tidy.Take that skirt as an example. It can be done by mending it with a needle and thread. Philip came into contact with many people, and he began to systematically summarize his impressions of the people around him.Now, he is no longer as indifferent as he was when he lived in Heidelberg (that period of time seemed to him like a world away), but he has developed a calmer and more mature interest in the people around him, deliberately watching from the sidelines, and secretly make judgement.He has known Clutton for three months, and although he sees him every day, his understanding of this person is still the same as when he met by chance.Clutton left the impression on everyone in the studio that this man was quite talented.Everyone said that he had a bright future and would definitely accomplish a lot in the future, and he himself thought so.As for what kind of career he can do in the future, neither he himself nor others can say anything.Before Clutton came to Amitrano, he had successively studied painting in the studios of "Julion", "Fine Arts", and "Mark Fusson". I found that here I can go alone and do things on my own.He neither likes to show his own works, nor does he frequently ask for advice or give advice to others like other young people who study painting.It is said that he had a studio and bedroom in the small studio on the First Battle Road, where he kept some of his most exquisite paintings, and if anyone could persuade him to exhibit them publicly, he would surely become famous in one fell swoop.He couldn't afford to hire models, so he did still lifes.Lawson raved about one of his drawings of apples on a plate, calling it a masterpiece in the art gallery.Clutton had a distasteful disposition for something he didn't quite understand, and he always felt that his work was not satisfactory.Sometimes, he felt that a certain part of the work, for example, the forearm or lower limb of a nude painting, or a glass or porcelain cup in a still life painting, might not be satisfactory, so he simply cut these parts out of the oilcloth and individually preserve it, and destroy the rest of the picture.In this way, if anyone wants to appreciate his masterpieces, he can tell the truth: he can't show any paintings that can be appreciated by others.In Brittany he had met an unknown painter, a eccentric, who had been a stockbroker until he was middle-aged and gave up painting.Clutton was deeply influenced by this person's works, and he was planning to break away from the Impressionist school, spend a lot of effort, and find another way, not only to break out a new way of painting, but also to explore a new way of observing things.Philip felt that there was indeed something eccentric about Clutton.

Clutton seldom opened his mouth, whether at the table at Grevia's or in the evening conversation at Versailles or at the Café des Lilacs.He sat aside in silence, with a mocking look on his thin face, and only opened his mouth when he saw an opportunity for a wisecrack.He loves to pick a fight, and he takes pleasure in anyone in the room who can be the target of his wit and sarcasm.He seldom talked about anything other than painting, and only in front of one or two people he thought worth talking about.Philip murmured in his heart: God knows what kind of mystery this guy is playing.True, his taciturnity, his haggard countenance, and that stinging sense of humor all seemed to express his personality.However, all of these may be just a clever disguise to cover up his ignorance.

As for Lawson, Philip became acquainted with him in a few days.He has a wide range of interests and is a pleasant companion.He read a lot, and few of his classmates could catch up with him in this respect.Despite his meager income, he enjoyed buying books and was happy to lend them out.Philippe then had the opportunity to read the novels of Flaubert and Balzac, as well as the poems of Verlaine, Heredia and Villiers de Lier-Adam.They often went to watch plays together, and sometimes went to the opera theater and sat in the top balcony to watch comic operas.Not far from their residence is the Odeon Theater.Philip soon shared his friend's enthusiasm for the tragedians of the Louis XIV period, and for the sonorous Alexandrian poetry.There are often red concerts in Teterboulevard, which cost seventy-five.For a cent, you can enjoy beautiful music there, and maybe a few free drinks.The seats were not very comfortable, the audience was crowded, and there was a strong smell of shredded tobacco in the stale air, which made people suffocate, but with the enthusiasm of young people, they responded to all these Nevermind.Sometimes they also went to the Billier Ballroom to have fun.On such occasions, Flanagan followed along to join in the fun.He was lively, loud, and had a joviality which often gave Philip and Lawson great amusement.When it comes to dancing, he is the best at it.Within ten minutes of entering the ballroom, I was already dancing on the dance floor with a young sales girl I just met.

Every one of them wanted a mistress.The mistress is an ornament in the hands of the Parisian apprenticeship.If he got a mistress, the partners around him would look at him with admiration, and he himself would have the capital to brag about himself.But the difficulty is that they are so poor that it is even difficult to support themselves. Although they plausibly say that French girls are all very smart, even if they have a mistress, it may not be much more expensive than living alone. It is a pity that they grow up with them It's hard to find a girl with the same heart even with a lantern.Therefore, as far as most of the students are concerned, they have no choice but to be content with scolding those stinky bitches for being inferior, looking down on poor students like them, and committing themselves to those accomplished painters.Never imagined that it would be so difficult to find a mistress in Paris.Several times, Lawson managed to meet a chick and make a date with her.In the next twenty-four hours, he was so excited that he couldn't sit still, boasting how charming the beauty was to everyone, but when the appointed time came, the girl was nowhere to be seen.Lawson did not arrive at Grevia's until late in the day, and exclaimed angrily: "Damn it, I missed it again! I don't know why they don't like me. Maybe it's because I don't speak French well, or because I hate my red hair. I've been in Paris for more than a year. Didn't even get a single chick, what a loser." "You haven't touched the door yet," Flanagan said. Flanagan has repeatedly succeeded in the field of love, and he can report a long list of mistresses' names in one breath, which makes people a little jealous.Although they could not believe that what he said was all the truth, but in the face of the facts, they had to admit that what he said might not be all lies.It wasn't that permanent bond he was looking for, though.He only planned to stay in Paris for two years; he didn't want to go to university, and he came to Paris to study painting after talking to his parents.After two years, he was going back to Seattle to inherit his father's business.He has long made up his mind to have fun in time, so he doesn't pursue any loyal love, but is keen on flirting with women and acting on occasion. "I don't know how you got those babes," said Lawson indignantly. "That's not easy, man!" Flanagan replied. "As long as you look at the target, you can go up to it! The difficulty lies in how to get rid of them afterwards. This is where you need to play tricks." Philip was busy with painting most of the time, besides reading books, going to the theater, listening to other people's chats, so he didn't have any thoughts about chasing women.He thinks that the future will be long, and when he can speak French fluently, he will not have a chance! He had not seen Miss Wilkinson for more than a year.He had received a letter from her just as he was preparing to leave Blackstable, and was too busy in the first weeks after his arrival in Paris to answer it.Not long after, she sent in another book. Philip guessed that the letter must be full of resentment, and considering the mood at the time, he thought it would be better not to read it, so he put the letter aside and planned to read it later. I didn't know that I completely forgot about it later.A month later, until one day when he opened the drawer to find a pair of socks without holes, he accidentally found that letter again.He looked despondently at the unopened letter.It must have hurt his heart to think of Miss Wilkinson, and he could not help blaming himself for being unkind.Then he thought about it, never mind her, anyway, she has survived at this time, at least she has survived the most painful moment.He also thought that women tend to exaggerate and exaggerate when they speak and write letters.The same words, if they come from the mouth of a man, carry much more weight.Besides, haven't I already made up my mind not to meet her no matter what in the future? Since I haven't written to her for a long time, why bother to reply to her letter now?He resolved not to open the letter. "I guess she won't write again," he said to himself. "She can't fail to understand that the relationship between us has ended long ago. After all, she is old and can almost be my old lady. She should be a little bit self-aware." For an hour or two he felt unwell.In his situation, it was obvious that such a decisive attitude should be adopted, but he always thought the whole thing was absurd.But if Miss Wilkinson did not write to him again, or make a surprise appearance in Paris, and make a fool of himself in front of his friends--he feared that she might do it, and it was a ridiculous fear.It didn't take long for him to forget her completely. At the same time, he unambiguously dismissed the old idolatry.At the beginning, he was so surprised to see the works of Impressionism, but the surprise in the past has turned into admiration today. Like the rest of the people, Philip talked plausibly about the works of painters such as Manet, Monet and Degas. Excellence.At the same time, he bought a picture of Ingres's masterpiece "The Slave" and a picture of "Olanbia", and nailed them side by side above the washbasin stand, so that he could shave his face and shave while pondering carefully. The strokes of the masters.He is now convinced that there was no landscape painting at all before Monet.When he stood in front of Rembrandt's "The Adherent at the Village of Emers" or Velázquez's "Lady Shy with a Flea-Bitten Nose", he really felt his heartstrings vibrate. "Nose bitten by fleas," of course, wasn't the lady's real name, but it was his moniker that made him famous at Grevia's.Don't you see the charm of this painting from here, even though the life in the painting is an unbearable strange appearance.He had relegated Ruskin, Bouyn-Jones, and Watts, with the stiff-brimmed bowler hat and crisp blue-and-white-dotted tie he wore when he came to Paris.Now, he wore a slouch hat, a black scarf that fluttered in the wind, and a cape with a romantic cut.He strolled along the Boulevard Montparnasse as if he had known the place all his life.With a kind of perseverance, he also learned to drink absinthe without bitter taste.He had begun to grow his hair long, and he still wanted to grow a beard on his chin, but nature was ruthless and always ignored the whims of young people, so he had to make do with it.