We came back from the funeral that day. After the two said goodbye, Stellov walked back to his home, feeling heavy. He didn't know why, and wanted to go to the studio. Although he knew that he would feel very painful when he saw the studio, he still couldn't help walking towards it. He almost moved to the door of the studio. He didn't dare to go in at first, and stood outside for a long time before he pushed open the door. Before he entered, he felt uncomfortable and was so disgusting that he wanted to vomit all his internal organs. He wanted to run down the stairs immediately, chase me back who had just broken up with him, and beg me to go in with him. He had a strange feeling, and it seemed that someone in the studio. He used to walk up this stairs, but because he was not physically strong, he had to take a few breaths first and wait until his heartbeat returned to normal before entering the studio. However, every time he wanted to see Bronche earlier, his heartbeat would never be slowed down for a long time.

He wanted to stay with Bronche forever. Every time he met her, he would be very happy. He could not accept the fact that she was dead and would rather believe that he was having a nightmare, and the dream had not woken up. He fantasized that when he opened the door, he could still see her in the studio, lying on the table as usual, with a graceful figure that reminded people of the woman in Chardin's famous painting "Prayer Before Meal". Stellov always praised the painting. He took out the key, opened the door, and walked into the studio. The room seemed to be clearly lived in.

Langsh likes neatness, and Stellov appreciates her very much. The education he received since childhood was to place the items neatly, so when he saw that the things in the room were still neat, a warm current surged in his heart. From the appearance of the bedroom, she had just left not long ago: there were several brushes on the dressing table, with a comb next to each; the bed was flat and tidy, and it was obvious that it had been tidied; there was a small box on the pillow, which contained her pajamas. Seeing these, he couldn't believe that she could no longer return to this.

He wanted to drink water, so he came to the kitchen, which was well organized. He looked at the kitchen and remembered the night when she and Strickland had a fight. The tableware was neatly arranged; the knife and fork were packed; a piece of leftover cheese was tightly rigged by utensils; a piece of bread was filled with iron boxes. He knew her habits and knew that she would go out to purchase every day, and would eat the food she bought that day, and would not leave it until the next day

The police told Stelloff that day, Strickland left the place after supper, and Bronsh did some housework as usual. Her self-control was really scary. This shows that Bronsh did not commit suicide on impulse, but made careful plans in advance. Thinking of this, Stelloff was heartbroken, his legs collapsed, and he almost fell down. He returned to the bedroom, lay on the bed, calling her affectionately:

"Branche! Branche!"

Stelloff closed his eyes and imagined how she had spent that night: she stood in the kitchen—a small kitchen that was not as big as a cabinet—she put the plates and bowls under the faucet, wiped the knife and fork with a cloth, and when it was almost washed, she wiped them one by one and put them back in place. Then she took out a rag, wiped the sewage pool carefully, and finally hung the rag-and it was hanging there. She looked around and found that it had been cleaned up. He seemed to see her lowered her cuffs, then took off her apron, and hung it behind the door. Finally, she slowly picked up a bottle with oxalic acid inside, and walked into the bedroom.

He could no longer imagine it, and he seemed to feel the pain of thousands of arrows piercing his heart. He suddenly jumped up from the bed and rushed out. He ran to the studio. The curtains in the room were very dark because the curtains were not opened, so he immediately opened the curtains. He looked around the scene and couldn't help crying. The decorations in the room did not change at all. Strickland was a person who didn't care about the living environment. When he lived here, he would not move something from place to place.

Go to another place. The house carefully designed by Stelloff is very artistic, which is the ideal living environment for an artist in his mind: a few pieces of brocades hung on the wall, adding a bit of beauty to the wall; a piece of silk fabric is laid on the piano, although it has faded, but it still does not hide its beauty; two walls are replicas of Venus, one of the style of Melos, and the other of Medici; there is also an Italian cabinet cabinet in the room, which

There is a pottery produced by Delft on the top; a piece of relief art was hung on the cabinet, which was a tracing book of Velazkez's famous painting "Natural X" and was inlaid with exquisite gold frames. In addition, there are several paintings drawn by Stellov, all embedded in the frames and displayed beautifully. Stellov believes that his aesthetic ability is first-class, and he admires this romantic and beautiful studio very much. Although such a sad thing has happened now,

He still wanted to move the table, which was a table he loved very much. Suddenly, he saw a strange painting on the wall. He said it was strange because it was turned upside down, and one side of the painting was facing the wall. Not only that, he also found that the painting was very large, and he usually did not use such a large canvas to draw by himself. He felt very strange, so he walked over and turned it over. Soon, he found that it turned out to be a portrait of a woman. His heart suddenly started to be beating violently.

He immediately thought that it was Strickland's work. He felt very angry and smashed the painting hard on the wall. He didn't understand why Strickland left it here. The painting hit the ground heavily. But he was angry, as a man who also painted, he could not just watch it lying on the ground, so he picked it up. At this time, he became curious about the painting. He brought the easel, placed the painting on it, and stepped back a certain distance, intending to take a careful look at what the painting is.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and gasped. The content of the painting was a woman lying on the couch. She lay flat on her body, bent one leg, one arm flat on one side, and the other arm was laid under her head. This posture was very classic. Stellov recognized the woman as Bronche, and he felt his head swell up suddenly. In an instant, grief and jealousy surged into his heart, making his mind blank and he could not remember anything. He shouted in grief, clenched his fists, and kept waving into the air, like

He wanted to drive away the invisible enemy. He hugged his head and began to yell, feeling that he was about to go crazy. He looked around and wanted to find a hard thing that ruined the painting because he could not tolerate it. But he did not find such a thing. He went through the painting supplies again, but still couldn't find it. He was so angry that he wanted to set a fire to burn the studio immediately. Fortunately, he finally found a large scraper specially used to scrape oil paint. So he picked up the scraper, rushed towards the painting, and shouted for victory.

Stelloff was still very excited when he told this story. He also picked up a knife on the table and kept waving it to me to compare the situation at that time. He suddenly raised one arm, and the expression on his face was very ferocious, as if he was about to stoop down immediately. Then, he let go of his hand, and the knife fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. He smiled weakly at me and did not continue to say it.

"Tell me quickly!" I was eager to know what was going on below.

"I can't figure out what's going on. At that time, I was about to destroy the painting into waste paper and my arms were raised, but at that moment, I seemed to see it."

"What did you see?"

"That painting. I suddenly realized that it was a precious work of art and I couldn't destroy it. It scared me."

At this point, Stelloff stopped again, staring at me tightly, his eyes wide open, and I was really worried that they would protrude in the next second.

"The painting was really amazing. I looked at it again and was immediately stunned by it. Then I realized that I had almost committed a crime. In order to observe clearly, I moved closer to it, but accidentally kicked the big scraper, which scared me."

I could fully understand the mood of Streov at that time, and his description had attracted me deeply. I seemed to be brought to a new world by him. I was like a traveler who came to a foreign country, surprised by the things in front of me because they were not the same as the scenes I had seen in the past. Streov tried his best to describe the characteristics of the painting to me, but he spoke incoherently, and I didn't understand much. There were many places that I had to guess by myself. In short, Strickland had broken the shackles and found a new soul, a soul with infinite power. This painting embodies his painting

He boldly chose a very simple line and his treatment method was very unique (although he drew the flesh so sensually), giving people a very real feeling. However, the most important reason for making it unique is not in the above aspects, but in the fact that it has a pure spiritual nature, a spirit that makes you feel extremely novel. Following its guidance, you will go to a place you have never been to and come to an ethereal world where you will see eternal stars shining in the sky and feel that your soul is undergoing a stimulating adventure.

The reason I used too many exaggerated rhetoric here is because that was what he described to me at that time. (Everyone should understand that when we are emotionally excited, we always use a lot of rhetoric techniques involuntarily.) What Stellov wanted to convey was a brand new feeling, so he could not describe it in general language. Although he knew that he could not fully express this feeling, he still wanted to try to explain it. I am very clear about one thing: people always talk about beauty, but they actually don’t understand the meaning of beauty at all; the word “beauty” is used too frequently and has lost its original sublime meaning. People can speak the beauty of a dress, the beauty of an animal, and the beauty of an article, and people can

Use "beauty" to describe anything, but when they see real beauty, they cannot recognize it. Because they are used to exaggerating things that are not beautiful, their sensibility has become very slow. Just as a fake expert occasionally realizes that he is just forging the value of something, people have long lost their basic appreciation ability. However, Stellov is not like this. Although he usually looks like a clown, he has excellent appreciation ability. He is a sincere person and has a sincere heart for beauty. If he is a devout believer, then beauty is the supreme God to him. Once he sees the real beauty with his own eyes, he will become nervous.

"What did you say to Strickland when you met him later?"

"I invite him to go to Holland with me."

His answer scared me. I was stunned, not knowing what to say.

"We both love the same woman. He can live in my hometown. I think he would benefit a lot if he gets along with those simple people, and it would be of great benefit to his soul."

"Then how did he answer you?"

"He smiled, probably because he thought I was stupid, and then told me that he was not as idle as me."

How I wish Strickland would reject Stelloff with the kind of sarcasm he often used to me.

"He also gave me the painting of Branche."

I was curious about what Strickland thought. But I didn't say anything. We were both silent for a moment.

"How do you deal with your stuff?" I asked.

"All my things were bought by a Jew who collected old goods. I planned to take my paintings back to my hometown. Apart from the above, there were only a few books and some clothes. These things were all my property."

"I am so happy for you to see you going back to your hometown," I said.

I think he should be able to overcome this hurdle. I hope the pain in his heart can be relieved with the passage of time. I believe that God is kind. He will definitely cheer up. He is still young now, and in a few years when he looks back on the past, he will definitely feel relieved. Perhaps he will fall in love with a simple Dutch woman in the future and marry her, and he will definitely live a happy life. I thought that he would create many funny pictures in the future, so I couldn't help laughing.

The next day he was about to set off to return to Amsterdam, and I went to see him off.
Chapter completed!