Excerpts from
A Chronology
By Peer Hultberg
He had been painting ever since he had learned to hold a pencil, and he
knew he was a genius. Admittedly, he was not accepted in any
academy, but then in such places everything is decided behind the
scenes, and it is not to be expected that the professors will support
anyone more talented than they themselves. He tried to find a market
for his work, but soon discovered what it means not to be appreciated.
Hence he began to copy the great masters. He knew that at least they
would understand him; it was as though he entered into a dialogue
with them, and then what does it matter that this world turns its back
on you? He studied their technique, they became his only close
friends, and he acquired an intimate knowledge of their entire careers
from apprentice to master. At last it seemed to him that many a time he
himself was as good as they, and sometimes better, and the unshakable
conviction that the world owed him recognition began to rankle so
much that he felt compelled once more to expose himself to its
judgement. He took one of his more run-of-the-mill pictures to an art
dealer and explained to him that an aunt of his would like to know what
she was in possession of, also, of course, with a view to a possible
sale. The art dealer, a recognized authority on seventeenth-century
Dutch art, believed that it was a Steenwijk the Younger, though
perhaps it might even be ... perhaps even... and he offered him, as the
aunt´s representative, a sum which he had never yet believed it
possible to possess in cash. He felt that the world was beginning to
understand him and undertook frequent visits to selected art dealers,
still, however, only offering them run-of-the-mill works. Some of them
were very accommodating indeed, others nervous and suspicious,
others again rejected him in outrage, but although doubts were
expressed as to the ownership of the works, no one mentioned the
subject of forgery, which, of course, they could not be said to be. At
last, he came across the right person, a man who directly commented
that if his aunt had other pictures of a similar nature, he would like to
have a look at them - he had several interested customers in the
Midwest and Texas. It was then that he finally unveiled his
masterpieces. And soon he had the pleasure of knowing that they
were not only in the hands of well-known collectors, but also on the
walls of well-known museums. Everyone was of the opinion that,
despite his unchanged frugality, it was after all greed that finally
brought him down, and he himself also inclined to that view until
during the long years in prison he was able to reflect on his life. He
then realised that it was an inevitable and self-inflicted result of his
longing for empty recognition from this world, and when he was
released he went quietly and modestly at least once a month to see his
Kalf, which, subsequent to a successful application for an export
licence after the auction at Sotheby´s, had been assigned a prominent
place on an end wall in the State Art Gallery, and, according to the
official guide, still displayed an amazing freshness of colour together
with a daring choice of motif and profound symbolism.
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