Page 29 of DATE
As the paint dried in the night wind, the once faint sea now seemed imbued with life. The colors deepened and layered, even shimmering with the glimmer of waves in the candlelight. The moonlit ripples, like a spider’s web, stretched between the towering waves as the people hurried through the sea, witnessing Jehovah’s miracle with Moses as they fled through the deep waters.
Hedy had lost track of how long she had been standing behind him, watching the painting in silence, lost in her thoughts.
In this life, everything connected to being Jewish had become an unspoken taboo.
Staying alive was what mattered most. Nothing was more important than that.
Da Vinci’s procrastination continued, but now, with this jar of egg tempera, he painted with an ease he had never known before.
Ultramarine was as expensive as gold, and grinding it into powder would only be enough to paint the edges of the sky. But today, he was using the pigment with freedom, unconstrained. He wasn’t trying to perfect the human body tonight. Instead, he softened the details of the figures, choosing to use broad, sweeping strokes to create towering waves, and at the far end of the journey, he added a sunset that glowed like holy light.
Hedy withdrew from her thoughts, sitting beside him, helping him wash his brushes in warm water, offering a contented smile.
The Renaissance was a time of awakening for humanity.
Paintings from the Middle Ages had mostly depicted the stories of gods. But the Renaissance waves brought about a shift, and the hearts of many once cloaked in ignorance began to yearn for the reality of human nature, seeking the most simple of human desires.
She had heard the people of Florence speak of the Medici family, who spent large sums commissioning Botticelli to paint numerous large murals. He had even included the faces of family members in depictions of gods.
Humans, by nature, were meant to have value and dignity—not just to be worshippers of gods.
The world seemed calm, ordinary, one day after another without any wind or rain. But even in this painting, one could see that some deeply ingrained beliefs were beginning to crumble and change.
“Still here?” Da Vinci snapped out of his thoughts, surprised. “It’s already late. Why don’t you go rest?”
“It’s fine. I’ll stay here with you.” Hedy gave a polite smile and stood up. “Dinner’s been reheated twice, but you didn’t have time. Would you like some now?”
“Just some dry bread will do,” Da Vinci rubbed his forehead, gazing at the oil painting. “If I keep going for another couple of hours, I should be able to finish.”
He grabbed a spatula and began to refine the texture of the waves, making them more distinct. Then, he started working on the horizon line.
Hedy brought over some black bread and asked curiously, "Where do you plan to hang this painting?"
"Hang it?" Leonardo Da Vinci quickly ate a little, sipped some wine, and said, "Of course, to sell it at a good price."
...That makes sense.
"Tomorrow, I’ll buy some beef, and I’ll also stop by the apothecary to discuss the matter with the shopkeeper about this stone." Da Vinci said halfway through, noticing her still looking at the painting. He glanced at it and asked, "Do you think it's good?"
"It's painted very well," Hedy suddenly thought of something and added, "It's more grand than Mr. Botticelli’s work."
Someone raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased with the compliment.
"I've always thought," Da Vinci wiped some bread crumbs off, looking at the sunset on the painting, "the Earth is not the center of the universe."
The maid, preparing to clear the dinner, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What did you say?"
"Is it too rebellious?" He looked at the painting, "I think the sun isn't revolving around the Earth."
Hedy thought she must have misheard, and looked at him, "How did you come to this conclusion?"
"I've been wondering, is the sky bigger, or is the Earth bigger?" He grew serious and said, "Clearly, the sky is bigger, but every day the night and day cycle, does that mean the sky is revolving around the Earth?"
That’s because the Earth is rotating.
But if you keep going, if others overhear, you might be considered a heretic and be burned at the stake.
