Arte (アルテ)

"Florence - Early 16th Century"

My lady, I have brought your morning clothes.

My lady! How immodest!

I'm at a good part right now.

Born into a noble family in Florence,

"I Want to Be an Apprentice" Born into a noble family in Florence,

"I Want to Be an Apprentice" I was completely absorbed in art from a young age.

I was completely absorbed in art from a young age.

My father provided me with an environment to do art,

but he passed away last month...

Even though we're nobility, we're not that wealthy, and our current problem...

...is...

Huh? What? No way!

Mother!

What are you doing?

I'm disposing of things we don't need.

Stop that! These are my drawings!

I only allowed you to have art lessons as a hobby.

If you are so absorbed in it, gentlemen will lose interest in you.

Is it really so important to be liked by gentlemen?

Yes, it is.

You are almost 15. You understand, don't you?

With your father gone, we cannot prepare much of a dowry...

It will be hard to find someone to take you like that.

If you want to live a decent life in the future,

your only choice is to be liked by those gentlemen.

Is the "decent life" you're talking about

staying at home not being able to do what I want,

living each day like a bird in a cage?

You will understand one day how much I'm thinking of what's good for you.

Father...

Lady Arte, the art teacher has arrived.

Art is not going to do that girl any good.

Come now, don't say that.

It's fine for it to be her hobby, but she's becoming too obsessed.

What charm is there in a girl who is only good at art?

No matter what we had her do, she looked depressed.

Only when she is drawing do her eyes shine.

I love seeing those eyes of hers...

Besides, if she keeps facing forward and standing with dignity,

then I won't be the only man who recognizes her charms.

Father...

The time is the Renaissance.

Inside the city, workshops large and small line the streets.

There, the hands of skilled artisans give birth to many works of art.

In the workshops, most assistants are live-in workers.

They help with jobs as they study painting and sculpture under their masters.

Excuse me!

Huh?

Please let me be your apprentice!

Huh?!

I'll do anything! Please!

What's a noble girl like you saying?! Go home already!

Huh?! A female painter?

Are you making fun of my workshop?!

You're getting in the way of work! Hurry up and go home!

I failed at 17 in a row...

There's only one more workshop in this neighborhood.

There's still one more!

I need to clear my own path myself!

I told you, it's impossible!

Hurry up and go home!

What's that? It's noisy...

At least look at my drawings first--

I don't have to look at them!

Why not?

Why not? Because you're a girl!

You want to be an apprentice even though you're a girl?!

A girl who draws?!

I won't let a girl cross over my threshold!

H-Hey...

What do you plan to do with that thing?

Stop! Don't be hasty!

If everyone's going to keep getting hung up about me being a girl,

then I'll give up being a girl!

Hm? I see. It's not enough to cut off my hair, huh?

-Then I'll get rid of my breasts, too!

--Hey! Stop that! --Then I'll get rid of my breasts, too!

What are you doing?

Ow...!

Leo?!

Oh, yeah! You don't have any apprentices, do you?

Why don't you take that girl?

Huh? What? What are you talking about?

Jeez... I've been dragged into something annoying...

Have such a strange kid foisted on me...

S-Strange...?

I suppose I did lose my composure a little...

It was more than just a little.

The whole room is packed with things...

But... each brush and tool has been carefully looked after.

Amazing!

Well?

What should I do? This man...

He's somehow scarier than the people from the other workshops!

-Um... Well...

--What? --Um... Well...

Didn't you have business with me?

If not, then get out of here.

I do! I do have business with you!

I... want to become an artisan.

So... please look at my drawings!

Please!

You're going to look at them?!

What does it look like I'm doing to you?

Thank you very much! I'm so grateful!

No one's even been looking at them, so I didn't know what I'd do...

Be quiet! If you want me to look at them, then stop talking.

I don't like noise.

Why do you want to be an artist?

Um... I want to be an artist because...

I love drawing...

I guess that's why...

When I'm drawing, it's like I lose track of time,

like I'm so happy that all I think about is drawing.

Huh? Um...

Um... Leo...?

I see. Okay.

I'll make you my apprentice.

But under one condition.

That's a lot of wood panels.

Are you going to paint on them?

Yeah. Do you know what "tempera" is?

Oh, yes. It's a paint made by mixing egg with pigment, right?

Have you ever prepared a panel for painting?

Just once, when my tutor taught me...

You have to clean the surface of the board thoroughly and sand it carefully.

Then, use paste to fill in the knotholes and paint on layers of undercoat.

Then you don't need me to explain it to you.

File all of these and paint on the undercoat. Do it by tomorrow morning.

I'll come back tomorrow to check them, so finish them all by then.

Um--

Thank you for giving me a chance!

Well, good luck.

All right, I'll do my best!

Oh, if it isn't Leo!

I heard you gave that girl everyone's talking about an impossible task.

He told her to prepare 20 wood panels in one night.

Even I wouldn't be able to do that.

That's seriously playing dirty.

Why did you go through all the trouble? Did that girl do something to you?

Not really...

It's just that a sentimental girl raised comfortably in a noble's house

is trying to become an artisan because she "loves drawing"...

I just don't like it.

Really...?