- "You're not gonna offer to buy every painting in here so I can close up early? A guy actually tried that once."
- ―Vanessa Marianna to Wilson Fisk[src]
Scene Contempo Gallery is an art gallery where Vanessa Marianna worked as an art dealer.
History[]
Rabbit in a Snowstorm[]
Wilson Fisk studies Rabbit in a Snowstorm
Vanessa Marianna, a curator at the Scene Contempo Gallery, realized that a man, Wilson Fisk, was staring at one of the paintings, that was called Rabbit in a Snowstorm. Marianna approached him and explained an old children's joke about holding a white piece of paper that actually was a drawing of a rabbit in a snowstorm.
Marianna asked Fisk if he was actually interested in the painting or just looking at it. Fisk answered he was interested while he kept staring at the painting, so Marianna proceeded to explain the reason of its price despite it simply looked like gradations of white. For Marianna, the price of a painting should not be measured by the artist's name, the skill required or the art itself, but for how did the painting makes someone feel.
Fisk then looked at Marianna, saying that it made him feel alone. Marianna and Fisk looked at each other for a moment, and then Fisk began to look at the painting again, until he finally bought it.[1]
Asking for a Date[]
Wilson Fisk talking with Vanessa Marianna
Wilson Fisk visited the Scene Contempo Gallery hoping to see Vanessa Marianna again, and she went on to greet him as soon as she saw him. Marianna asked him about Rabbit in a Snowstorm, the painting Fisk bought, and he was delighted to see that she remembered that.
Fisk explained that he hung the painting in his bedroom, and it had become the last thing he saw every night. Marianna noted that it was either very romantic or very sad, though Fisk preferred to think it was the first option. Nervously, Fisk said he wanted to thank Marianna for the painting, something she did not consider necessary but welcomed him in return.
Fisk then invited her for dinner, though she declined the invitation saying that she was alone at the gallery that time. Fisk, believing she was not interested, told her that maybe another time, and was about to go. Marianna then surprised him, asking if he was not going to try anything else, such as offering to buy every painting, something that had already been tried before.
Fisk's answer was very clear, if a woman can be bought was not worth having. Marianna liked the answer, and told Fisk she liked Italian food, something that Fisk said that it was something else they had in common, before formally introducing themselves as Vanessa and Wilson.[2]
Blind Customer[]
Matt Murdock speaks to Vanessa Marianna
Vanessa Marianna organized with the help of an assistant a guest list for an upcoming fundraiser event hosted by Wilson Fisk and, upon reviewing, she asked the assistant to make sure that Kyle Richmond was on the guest list, as he would probably not come, but he would surely get pissy if he was not invited.
Matt Murdock entered the gallery, and Wilson Fisk's security detail members quickly covered the exits, informing each other that a visitor was entering through the west entrance. Marianna approached Murdock like any other customer, and Murdock introduced himself, jokingly telling her that she must be wondering what a blind man was doing in an art gallery.
Marianna laughed, saying that she did not want to be forward with it, and Murdock lied his true motives to be there, posing as a simple customer, with the excuses that he wanted art for his apartment, as according to his guests, it was very austere.
Marianna assumed those guests Murdock talked about were women, something Murdock did not deny, and Marianna appreciated his answer, given that she considered the most important thing to appreciate art was honesty, though Murdock considered that sight helped. Marianna grabbed Murdock's arm, and began to walk him through the gallery, explaining there was something very intimate in experiencing art through someone else's eyes, a line he should use with his guests.
Matt Murdock and Vanessa Marianna talk
Murdock also explained that he was not sure about what he was after, something that Marianna considered a sign of art appreciation, as knowing it would mean that he treated art as furniture. Marianna told him that art should speak and move the person who contemplated it. She began to describe one of her favorite pieces to Murdock as a sea of tonal reds, which was the color of anger and rage, but also the color of the heart, of love and hope. According to her, the painting had the perfect balance between the two.
Murdock was not sure about that painting, as it may sound aggressive, but Marianna considered that it all depended on the point of view. Murdock tried to look for something less challenging, and asked Marianna if she had a man in her life. Marianna misinterpreted Murdock's words as an attempt to hit on her, but he explained he wanted to get inside the head of a man able to win the heart of a charming woman as her.
Marianna told him that he could ask that man for himself, as Fisk was just entering through the door. Marianna approached Fisk to greet him, and Murdock had to contain himself as he wanted to attack Fisk for everything he had done. Fisk asked if he was not interrupted, given that he went to the gallery unannounced as he was nearby, but Marianna said that he was not interrupting anything, in fact they were just talking about him.
Wilson Fisk is introduced to Matt Murdock
Marianna introduced Fisk and Murdock to each other, and Fisk recognized Murdock's name as an attorney working on Hell's Kitchen, explaining he had heard about the work Murdock had done in the neighborhood. Murdock coldly answered that he was also aware of Fisk's own work. Marianna explained that Murdock was thinking of purchasing art and wanted the advice from a man of taste. Fisk, complimenting Marianna, said that his advice was simple, to buy whatever she recommended.
Murdock told Fisk they should not be talking, given that they now were on opposite sides of a tenancy case. Marianna was surprised to hear that, and Fisk explained that it was about the rental properties he acquired from Armand Tully. Fisk told Murdock he was sure that case would be settled to everyone's benefit, and began giving his usual speech about how the city had suffered from poverty and decay and now they had the opportunity to amend.
Marianna interrupted him, saying that Murdock was a customer and not a donor, and Fisk apologized for his words, as he believed that the city and its future were very important to me. Murdock told him that he felt exactly the same way, and thanked Marianna for her time. She asked him if he had changed his about what he came for, not knowing about his true intentions, and he simply said that he needed to consider the cost.[3]
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
