The Alpha Seer understanding true art

April 24, 2013

LEARNING COMPOSITION THROUGH EYE-BALLING

Filed under: Uncategorized — MASTER BEN LAU @ 7:05 pm

To be fully candid with you folks, these commentaries on composition have not been written with the general public in mind, and the Alpha Seer has never aspired to be an art educator. Neither do these commentaries serve the purpose of a composition’s analysis. Every composition is a new invention in its own right. Each one is unique and specific in its own way. It is unique with the artistic DNA of its creator but specific in its full compliance with the Great Lineage from the true artistic geniuses in history. In other words, analysis of a composition does not seem to have too much of an application here.

The general public are mostly inert to art, in fact,–as they have always been to anything beautiful and poetic! They are basically an existential throng, materialistic by nature, stomach filling by need, and sensation seeking by desire. These commentaries on compositions have never been intended for their consumption. Why? The public do not understand artistic greatness! This is by no means a critique on our society, it is simply true of all people in all societies at all times.

If, however, you have found yourself to be a future Picasso, or someone with the great Titian’s artistic potential, then you should be listening and reading these commentaries attentively, because hopefully you will be able to learn TRUE composition one day!

Matisse was right when he said “You cannot teach art!” However, we must understand that statement in context in order to comprehend its true meaning. Of course, you cannot teach art to the general public,– but I am quite sure that you may teach art to those who are highly gifted!

As an artist wannable myself in 1974, I had gone to NYC looking for someone who can truly,- and I mean truly, teach art, and I had the supreme good fortune of finding Knox Martin,–or rather, Knox, me. By an almost impossible streak of luck, I had picked the right town in the entire world, and the right school in that fabulous town,–the Art Students League, to find just such a person! So teaching art to someone had turned out to be an affair of the possible after all! It all depends on WHO you are teaching art to, as well as who YOU are as art teacher! The chance of two highly gifted individuals meeting in NYC in the 70s at an art school was so slim that it now appears to me that destiny may have played a hand. That destiny is predetermined to engage us, two real artists since Cezanne, in order to enable the world in the conserving of true Poetry is especially true when viewing our plight in the aftermath of Postmodernism.

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The Alpha Seer teaches art by means of the comparison of two compositions, i.e. through eyeballing two compositions simultaneously. No words are needed in this kind of learning and teaching. Only attentiveness is required.

The Alpha Seer is planting the seeds of good will and good Karma !

The Alpha Seer is teaching art mainly because his great teacher Knox Martin had taught art to him and he is returning the favor to the generations to come.

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Figure 1 is an incomplete composition, while 2 is complete. 4973 can be called a masterpiece as well as an extraordinary invention, its tall order is something that all real artists who are worth their salt should aspire to. It took the Alpha Seer himself about 3 months to bring what first began as a sketchy work to its completion.

In this composition, which Knox Martin had praised with over 50 appreciative exclamation bars, one may make the comment that this particular Satyr must be out of his mind in dating such a sickly looking nymph, looking like an alien from the E.T. movie. But all forms in a framework of creation are subjugated to the greater scheme of things, namely, the serious attempts in a conscientious effort in the perfecting of the black and white interactions. What concerns us in such a task are the usual questions of whether a composition is robust with energy, is it free in its Qi flow, or is it without an incident of blockage in its black and white interactions. Pay attention to every subtle change of lines, strokes, shapes, and directions while making an effort to understand why 4973 is a much stronger derivative of 4971. Yes, we are mainly concerned with the usual criteria in the quest for compactness, balance and unity. Do not venture into the landmines of emotive or narrative complications, imagination,sociopolitical commentaries or psychological interpretation! Art exists in the timeless reality realm of beauty only!
Figure 1: SATYR AND NYMPH SERIES 4971


FIGURE 2: SATYR AND NYMPH SERIES 4973

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