The Alex Grey Appreciation Thread

[Pander Bear]

Don't flatter yourself,atlas. I actually graduated from college,myself. Your posts are not incomprehensible,just dull. It's as if you're just reading through a thesaurus to choose the words that will make you appear more intelligent. You keep at it,though. One day,it will actually pay off for you and seem natural instead of coming out like an oral bowel movement.

I suppose yougene is also an elitist asshole because he's dropping language like post-postmodern" and "monological second person perspective." Either that, or you reserve personal attacks and negative energy for people who don't see things your way. How very transcendently enlightened of you.

Yougene:

I don't know if I agree that egodeath experiences are really that external to the learning mind. The term creates an arbitrary division, and its completely open to interpretation (what it is, when it starts) because it relies on self-reporting, and a personal understanding of what's happening.

I'm suspicious of ego death for metaphysical reasons. It indicates something, either the mechanics of the mind, or the presence of space and dimension that is accessible only when regular sensory consciousness is stripped away. The indication is a very different thing from meaning, though. And building structures off of something just because the assertions that its primary, or universal, is building on shaky, consensus-driven ground.

People routinely discard inconvenient puzzle pieces when they create systems of meaning (for example, the south pacific near death experience of heaven as a gleaming, pristine, skyscraper filled city). I am suspicious of order, systems, and so forth, because the human mind seeks out patterns, and orders things on its own, without help from the "me" that's typing. That is a context that must be addressed.

 

[yougene]

I don't know if I agree that egodeath experiences are really that external to the learning mind. The term creates an arbitrary division, and its completely open to interpretation (what it is, when it starts) because it relies on self-reporting, and a personal understanding of what's happening.

soooo, how is it different from anything else? Post-modern or not.

I'm suspicious of ego death for metaphysical reasons. It indicates something, either the mechanics of the mind, or the presence of space and dimension that is accessible only when regular sensory consciousness is stripped away. The indication is a very different thing from meaning, though.

Are you suspicious of ego death or the metaphysical interpretations? Ego death is a reproducable experience if you are suspicious follow the instructions and look for yourself. The metaphysical models of pre-modern traditions are partial but so are the metaphysics of post-modernism. You haven't leveled anything at pre-modernism that shouldn't be leved at post-modernism or modernism.

And building structures off of something just because the assertions that its primary, or universal, is building on shaky, consensus-driven ground.

Arguing that the experience of causal states isn't universal is like arguing that deep dreamless sleep isn't universal. It's just the nature of the experience. The interesting thing about the interpretation of causal and even non-dual experiences is they provide a sort of control variable for comparison of cultures. While there is alot of cultural variation there are many many similarities when interpreting these experiences. The interplay of masculine and feminine forces for example are found in both the east and the west. The chakras are found in the west as Spherotes. The Hindu story of Brahman's illusion of division is nearly identical to the Judaic idea of the divine sparks. and countless other similarities in interpretation. World-views are constructions, but they are guided by a deeper structures.

People routinely discard inconvenient puzzle pieces when they create systems of meaning (for example, the south pacific near death experience of heaven as a gleaming, pristine, skyscraper filled city). I am suspicious of order, systems, and so forth, because the human mind seeks out patterns, and orders things on its own, without help from the "me" that's typing. That is a context that must be addressed.

Regardless you are looking through a "system" as you speak whether you like it or not. The question is, is your conceptual system as complete as possible.

 

[college_dropout]

Alex Grey, then, I will agree has some really neat artistic ability. However, I have yet to understand any sort of deeper significance of his work.

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

-William Blake

His paintings remind me of those 4 verses whenever I see them.

Oh and check out the youtube video below. The painting he painted in 1989 with the twin towers and two planes is eerie.

 

[pr0ficient]

I've seen Alex Grey's works for quite sometime but didn't know his name until a few months ago. I actually just donated to his website for a free shirt. Pretty cool shirt!

 

[Jamshyd]

This is my favourite Alex Grey, mostly because I've experienced it myself (only the colours were white and gold):

 

[bingalpaws]

These are some of my favs from him, he's def an all time favorite artist of mine.

 

[bingalpaws]

(favorites that weren't already posted earlier in the thread I should've said)

 

[johnmortons]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08R8tgvXa7o

well, whatever he is, he certainly lacks humility. so he is a "mystic" who does "contemporary sacred art". he hears voices that tell him that his paintings are the womb for the "awakening human spirit". oh my. this guy's pantings look neat, but they just bore me. he is the highly skilled painters equivalent of a guy who says "dude, everything is connected, dude". at certain moments you may agree, but in the end its still a profoundly trivial statement because it lacks the necessary context, detail, the real world twists and qualifications. that's pretty much how i feel about what i've seen from this guy.

 

[bingalpaws]

this guy's pantings look neat, but they just bore me.

I don't know anythign about you, but I feel that's somethign I would've said after having seen his paintings, in the years before I used psychedelics. Now, after having so many ridiculously profound experiences, his paintings mean so much more, and unfortunately I can't really express through words why (kind of just like trying to explain what tripping feels like with words, it's just not really possible. Or explaining sight to the blind.)

 

[bingalpaws]

I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to imply you were inexperienced, I meant that like 'you may or may not have ever tripped, you may have tripped 100X more than I have'. Honestly, I had no ill will or bad intentions, and I did not mean to imply you hadn't done any psychedelics, I was just stating that it seemed like somethign I would've said before using tons of psychs. It must've just come out wrong, my bad.

 

[Jamshyd]

Although I admire his art, Grey definitely isn't particularly inspiring to me as a person. He associates with people like Wilber, Pinchbeck, Sting, and MJK... all of which are big egos (although MJK is also particularly notable for his talent).

 

[ladyinthesky]

alex grey is an incredible artist, i got to see some of his stuff at the tool concert....amazing

 

[Swerlz]

i Alex Grey

Definitely one of the greatest artists of our time

 

[bingalpaws]

Although I admire his art, Grey definitely isn't particularly inspiring to me as a person. He associates with people like Wilber, Pinchbeck, Sting, and MJK... all of which are big egos (although MJK is also particularly notable for his talent).

Would you agree that, despite having large ego, mjk isn't that ego-centric? I feel, when listening to a lot of his stuff, that he sometimes seems pre-occupied with transcending the ego (parabola video, for example).

 

[Pander Bear]

i Alex Grey

Definitely one of the greatest artists of our time

lol!

 

[yougene]

Although I admire his art, Grey definitely isn't particularly inspiring to me as a person. He associates with people like Wilber, Pinchbeck, Sting, and MJK... all of which are big egos (although MJK is also particularly notable for his talent).

I don't think there is a person out there that doesn't have a big ego lurking somewhere deep inside. Not even the Dalai Lhama, or even a person with low self esteem. Having founded self worth does not equate to narcissism. Understandably it raises red flags but the distinction needs to be made.

 

[aanallein]

are you for real atlas? You talk shit on Grey and then post this as great art? That's just absurd.

 

[Pander Bear]

Ya, and either you respect my opinion, or you get to go 'round and 'round with somebody who reads ArtForum and Derrida for fun.

 

[aanallein]

So reading 2 forums makes you some kind of expert?

It is ART. Art is about human expression. From the dawn of human kind we've been drawing on cave walls and even those very unskilled images are considered art. My shitty doodles at work are also art. A turtle walking by a big blue square is also apparently art. Alex Grey's work is art. It may not do anything for you personally and you might be able to write 20 pages of dribble on why its not post modernist or some other tripe but it takes a lot of skill and vision to produce his stuff so I'm going to appreciate it on that level alone, if not for the other qualities it has.

I think you should get off your high horse. Let's see your own work if you are so open to criticizing others you shouldn't mind a little criticism of your own stuff.

 

[Pander Bear]

Its certainly art, I just don't think its particularly good art.

ArtForum is a magazine, Derrida is a philosopher.

It takes skill, so does engineering a crappy car like a Ford Pinto.

I'm not a visual artist, though it doesn't take a visual artist to evaluate visual art. America has a crappy president, and more people than Carter, Clinton, and his father are qualified to say that.

Really lets start going

Grey cheapens mystical experiences by selling them.