All the pictures below are taken from the book 'Codex Seraphinianus', by Luigi Serafini. It is also generally known as the weirdest book in the world. A big thank you to Danny Fahey for showing me this inconceivable, mind-boggling masterpiece.

Art as we know it might not be what we've understand this entire time. Unless, you're a bohemian or some sort of avant-garde, post-modern, freudian, surrealist, or any member of other occult groups that is not listed even on Wikipedia.

I began my journey through the world of art only to found out that true art needs no explanation. But of course, tertiary education around the globe often features subjects like literature and art philosophy. In fact, some major works of art often have a deeper meaning, implicitly imbued beneath words, sentences, even acts and animations.

Some example: Some scenes in Disney's 'Pinocchio' symbolizes masonry and child slavery, while Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away' highlights human greed and gluttony, also criticized environmental damage in modern day Japan.

But, the more I studied one work, the harder it gets to describe the meaning, especially when there is none. We, arts people, and virtually everyone who had studied in the Western secular education system, are challenged to be skeptical; questions everything beneath the surface until we squeeze dry even the last drop of knowledge that only leads to a new, more complicated question. Its a never ending loop.

Until I had a chat with my senior, Rama, just this afternoon while enjoying a nice box of Japanese bento. And I only bragged about how much I know (and desperately wanted to buy) this weird, surrealist book titled 'Codex Seraphinianus'.

We talked, and I said, "What if authors only write words LITERALLY? No deeper meaning behind it. But those literature guys are just too smart, or too dumb, to think that those words has other meaning than its literal meaning?"

I even gave him an example, "If I write 'blue sky', I would only want it to be, literally, a blue sky. Nothing else. But you, as a literaturist (is that even a word?), might think 'blue sky' as... I don't know. As peace? Or serenity? Tranquility?"

And he said, "Art is very subjective."

I listened.

"What the authors do is just write." He continued, "Their job is just to enhance and amplify your imagination, while your job is to give meaning and purpose to his artwork. The rest is within your mind."

He silenced me.



Authors sells an idea. You play with it.