I have a Tantric panel

"Ars longa, vita brevis."

(Art is eternal, life is fleeting)

Professor Aurora's opening line is a classic motto from the art academy.

Without being prompted, Xia En immediately picked up the chalk and wrote the line of large characters on the blackboard.

He had just reviewed that sentence yesterday, so naturally he wouldn't make a mistake.

It's worth mentioning that his chalk handwriting was quite good, which even caught Aurora's attention.

The professor looked away and continued.

"You've probably all heard this saying before."

"But have you ever thought about...why?"

A pale, white arm was raised.

Aurora nodded slightly: "Clara, you tell us about it."

Clara stood up and spoke frankly.

"I think that's because the 'beauty' of artworks will last a long time after they are created."

"Moreover, whenever someone appreciates a work of art, they also draw inspiration from its beauty."

"If this inspires you to create new works, it is equivalent to the inheritance and evolution of art."

"This scale naturally far exceeds the creator's life itself."

Aurora clapped her hands gently: "Well said."

"But is 'beauty' all that remains in works of art?"

Clara pondered, "That's right, it's not just 'beauty'."

"There is also the information conveyed by the artwork itself, as well as the artist's thoughts and techniques."

"To be more precise..."

Aurora chimed in: "It's what the artist wants to convey to the audience."

"There is something in this world that cannot be accurately described with words, recorded with images, or even detected by instruments, yet it truly exists."

The professor's voice lowered.

"Like a shadow hidden behind a curtain."

"What the artist does is to interpret the appearance of that shadow in his own way."

Only a very small number of people can see the "truth" behind the curtain through the "window" of a work of art.

She paused, then said softly.

"But being able to see it is not necessarily a lucky thing... That's where the magic of art comes from."

The huge lecture hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Students at Akarin University are more or less aware of the "magic of art."

But having a professor deliver this in class still had a significant impact on them.

Xia En's eyelids twitched slightly as he listened.

He remembered Paul's warning and dared not delve too deeply into the meaning of those words.

Alaria then recounted several examples from art history to support her claim.

have to say.

Professor Aurora's lectures were very effective; her words constantly guided the audience's thinking.

It draws people in unconsciously and never feels boring.

"Language descriptions are ultimately one-sided."

"Some things are hard to understand deeply unless you witness them firsthand."

Ara put down the chalk in her hand and called softly.

"Teaching Assistant Shane, please help me remove the gauze from the painting."

"Yes."

As Shane removed the gauze, a male student jokingly remarked.

"Professor, what if we are corrupted by the 'magic' of art after seeing this painting?"

"Won't someone commit suicide because of this?"

He didn't quite believe Alara's claims, still considering them a form of ignorant superstition.

"Don't worry, what's behind the curtain isn't necessarily dangerous."

Aurora explained in a flat tone.

Just as people can be good or bad, those "shadows" can also tend towards order or chaos.

"It is often only the latter that leads artists down the path of self-destruction."

Hearing this, Xia En felt a little more at ease.

Also.

Alola adheres to the principles of the "heart," leaning more towards order than the "moth."

There's no way I would intentionally kill a student in class.

Remove the gauze.

The painting depicts a blurry silhouette, as if the person is standing under a pitch-black night sky, with only a few bright spots in the sky.

Xia En still didn't dare to look too much, and after shifting her gaze, she stood quietly to one side of the podium.

Emmett.

Aurora chose the boy who had made the joke earlier.

"What...do you see in this painting?"

Emmett frowned, looked at it carefully for a while, and then answered honestly.

"A desolate wilderness at night?"

……Um?

Xia En was taken aback for a moment.

Where is this huge person in the picture?

Didn't Emmett see it?

"Please sit down."

Aurora didn't comment on Emmett's answer, but instead randomly called on another student's name.

"Olsen, what did you see?"

"The night sky, stars, and some things that looked like shadows, but it was too dark to see them clearly."

"Um, Lauren, what about you?"

After that, Aurora selected several more students.

The answers were all similar, all evoking images of night, starry skies, wilderness, and shadows.

But this doesn't seem to be the answer Alaria wanted to hear.

Or perhaps she's waiting for a certain answer to appear?

Clara.

Finally, Ara's gaze fell on the blonde girl.

"What does this painting look like in your eyes?"

"Well……"

Clara stood up, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"I saw a figure from behind, a figure from behind under the starry sky."

A low murmur rippled through the classroom.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Aurora's eyes as she continued to ask.

"Anything else?"

Clara stared intently at the painting for a long time, then said somewhat uncertainly.

"It seems... and that person's eyes? They should be blue."

"Sorry, that's all I can see."

Aurora nodded gently: "That's already very good, please have a seat."

Clara looked flattered.

Earning a compliment from Professor Aurora is no easy feat.

Just when all the students thought the Q&A session was over.

The female professor, who was known for her strictness, looked towards the seat next to the podium.

"Teaching Assistant Shane, you seem a bit distracted. Is my class too boring?"

Xia En broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

Generally speaking, professors don't care if teaching assistants daydream during class, as long as they obediently complete their duties.

Moreover, Shane simply didn't want to end up in a life-or-death situation like the senior teaching assistant.

Only then did he try his best not to look at the painting or ponder Aurora's words.

In front of the professor, he certainly didn't dare to reveal the real reason, but simply said...

"I'm sorry, Professor, I did get distracted just now—because of this painting."

"Oh?"

Aurora put down her teaching position.

What are your thoughts on this painting?

Faced with that oppressive gaze, Shane could only bite the bullet and speak.

"I was just wondering why this painting appears differently to different people."

What is your conclusion?

"I was thinking that some sculptures and paintings would show obvious deviations when viewed from different angles—in art, this technique seems to be called anamorphosis."

Xia En paused.

"But when I changed my perspective, I found that the painting had not changed, which shows that the difference is not in the 'angle', but in... the 'individual'."

"Each individual has a different capacity to receive certain information from a painting."

"Just as red-green colorblindness prevents us from seeing these two colors, our senses also deceive us, preventing us from capturing the full information of this painting."

"Each person only sees a corner, yet they all think it is the whole picture—like the blind men and the elephant."

A brief silence fell over the classroom.

The young college students never expected that what this sickly teaching assistant said... actually made a lot of sense.

Clara also glanced at Shane, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

I've never seen him so eloquent in class before.

"Well said."

Aurora smiled with great interest.

"Then, Teaching Assistant Shane, could you tell me—"

What do you see in this painting?