.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
For Indonesian artist Besta Bestrizal, colour is a visual device to emphasise and accentuate the subject of his works. born in Padang, West Sumatra, and was domiciled in Pekanbaru, Riau, before settling in the city of Yogyakarta. Painstakingly rendered in charcoal, his dominantly monochromatic works, take on a life-like appearance through his undeniable skill in creating hyper-realistic compositions. Filled with details, Bestizal's works are mental landscapes that come from his own inner worlds, and his background in creating photo collages show through in his visual vernacular of surreal visualscapes.
In Unstoppable Blessing (Lot 151), the canvas is dominated by a large buffalo that stares steely at the viewer, with one hoof suspended in mid-stomp. Surrounding it are many other creatures, both of the land, sky and even sea. There is a sense of harmony among the creatures, but also an alertness, as if anticipating an event or the commencement of something. Represented in these group of animals, is a lion and a tiger, often regarded in folklore as the king of the forest and the king of jungle, respectively. It is interesting that the buffalo visually dominates these creatures that would be its predators in the animal kingdom.
Unstoppable Blessing appears to be a utopia created by Bestrizal, perhaps a hope that all creatures great and small will one day be able to live in unification and harmony, the painted horns of the buffalo appear to protrude out of the canvas, emphasising that the only way is forward. Blessings come with hardwork, and the buffalo is no greater symbol of this. This certainly reverberates with his own belief to:
'Tetaplah berusaha dengan tekun dan benar, karena hidup kita adalah kebaikan. Kebaikan bagi kita dan kebaikan bagi orang lain disekitar kita. (Do not give up as our life is full of goodness which we can share with others.)'.
In Unstoppable Blessing (Lot 151), the canvas is dominated by a large buffalo that stares steely at the viewer, with one hoof suspended in mid-stomp. Surrounding it are many other creatures, both of the land, sky and even sea. There is a sense of harmony among the creatures, but also an alertness, as if anticipating an event or the commencement of something. Represented in these group of animals, is a lion and a tiger, often regarded in folklore as the king of the forest and the king of jungle, respectively. It is interesting that the buffalo visually dominates these creatures that would be its predators in the animal kingdom.
Unstoppable Blessing appears to be a utopia created by Bestrizal, perhaps a hope that all creatures great and small will one day be able to live in unification and harmony, the painted horns of the buffalo appear to protrude out of the canvas, emphasising that the only way is forward. Blessings come with hardwork, and the buffalo is no greater symbol of this. This certainly reverberates with his own belief to:
'Tetaplah berusaha dengan tekun dan benar, karena hidup kita adalah kebaikan. Kebaikan bagi kita dan kebaikan bagi orang lain disekitar kita. (Do not give up as our life is full of goodness which we can share with others.)'.