Loneliness and illusions: the stories told by Rafael Betesh's paintings at the "Legacy for the Future" exposition

The National Centre RUSSIA hosts a unique exposition featuring young artists from Russia, China, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Iran. The "Legacy for the Future" exposition has brought together over 250 works. Visitors can admire original paintings, sculptures, photographs, and art objects until February 2.

Artists from Brazil have presented some of the most personal works in the exposition, which, despite their symbolic nature, resonate on an intuitive level. Previously, we shared the story behind the "Self-Destruction" series by Monique Queiroz. The artist’s journey inspired her partner, also a professional artist, to create the painting "Babylon." This piece, along with Rafael Betesh's works "The Pianist" and "The Myth of the Cave," is showcased at the "Legacy for the Future" exposition.

"Rafael Betesh describes his creative process as though something descends upon him, and he begins to paint; a piece is born out of nothing in just an hour or even less. The work 'Babylon' is dedicated to the loneliness of an individual in a big city. The protagonist is among people yet apart from everyone," says Yuri Bolotov, a guide at the National Centre RUSSIA.

The painting "The Pianist" was inspired by the artist's love for classical music. Observing the performance of a talented pianist, Rafael found it hard to believe that human hands could move so quickly. To honor the skill of musicians, he depicted his protagonist with three hands.

The painting "The Myth of the Cave" is based on one of the chapters of Plato's dialogue "The Republic." While the central theme of the work is an analysis of political systems of that era, Plato also delves into other topics, such as justice, the structure of the world, and methods of understanding it. In this case, "The Myth of the Cave" serves as an allegory vividly illustrating how limited a person's perception of the world can be.

In the painting, we see a prisoner living in a cave. The protagonist can only infer what happens behind his back from the shadows on the cave's wall. Additionally, right in front of the prisoner, there is a door symbolizing an exit. But upon closer inspection, we realize that the door is merely painted. It is nothing more than an illusion of freedom.