Breathtaking landscapes
Breathtaking landscapes
The work of Agustín Pontesta impresses from the very second in which the viewer stands in front of his creations. In his infinite landscapes, in which the horizons appear to be absent, the masses of people are mixed with difficult, extreme terrain. Some of his works have an apocalyptic tone; in others, the textures and relief work emulate the heavens or hint towards rocks that remind viewers of the bottom of the sea – particular universes in which art and science combine. To understand what has led him to create these arid landscapes, it is worth looking into his peculiar style of life which is characterized by intensity – both in terms of his life as in terms of his art.
When he was a young man, his inner need to express himself through painting awoke; however, it was alongside the artist Alfredo Bikondoa that he clearly saw his vocation. Since then, he has not stopped working and evolving simultaneously, with a unique and genuine way of understanding the world that surrounds him. At the same time, he discovered –and became interested in– Zen Buddhism and its philosophy. For years, he attended workshops and intensive retreats. He also became familiar with Tibetan Buddhism through several Lamas, participating in courses and retreats and even attending conventions taught by the Dalai Lama himself in France and India. During that time, he studied and practiced oriental art, the Sumi-e technique for monochrome drawing, and Japanese calligraphy.
Agustín also resided for a time in London, motivated by Victorian painting and especially the work of William Turner. A lover of open spaces and remote places and a reader of classics about travelers and explorers from when he was a child, Agustín has gone on trips of several months in length, always alone and with a one-way ticket – making improvisation his way of life. His travels have taken him to remote places like the Amazon jungle, the Andes, the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Thar Desert in India; likewise, to Turkey, Jordan, and Israel, to the vast expanses of Patagonia, and to Tierra del Fuego and the Himalayas, among others. Additionally, he has done the Way of Saint James several times in almost all its known variants over the peninsula – doing the whole way in full and uninterruptedly.
Agustín Pontesta is a restless person that has adopted alternative ways to go about a conventional social system. His life path, his introspective way of looking at things, which is simultaneously open to the world, in some way reinforces and permeates his artistic work – work in which the internalization of the landscape suffused with latent spirituality can be discerned. His life experiences, taken to the canvas, have received numerous awards at important festivals and competitions, as well as being on display in countless exhibition halls in Spain and France.
Agustín Pontesta
Tel.: +34 634 412 084
