Contest 13– Winner Interview – Ali Beigi

Interviewed by - Pragati Surana https://www.instagram.com/pragatisurana.ch/

Please tell us about your journey as an artist.

My artistic journey has been long and challenging. Growing up in Iran, I had limited access to advanced academic art education and experienced masters. Determined to continue learning, I traveled to different countries to study, gain experience, and learn from accomplished artists.

The journey was not always easy. Whenever I returned to Iran, I once again faced the limitations of formal academic training and professional guidance. However, I was fortunate to meet two teachers who played an important role in my development: Gholam-Ali Afzari Far and Vahid Haghighi. Their guidance and support helped me continue on this path, refine my skills, and develop my own artistic practice.

What is your medium and why did you choose it?

My primary medium is oil painting. I chose oil because of the extraordinary range of possibilities it offers. It gives me the freedom to express different emotions and atmospheres while allowing me to explore subtle transitions, structure, texture, and fine detail.

For me, oil is the most versatile medium for conveying both the emotional and physical qualities of a painting. Its depth and flexibility allow me to build an image gradually and translate what I see and feel into the work.

What was the inspiration behind this work?

I have long been inspired by documentaries about nature and wildlife, particularly those focusing on species and ecosystems that are gradually disappearing. Human activity, habitat destruction, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental pressures are contributing to the decline of nature and wildlife around the world.

This inspired me to begin painting endangered and disappearing plants and animals—subjects that are becoming increasingly rare or are already on the verge of extinction.

I chose this particular tree as one of my subjects and later discovered that it no longer exists. This gave the painting a meaning I had not anticipated when I began it.

I feel grateful that I was able to preserve its memory through painting. In this sense, the work has become more than an image for me; it is also a record of something that can no longer be encountered in nature

Who is your favorite artist? Why?

My favorite artist is William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I admire his extraordinary technical precision, but even more than that, I am drawn to his ability to convey human emotion with remarkable depth and sensitivity.

What fascinates me most is the way he captures the inner life of his subjects. His figures are technically refined, yet they never feel merely academic; they possess vulnerability, individuality, and emotional presence.

As Damien Bartoli, an author who wrote extensively about Bouguereau, described it, Bouguereau had a remarkable ability to portray the “souls of the young.” This combination of technical mastery and emotional sensitivity is what makes his work especially meaningful to me.