Ronald Ventura Is Top-Selling Visual Artist

Online, April 13, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Recently, Filipino visual artist Ronald Ventura sold his painting Grayground at Sotheby's, a world renowned art auction house. The masterpiece is a graphite, acrylic, and oil on canvas measuring 152.5 by 396 cm. The Grayground was sold for a hefty HK$ 8,420,000 (almost PHP47 M) at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing) on Apr 04, 2011.

Ventura: An Acclaimed Filipino Artist
Born in 1973, Ventura was a fine arts graduate from University of Sto. Tomas. He has conducted several solo art exhibitions in the Philippines and abroad showcasing his art. In 2009, he staged his first solo art exhibition entitled Metaphysics of Skin in the United States through Tyler Rollins Fine Art.

Ventura is recognized globally as one of the most acclaimed contemporary Filipino visual artist in Southeast Asia. This year, Ventura's Grayground was auctioned for nearly P47 million at Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings sale. His creative endeavor makes Filipinos all over the world proud.

Grayground As 'Nihilistic Playground'
Filipino visual artist-writer Igan D'Bayan described Ventura's Grayground as the artist's 'nihilistic playground'. He added that the painting is an 'existential mash-up of styles' of 'hyperrealism and graffiti, the classical and the lowbrow'. D'Bayan is an illustrator and engaging columnist of The Philippine STAR.

Inscribed below the raging horses, robot, detach muscles, and shadowy figures is the phrase, 'THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY' with the word 'century' barely noticeable. Grayground is full of symbolism; which reminds me of the paintings of English poet and painter William Blake. I can see it as a tug-of-war between good and evil represented by the determined horses fleeing in opposite direction. What's at stake is left for the viewer to decide.

Sotheby's History
Sotheby's is an auctioneering company founded in 1744. For 267 years, Sotheby's has established itself as one of the world's fourth oldest auction house in the auctioneering industry. Although Sotheby.com is no longer an online auction site, the company's website is a repository of information about the whereabouts of Sotheby's.

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Red Pen Red Temper: http://redpenredtemper.info/?p=169 is an independent blog owned by Geraldine Galit.