It is Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness [Buddha]

Author: Sofía Bassi

Title:Más vale encender una luz, que maldecir las tinieblas (Buda) (It is Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness [Buddha])

Date: 1994

Material: Oil on masonite

Dimensions: 19.7 × 23.6 inches

Location: Private collection

Rights: Sofía Bassi Foundation

It is Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness shows a single figure seated on a raised, uneven surface at the center of the image. The figure is wrapped in blue-green forms that extend into the ground beneath it. A small flame is held at hand level, set against a bright orange area that opens in the background. The surrounding space is dark and dense, with broad strokes that move diagonally across the sky.

Sofía Bassi builds the composition around the contrast between the small light and the darker field that surrounds it. The terrain below is irregular, with forms that resemble rock or vegetal growth. On the left, a narrow vertical shape rises from the ground. On the right, pointed structures repeat at a smaller scale. The light remains localized around the figure and does not spread across the surface.