"Untitled" Oil on Canvas, 3.5m X 1.85m, A new movement to be exhibited at the Doust Gallery, Al Fanar Mall, Kuwait in December. Also will be a part of a show in Makati, Philippines sometime early 2007.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Works in Progress
"Untitled" Oil on Canvas, 3.5m X 1.85m, A new movement to be exhibited at the Doust Gallery, Al Fanar Mall, Kuwait in December. Also will be a part of a show in Makati, Philippines sometime early 2007.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
New Works 2006
Been away for a while, well, buried at work, the DJing and of course working on some new paintings, Here's some of the latest that I have and I would say it has kind of evolved into something more graphics-style like, well it's all good though. I find this very interesting and of course, Fun! That's what it's all about:-) Enjoy!
Cherry-Eyed Fascinations
130cms x 130cms-Oil on Canvas
Feast Under Amber Skies
(Detail) 50cms x 50cms Oil on Canvas
Choco-Mint Experience 2006
61 cms x 91 cms -Oil on Canvas
Cherry-Eyed Fascinations
130cms x 130cms-Oil on Canvas
Feast Under Amber Skies
(Detail) 50cms x 50cms Oil on Canvas
Choco-Mint Experience 2006
61 cms x 91 cms -Oil on Canvas
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Character Designs
OK, I bumped into a computer arts magazine and got inspired. I came up with these bumpy buddies I called "BUTLIG" that's like a little bumpy growth on the skin which is irresistably itchy, well, it's more or less itches. A part of my "cyber-mikrobyo" series (Digi-character designs). So, time to get itchy and scratch on! More to come:-)
Sunday, July 02, 2006
BOOKS - 13 Painters for the 21st Century
13 MODERNS.
13 Artists.
A new book launched to the list of "13" in Philippine art by coming up with 13 Painters for the 21st Century, also the book's title. With all the talented and successful artists in the country today, to come up with only 13 is a daunting task. Ana Labrador, editor of Sikat Books Publishing Inc., publisher of the book, thought so, too. "Using thirteen as a motif to feature a more mature group of artists became a challenge for me," she says in the book's introduction. To narrow down the list, she set criteria: the artists must be living, must be renowned for their body of works, awards and community service, must still be exhibiting and have critical reviews to their name. And so the 13 painters were chosen: Federico Alcuaz, Ang Kiukok, Norma Belleza, Bencab, Antonio Austria, Danny Dalena, Prudencio Lamorroza, Lao Lianben, Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Malang, Romulo Olazo and Juvenal Sanso.
Seven minutes is Federico Aguilar Alcuaz's record for finishing a landscape or portrait. That seven minutes, though, according to the writer Anthony John R. Balisi, "means seven minutes and a lifetime of practice." Born in Manila in 1932, Alcuaz studied law at the Ateneo de Manila and fine arts at the University of the Philippines. He then went to Madrid on a one-year scholarship to the Real Academia de Bellas de San Fernando, the same school attended by Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Fabian de la Rosa and Fernando Amorsolo. But he only stayed for two weeks: his professors could not teach him anything new. He was "way ahead of his peers." From Madrid he went to Barcelona and pursued painting, coming home eight years later after meeting a vehicular accident. Alcuaz made a name for himself not only in Manila, but also in Europe, and exhibited in Singapore and Chicago as well. His art "reflects his experience of foreign culture" even in his Tres Marias series or landscapes showing the Pasig River. 
Named national Artist for the Visual Arts, Ang Kiukok no doubt belongs to this list. Known for his expressionist paintings of the crucified Christ and tortured and pained people and animals, Kiukok started by drawing the Lone Ranger and still lifes of goldfishes. Born in 1931, Kiukok honed his artistic talent by studying under the masters Victorio Edades, Diosdado Lorenzo, and Vicente Manansala at the University of Santo Tomas, assisting Manansala in doing the mural of the 14 stations of the Cross for the Church of the Holy Sacrifice at UP. After a while he received a study and travel grant with Manansala to Los Angeles, and from there visited the museums in New York and Paris. "His art was never the same again," wrote Melanie Uy. 
Norma Belleza grew up in a house across the marketplace in San Fernando, La Union. Those market scenes from her early childhood provided her with a rich wellspring of images for her paintings. Farmers, fish vendors, fruits, vegetables and flowers-she painted them in bright happy colors. Belleza studied fine arts at the UST and later married her classmate Angelito Antonio, himself a respected artist. One of the "best-selling" artists of time, Benedicto Cabrera or Bencab for short, majored in fine arts advertising at the UP. He became an illustrator for the Sunday Times Magazine, painting on the side.
At 27 he moved to London and there "began to explore new themes and modes of expression as an artist in exile," wrote Delfin L. Tolentino, Jr. Bencab based his works on old photographs, "to serve as commentaries on the influence of Spanish and American colonization." When he exhibited in Manila in 1972, his acrylic works were "heralded as harbingers of change in contemporary Philippine art."
Antonio Austria is known for painting Filipino everyday scenes. He'd paint jeepneys, sari-sari stores, billiard halls, blind musicians, and the Cenaculo. He was born in Shanghai to Filipino parents but moved to Manila at the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. He studied painting at the UST and later taught there for 27 years. For him, composition is very important to the extent that he reworks his canvases until he is satisfied with the suitable arrangement for his images. "The shy Austria wants to be remembered as an artist who featured motifs that are Filipino in theme, style and color. In his own words, that is his small contribution to Philippine art," wrote Regina C. Cruz.
Danilo Dalena was in Pakil, Laguna, and grew up in a house across the town plaza and facing the church. As such, Dalena had a front-row seat to every procession, festival, Holy Week rituals, weddings, and such other activities and used those images in his oil paintings. Dalena was also an illustrator and political cartoonist, but pursued painting when he lost his job during martial law. He has done a number of critically acclaimed series, from Jai Alai, Alibangbang (a nightclub in Cubao) to Pakil and Quiapo scenes. He studied advertising art at the UST and taught for some time at the Far Eastern University.
As a young boy, Prudencio Lamarroza spent many days fishing and gathering mussels in the Chico and Am-burayan rivers in the Ilocos region. Years later, he did his Amburayan series based on those childhood memories. The Amburayan Queen, the river goddess, became a constant figure in his paintings. The environment was also a major theme recurring in his works. "He was among the earliest visual artists to comment on the environment and the imbalance in nature," wrote Anthony John R. Balisi. Lamorroza studied fine arts at the UST and the Philippine Women's University.It took awhile for Lao Lianben to try abstraction, but when he saw the work of MuChi, a Chinese painter and monk, he "became convinced of the many possibilities of the abstract mode." From then on, 
Lao made minimalist meditative works using a limited palette of black, white and gray, which creates "spareness in his statements," according to the late art critic Leo Benesa. "Color for Lao merely disturbs the visual experience and is therefore disposable," wrote Maria Victoria T. Herrera. Lao studied fine arts at the University of the East and taught there for five years.
Arturo Luz had his first painting lessons from Pablo Amorsolo. When his father was assigned to a diplomatic post in the US, Luz took the opportunity to study further in the arts, first at the California College of Arts and Crafts on a scholarship, then at Brooklyn Museum Art School and at the Academic de la Grande Chaumier in Paris. Luz started out doing figurative works but settled on abstraction. He became known for his series of street musicians, vendors, cyclists and carnival performers, as well as for his linear paintings. Luz also did sculpture using wood, concrete and metal. He was named National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1997.
Anita Magsaysay-Ho is the list's link to the "13 Moderns," a shortlist of artists drawn up by the National Artist Victorio Edades before World War II. Born in Manila, she studied art at the UP, the Art Students' League and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Called "the female Amorsolo," Magsaysay-Ho painted genre and women subjects. Her works have won international recognition, fetching high prices in auctions and usually done in her preferred medium, egg tempera.
Malang continues to enjoy a stellar status in Philippine art. His bright happy paintings of women vendors have endeared him to many people, young and old. A self-taught painter, Malang often says he went to the "Chronicle school," referring to the Manila Chronicle, where he learned painting from his boss, H.R. Ocampo. After 20 years in the Chronicle, and after giving life to cartoons like Kosme the Cop, Retired, Chain-Gang Charlie and Beelzebub, Malang pursued painting full-time. In 1994 he won the Gawad Para sa Sining Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Abstractionist Romulo Olazo first became known for his printmaking. He went to workshops conducted by Manuel Rodriguez Sr. To Olazo the collagraph (or collage intaglio) and serigraph (silkscreen painting) are "simple and 'natural, just like breathing.'" He experimented a lot using these methods and won competitions left and right for printmaking. When he moved to painting, he became known for his Diaphonous series, the result of applying "the basic priniciples and techniques of serigraphy to painting." Writes Maria Victoria Herrera, "For almost thirty years as a professional artist, Olazo has been recognized as one of the most versatile in the contemporary art world."
Junvenal Sanso was born in Catluna, Spain, grew up in the Philippines and now shuttles between Paris and Manila. He studied at the UP and regards Fernando Amorsolo as the artist-teacher who inspired him the most. He went for further studies in Europe. Labrador writes, "He remains fascinated with rustic scenes in the Philippines, such as native houses and fishing traps he has seen while growing up. Sanso's choice and method of color are the only indication that he has been living in Europe for some time." Prolific even at 72, he "doesn't see himself retiring, because a lot remains to be done."
The Art Manila Newspaper
Volume II, Series No. 9 2001
13 Artists.
A new book launched to the list of "13" in Philippine art by coming up with 13 Painters for the 21st Century, also the book's title. With all the talented and successful artists in the country today, to come up with only 13 is a daunting task. Ana Labrador, editor of Sikat Books Publishing Inc., publisher of the book, thought so, too. "Using thirteen as a motif to feature a more mature group of artists became a challenge for me," she says in the book's introduction. To narrow down the list, she set criteria: the artists must be living, must be renowned for their body of works, awards and community service, must still be exhibiting and have critical reviews to their name. And so the 13 painters were chosen: Federico Alcuaz, Ang Kiukok, Norma Belleza, Bencab, Antonio Austria, Danny Dalena, Prudencio Lamorroza, Lao Lianben, Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Malang, Romulo Olazo and Juvenal Sanso.
Seven minutes is Federico Aguilar Alcuaz's record for finishing a landscape or portrait. That seven minutes, though, according to the writer Anthony John R. Balisi, "means seven minutes and a lifetime of practice." Born in Manila in 1932, Alcuaz studied law at the Ateneo de Manila and fine arts at the University of the Philippines. He then went to Madrid on a one-year scholarship to the Real Academia de Bellas de San Fernando, the same school attended by Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Fabian de la Rosa and Fernando Amorsolo. But he only stayed for two weeks: his professors could not teach him anything new. He was "way ahead of his peers." From Madrid he went to Barcelona and pursued painting, coming home eight years later after meeting a vehicular accident. Alcuaz made a name for himself not only in Manila, but also in Europe, and exhibited in Singapore and Chicago as well. His art "reflects his experience of foreign culture" even in his Tres Marias series or landscapes showing the Pasig River. 
Named national Artist for the Visual Arts, Ang Kiukok no doubt belongs to this list. Known for his expressionist paintings of the crucified Christ and tortured and pained people and animals, Kiukok started by drawing the Lone Ranger and still lifes of goldfishes. Born in 1931, Kiukok honed his artistic talent by studying under the masters Victorio Edades, Diosdado Lorenzo, and Vicente Manansala at the University of Santo Tomas, assisting Manansala in doing the mural of the 14 stations of the Cross for the Church of the Holy Sacrifice at UP. After a while he received a study and travel grant with Manansala to Los Angeles, and from there visited the museums in New York and Paris. "His art was never the same again," wrote Melanie Uy. 
Norma Belleza grew up in a house across the marketplace in San Fernando, La Union. Those market scenes from her early childhood provided her with a rich wellspring of images for her paintings. Farmers, fish vendors, fruits, vegetables and flowers-she painted them in bright happy colors. Belleza studied fine arts at the UST and later married her classmate Angelito Antonio, himself a respected artist. One of the "best-selling" artists of time, Benedicto Cabrera or Bencab for short, majored in fine arts advertising at the UP. He became an illustrator for the Sunday Times Magazine, painting on the side.
At 27 he moved to London and there "began to explore new themes and modes of expression as an artist in exile," wrote Delfin L. Tolentino, Jr. Bencab based his works on old photographs, "to serve as commentaries on the influence of Spanish and American colonization." When he exhibited in Manila in 1972, his acrylic works were "heralded as harbingers of change in contemporary Philippine art."Antonio Austria is known for painting Filipino everyday scenes. He'd paint jeepneys, sari-sari stores, billiard halls, blind musicians, and the Cenaculo. He was born in Shanghai to Filipino parents but moved to Manila at the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. He studied painting at the UST and later taught there for 27 years. For him, composition is very important to the extent that he reworks his canvases until he is satisfied with the suitable arrangement for his images. "The shy Austria wants to be remembered as an artist who featured motifs that are Filipino in theme, style and color. In his own words, that is his small contribution to Philippine art," wrote Regina C. Cruz.
Danilo Dalena was in Pakil, Laguna, and grew up in a house across the town plaza and facing the church. As such, Dalena had a front-row seat to every procession, festival, Holy Week rituals, weddings, and such other activities and used those images in his oil paintings. Dalena was also an illustrator and political cartoonist, but pursued painting when he lost his job during martial law. He has done a number of critically acclaimed series, from Jai Alai, Alibangbang (a nightclub in Cubao) to Pakil and Quiapo scenes. He studied advertising art at the UST and taught for some time at the Far Eastern University.
As a young boy, Prudencio Lamarroza spent many days fishing and gathering mussels in the Chico and Am-burayan rivers in the Ilocos region. Years later, he did his Amburayan series based on those childhood memories. The Amburayan Queen, the river goddess, became a constant figure in his paintings. The environment was also a major theme recurring in his works. "He was among the earliest visual artists to comment on the environment and the imbalance in nature," wrote Anthony John R. Balisi. Lamorroza studied fine arts at the UST and the Philippine Women's University.It took awhile for Lao Lianben to try abstraction, but when he saw the work of MuChi, a Chinese painter and monk, he "became convinced of the many possibilities of the abstract mode." From then on, 
Lao made minimalist meditative works using a limited palette of black, white and gray, which creates "spareness in his statements," according to the late art critic Leo Benesa. "Color for Lao merely disturbs the visual experience and is therefore disposable," wrote Maria Victoria T. Herrera. Lao studied fine arts at the University of the East and taught there for five years.
Arturo Luz had his first painting lessons from Pablo Amorsolo. When his father was assigned to a diplomatic post in the US, Luz took the opportunity to study further in the arts, first at the California College of Arts and Crafts on a scholarship, then at Brooklyn Museum Art School and at the Academic de la Grande Chaumier in Paris. Luz started out doing figurative works but settled on abstraction. He became known for his series of street musicians, vendors, cyclists and carnival performers, as well as for his linear paintings. Luz also did sculpture using wood, concrete and metal. He was named National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1997.
Anita Magsaysay-Ho is the list's link to the "13 Moderns," a shortlist of artists drawn up by the National Artist Victorio Edades before World War II. Born in Manila, she studied art at the UP, the Art Students' League and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Called "the female Amorsolo," Magsaysay-Ho painted genre and women subjects. Her works have won international recognition, fetching high prices in auctions and usually done in her preferred medium, egg tempera.Malang continues to enjoy a stellar status in Philippine art. His bright happy paintings of women vendors have endeared him to many people, young and old. A self-taught painter, Malang often says he went to the "Chronicle school," referring to the Manila Chronicle, where he learned painting from his boss, H.R. Ocampo. After 20 years in the Chronicle, and after giving life to cartoons like Kosme the Cop, Retired, Chain-Gang Charlie and Beelzebub, Malang pursued painting full-time. In 1994 he won the Gawad Para sa Sining Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Abstractionist Romulo Olazo first became known for his printmaking. He went to workshops conducted by Manuel Rodriguez Sr. To Olazo the collagraph (or collage intaglio) and serigraph (silkscreen painting) are "simple and 'natural, just like breathing.'" He experimented a lot using these methods and won competitions left and right for printmaking. When he moved to painting, he became known for his Diaphonous series, the result of applying "the basic priniciples and techniques of serigraphy to painting." Writes Maria Victoria Herrera, "For almost thirty years as a professional artist, Olazo has been recognized as one of the most versatile in the contemporary art world."
Junvenal Sanso was born in Catluna, Spain, grew up in the Philippines and now shuttles between Paris and Manila. He studied at the UP and regards Fernando Amorsolo as the artist-teacher who inspired him the most. He went for further studies in Europe. Labrador writes, "He remains fascinated with rustic scenes in the Philippines, such as native houses and fishing traps he has seen while growing up. Sanso's choice and method of color are the only indication that he has been living in Europe for some time." Prolific even at 72, he "doesn't see himself retiring, because a lot remains to be done."The Art Manila Newspaper
Volume II, Series No. 9 2001
BOOKS
The treasure that is 'TANAW'
I AM holding a multibillion-peso – or, even priceless – treasure and it weighs less than a 24-karat gold bar.
It has the works of Filipino masters from Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Vicente Rivera, Jorge Pineda, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos "Botong" Francisco to Hernando Ocampo, Jose Joya, Fernando Zobel, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Lao Lianben, Augusto Albor, Lee Aguinaldo, Ang Kiukok, Onib Olmedo, Claude Tayag, Galo Ocampo, Edgar Talusan Fernandez, Juvenal Sanso , Edwin Wilwayco, Danny Dalena, Federico Alcuaz, Mauro Malang Santos, Roberto Chabet, Manuel Baldemor, Norma Belleza, among others.
This priceless treasure is the golden coffee-table book Tanaw, Perspectives on The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Painting Collection," which was published recently and made available to the Filipino readers by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Art critics and historians Alice Guillermo, Jaime C. Laya, Cid Reyes, Ma. Victoria T. Herrera, Fatima Lasay and editor-professor-curator-writer Ramon E.S. Lerma discuss the works of the artists in the context of their impact in the history of Philippine visual arts and the nation itself.
A reader perusing the book gets a virtual tour of the vast and highly valuable BSP art collection. The paintings featured in the book are as heavily guarded as the BSP’s gold collection and viewing them could mean a long, arduous paper trail to be signed by several important people at the central monetary authority of the Philippines.
As Governor Rafael Buenaventura (July 3, 1999 to July 3, 2005) said, "The collection, spanning two centuries and numbering over a thousand pieces (1,500 as of last count), serves as a mirror of ourselves as Filipinos: how we shaped our history, how we grew our sensibility and how we handled our sensitivity."
He cited two Central Bank governors before him Gregorio C. Licaros and Jaime C. Laya, who, during their watch, enriched the collection with new acquisitions and state-of-the-art preservation. They are Gregorio C. Licarios and Jaime C. Laya.
Incumbent Governor Amando M. Tetangco (July 4, 2005 to July 3, 2011), added, "the BSP art collection can serve as a powerful catalyst for instilling a strong sense of national identity and love of country, attributes that foster social stability and economic growth."
Lerma discusses in his introduction how the BSP, since its establishment in 1949, has built a collection that could rival other museums of national importance. He wrote: "Indeed, there can be no other way to explain the existence of this collection, and to justify the substantial public resources involved in procuring these paintings, than to look at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as an institution whose role as repository and custodian goes beyond solipsistic definitions of our country’s material wealth."
The first chapter, "Anyo: The Progenitors of the Filipino Nation" has Laya discussing portraiture. Here, the reader is ushered into the earliest works of Luna, Hidalgo and the realists or those who lived in the era when still-photography was considered a young art.
Guillermo discusses the development of visual arts as influenced by the events that shaped the Filipino psyche, from the late 19th century to the present, in the chapter "Gunita: Memory, History, Society."
Here, we are brought to the rice fields and seaside communities, with farmers and fishermen as seen in the eyes of Amorsolo and Francisco. We are also introduced to the nuances of certain works showing how how wars changed those sedate perspectives as images of men suffering from man-made causes emerged from the canvases of Galo Ocampo and contemporary painters like Egai Fernandez.
Reyes in the third chapter, "Diwa: Brush with Spirituality," discusses the religious images preserved in churches, among others, and how European masters like Rembrandt and Carvaggio influenced Filipino and Spanish painters in the Philippines. He deconstructs the landscapes of Francisco, Sanso and Gabriel Custodio, pointing out how an artist’s intense fixation for the sublime, or how one had viewed such genre as a spiritual exercise redefined visual arts in the post-war years. From there, Reyes ushers us to abstraction via the works of Joya, Zobel, Nena Saguil and younger, living artists like
Edwin Wilwayco, Albor and Lao Lianben. We must be reminded that Reyes is an abstract painter himself, thus, his expertise on the subject as critic and practitioner of the genre.
He later explains how the works of Olmedo, Kiukok, Dalena, Aguinaldo, Bencab, among others, helped reshape Philippine art by re-introducing figures in the chaos of lines and circles that is abstraction, thus, the entry of abstract expressionism and figurative abstraction. In one section titled "Transforming the Ordinary," while discussing the magic-realist influence on the works of Stevesantos and B. Carvajal Kiamko, Reyes quoted William Blake’s famous line, "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." Reyes’ mentioned that what’s important is the "viewer’s immersion into a higher level of reality," which could sum up the reasons-for-being of all those collected artworks and the beautifully-written exploratory essays in the book.
So as not to divulge all the precious discussions in "Tanaw," we leave to the curious readers the joy of discovering more hidden information about the priceless works of art in the BSP via the last two chapters, "Ganap, The Material Nature of Images and Collections," by Herrera, also an art professor at the UP Diliman and Ateneo, and "Tanaw, Seeing and Shaping the World in the Philippine Landscape," by Lansay, artist-curator and educator of digital media. Herrera and Lasay, like Lerma, belong to the younger generation of credible art critics and historians.
Responsible for reproducing the paintings in printed form is topnotch lensman Wig Tysmans and the brilliant team of lay-out artists and book designers in Studio 5 Publishing, the same group behind many bestselling coffee-table books.
"Tanaw," is exclusively available at the BSP. For inquiries, call the BSP corporate affairs office at 524 7011 local 2259 or email fdelacruz@bsp.gov.ph
www.malaya.com.ph/nov16/livi1.htm
I AM holding a multibillion-peso – or, even priceless – treasure and it weighs less than a 24-karat gold bar.
It has the works of Filipino masters from Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Vicente Rivera, Jorge Pineda, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos "Botong" Francisco to Hernando Ocampo, Jose Joya, Fernando Zobel, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Lao Lianben, Augusto Albor, Lee Aguinaldo, Ang Kiukok, Onib Olmedo, Claude Tayag, Galo Ocampo, Edgar Talusan Fernandez, Juvenal Sanso , Edwin Wilwayco, Danny Dalena, Federico Alcuaz, Mauro Malang Santos, Roberto Chabet, Manuel Baldemor, Norma Belleza, among others.
This priceless treasure is the golden coffee-table book Tanaw, Perspectives on The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Painting Collection," which was published recently and made available to the Filipino readers by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Art critics and historians Alice Guillermo, Jaime C. Laya, Cid Reyes, Ma. Victoria T. Herrera, Fatima Lasay and editor-professor-curator-writer Ramon E.S. Lerma discuss the works of the artists in the context of their impact in the history of Philippine visual arts and the nation itself.
A reader perusing the book gets a virtual tour of the vast and highly valuable BSP art collection. The paintings featured in the book are as heavily guarded as the BSP’s gold collection and viewing them could mean a long, arduous paper trail to be signed by several important people at the central monetary authority of the Philippines.
As Governor Rafael Buenaventura (July 3, 1999 to July 3, 2005) said, "The collection, spanning two centuries and numbering over a thousand pieces (1,500 as of last count), serves as a mirror of ourselves as Filipinos: how we shaped our history, how we grew our sensibility and how we handled our sensitivity."
He cited two Central Bank governors before him Gregorio C. Licaros and Jaime C. Laya, who, during their watch, enriched the collection with new acquisitions and state-of-the-art preservation. They are Gregorio C. Licarios and Jaime C. Laya.
Incumbent Governor Amando M. Tetangco (July 4, 2005 to July 3, 2011), added, "the BSP art collection can serve as a powerful catalyst for instilling a strong sense of national identity and love of country, attributes that foster social stability and economic growth."
Lerma discusses in his introduction how the BSP, since its establishment in 1949, has built a collection that could rival other museums of national importance. He wrote: "Indeed, there can be no other way to explain the existence of this collection, and to justify the substantial public resources involved in procuring these paintings, than to look at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as an institution whose role as repository and custodian goes beyond solipsistic definitions of our country’s material wealth."
The first chapter, "Anyo: The Progenitors of the Filipino Nation" has Laya discussing portraiture. Here, the reader is ushered into the earliest works of Luna, Hidalgo and the realists or those who lived in the era when still-photography was considered a young art.
Guillermo discusses the development of visual arts as influenced by the events that shaped the Filipino psyche, from the late 19th century to the present, in the chapter "Gunita: Memory, History, Society."
Here, we are brought to the rice fields and seaside communities, with farmers and fishermen as seen in the eyes of Amorsolo and Francisco. We are also introduced to the nuances of certain works showing how how wars changed those sedate perspectives as images of men suffering from man-made causes emerged from the canvases of Galo Ocampo and contemporary painters like Egai Fernandez.
Reyes in the third chapter, "Diwa: Brush with Spirituality," discusses the religious images preserved in churches, among others, and how European masters like Rembrandt and Carvaggio influenced Filipino and Spanish painters in the Philippines. He deconstructs the landscapes of Francisco, Sanso and Gabriel Custodio, pointing out how an artist’s intense fixation for the sublime, or how one had viewed such genre as a spiritual exercise redefined visual arts in the post-war years. From there, Reyes ushers us to abstraction via the works of Joya, Zobel, Nena Saguil and younger, living artists like
Edwin Wilwayco, Albor and Lao Lianben. We must be reminded that Reyes is an abstract painter himself, thus, his expertise on the subject as critic and practitioner of the genre.
He later explains how the works of Olmedo, Kiukok, Dalena, Aguinaldo, Bencab, among others, helped reshape Philippine art by re-introducing figures in the chaos of lines and circles that is abstraction, thus, the entry of abstract expressionism and figurative abstraction. In one section titled "Transforming the Ordinary," while discussing the magic-realist influence on the works of Stevesantos and B. Carvajal Kiamko, Reyes quoted William Blake’s famous line, "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." Reyes’ mentioned that what’s important is the "viewer’s immersion into a higher level of reality," which could sum up the reasons-for-being of all those collected artworks and the beautifully-written exploratory essays in the book.
So as not to divulge all the precious discussions in "Tanaw," we leave to the curious readers the joy of discovering more hidden information about the priceless works of art in the BSP via the last two chapters, "Ganap, The Material Nature of Images and Collections," by Herrera, also an art professor at the UP Diliman and Ateneo, and "Tanaw, Seeing and Shaping the World in the Philippine Landscape," by Lansay, artist-curator and educator of digital media. Herrera and Lasay, like Lerma, belong to the younger generation of credible art critics and historians.
Responsible for reproducing the paintings in printed form is topnotch lensman Wig Tysmans and the brilliant team of lay-out artists and book designers in Studio 5 Publishing, the same group behind many bestselling coffee-table books.
"Tanaw," is exclusively available at the BSP. For inquiries, call the BSP corporate affairs office at 524 7011 local 2259 or email fdelacruz@bsp.gov.ph
www.malaya.com.ph/nov16/livi1.htm
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Enchanting Hues & Expressions on Canvas
Three Southeast Asian Artists weave a tapestry of colored shapes and spaces!
KUWAIT: The walls of Doust Little Gallery at Al-Fanar Mall are resonating with the kaleidoscopic nuances of "de Colores" - A three Man show of modern contemporary art that opened recently under the patronage of Shiekh Bader Faisal Al-Sabah. As you step into the gallery you will be transpoted into a world of amazing art by three Southeast Asian artists. The gallery tries to highlight the idea that minimalism in art can be more rewarding and appealing.
A painter, Art Director and a musician all rolled into one, Gilbert "DJ Gilbert" Semillano is one young artist who is venturing out from the quiet solitude of his studios to spinning the records, and when he is not doing that, he is busy painting. This young artist's canvases, true to his calling are a "musical epigram", who took to painting at a tender age of seven and has not stopped since then. Intelligent, brimming with that subtle humor and fiery intensity about art, Gilbert with his 'Boy next door' like appearance, signifies his work - very bohemian, cheerful yet volatile with undefined confines. "It's all about emotions, says Gilbert. It's nature and relevance, what makes the foundations of my artworks" His works are a fusion of passion and spontaenity, using oils and the brightest of colors, Gilbert lets the viewer see what he wants to see. " Each painting is evocative of my mood at the time, each a reflection of my mind. All my paintings are emotionally-driven, what I feel for the music, I put it on the canvas" says this talented artist. His paintings titled, Solitaire, reflects a woman eating alone. The Confessions, he says inspired by people who are very quiet and are unable to give voice to their feelings. His series of the Dancing Geckos, reflects the inner dilemma, so aptly. Gilbert's paintings are very spontaneous-He does not believe in making sketches, just flows with his emotions. " I have been inspired by Picasso, but then along the way, I have created my own style", he tells us. He does hope someday to be able to spend more time painting.
--By Deepa Pant,
The Daily Star/ Herald Tribune-June 21,2006- p21
The Artist with the "Dancing Gecko I" sold to Mr. Joe Kawasaki of Rainmakers Motion Pictures.
KUWAIT: The walls of Doust Little Gallery at Al-Fanar Mall are resonating with the kaleidoscopic nuances of "de Colores" - A three Man show of modern contemporary art that opened recently under the patronage of Shiekh Bader Faisal Al-Sabah. As you step into the gallery you will be transpoted into a world of amazing art by three Southeast Asian artists. The gallery tries to highlight the idea that minimalism in art can be more rewarding and appealing.
A painter, Art Director and a musician all rolled into one, Gilbert "DJ Gilbert" Semillano is one young artist who is venturing out from the quiet solitude of his studios to spinning the records, and when he is not doing that, he is busy painting. This young artist's canvases, true to his calling are a "musical epigram", who took to painting at a tender age of seven and has not stopped since then. Intelligent, brimming with that subtle humor and fiery intensity about art, Gilbert with his 'Boy next door' like appearance, signifies his work - very bohemian, cheerful yet volatile with undefined confines. "It's all about emotions, says Gilbert. It's nature and relevance, what makes the foundations of my artworks" His works are a fusion of passion and spontaenity, using oils and the brightest of colors, Gilbert lets the viewer see what he wants to see. " Each painting is evocative of my mood at the time, each a reflection of my mind. All my paintings are emotionally-driven, what I feel for the music, I put it on the canvas" says this talented artist. His paintings titled, Solitaire, reflects a woman eating alone. The Confessions, he says inspired by people who are very quiet and are unable to give voice to their feelings. His series of the Dancing Geckos, reflects the inner dilemma, so aptly. Gilbert's paintings are very spontaneous-He does not believe in making sketches, just flows with his emotions. " I have been inspired by Picasso, but then along the way, I have created my own style", he tells us. He does hope someday to be able to spend more time painting.
--By Deepa Pant,
The Daily Star/ Herald Tribune-June 21,2006- p21
The Artist with the "Dancing Gecko I" sold to Mr. Joe Kawasaki of Rainmakers Motion Pictures.
A Quantum View
They say that man’s creativity has a limit and that all art forms have already been invented and discovered… nothing new anymore… what is new is a manner or way of combining previous forms…. Like experimenting with food or music called fusion.
Indeed fusion is today’s artistic language. But what is the spirit of fusion?
In physics, fusion means, “ a thermonuclear reaction to which nuclei of light atoms join to form nuclei of heavier atoms…”
Thermonuclear is a chemical or physical (physics) process that is capable of producing very high temperatures resulting from fusion.
* * *
Art is a psychical process of the collective. We may wish to view today’s fusion as reflective of the collective psyche.
And what is the nature of this thing called fusion? This great psychic conflict that puts the great forces of the world created by man against the world created by God….or the high (temperature) tension between the larger more powerful collective unconscious versus the smaller collective consciousness!
From a Jungian point of view…. where lies the dark shadows repressed through time… a kind of collective insanity may arise….if Art and its importance is not given its regard in the natural order of things…
-Taken from Rachel Mayo's June 21st post
/ Art Today & a Looming Collective Breakdown
Indeed fusion is today’s artistic language. But what is the spirit of fusion?
In physics, fusion means, “ a thermonuclear reaction to which nuclei of light atoms join to form nuclei of heavier atoms…”
Thermonuclear is a chemical or physical (physics) process that is capable of producing very high temperatures resulting from fusion.
* * *
Art is a psychical process of the collective. We may wish to view today’s fusion as reflective of the collective psyche.
And what is the nature of this thing called fusion? This great psychic conflict that puts the great forces of the world created by man against the world created by God….or the high (temperature) tension between the larger more powerful collective unconscious versus the smaller collective consciousness!
From a Jungian point of view…. where lies the dark shadows repressed through time… a kind of collective insanity may arise….if Art and its importance is not given its regard in the natural order of things…
-Taken from Rachel Mayo's June 21st post
/ Art Today & a Looming Collective Breakdown
Gecko Blues I ( 130cms x 130 cms )
Works in Progress
Another part of the Gecko Series, The Gecko Blues-I
2006, Oil on Canvas, 130cms squared.
Another part of the Gecko Series, The Gecko Blues-I
2006, Oil on Canvas, 130cms squared.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
GECKO: the Journey continues (130cms x 130cms)
Works In Progress
The Artist with his Latest work, the Gecko Adventure I
Inspired by nature, it's beauty, habitat and all its belongings..
The Gecko Adventure I
Oil On Canvas, 130cms x 130cms
2006
The Artist with his Latest work, the Gecko Adventure I
Inspired by nature, it's beauty, habitat and all its belongings..The Gecko Adventure I
Oil On Canvas, 130cms x 130cms
2006
Arts & Culture Achievements
Philippines
New National Artists Proclaimed
Newly proclaimed National Artists Bienvenido L. Lumbera (Literature), Ramon A. Obusan (Dance), Benedicto R. Cabrera (Visual Arts), Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. (Architecture), Ronald Allan K. Poe a.k.a. Fernando Poe Jr. (Film¬-Posthumous), Ramon Valera (Fashion Design-Posthumous) and Abdulmaari Asia Imao (Sculpture) were conferred the Order of National Artists in Malacañang on June 9 and were honored in a “Gabi ng Parangal” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater also on the same day.
The seven artists were named National Artists on May 23 for “their preeminent excellence in their own fields and for national genius that contributes to the artistic heritage of the Philippines and the world.”
At the Malacañang conferment ceremonies, the President presented the Order of National Artist Medallion and citations to Lumbera, Obusan, Cabrera, Santos and Imao, and to the families of the late Poe and Valera. The program included speeches by Ambeth Ocampo, chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Emily Abrera, chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
At the CCP’s “Gabi ng Parangal,” the program included performances by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Ballet Philippines and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Among the guest performers were singer May Bayot who sang “Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal” and three children’s choirs who rendered “Awit ng Pagsinta,” both from Lumbera’s “Rama Han,” and models wearing Ramon Valera gowns. There was also an audio-visual presentation on the life and works of the artists. This year’s “Parangal” was marked by upbeat and youthful presentations in a program sewn together by young actors selected from participants of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Children’s Theater and Teen Theater Workshops.
The Order of National Artists, formerly known as the National Artists Award, is one of the honors of the Philippines that embody the nation’s highest ideals in humanism and aesthetic expression through the distinct achievements of individual citizens. The order is jointly administered by the CCP and the NCCA and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.
The Awardees
Benedicto "BenCab" Cabrera
Kuwait
Philippine Outstanding Award for Culture & Arts
The PHILIPPINE OUTSTANDING AWARD for CULTURE & ARTS was awarded to me by His Excellency Ambassador Ricardo Endaya on June 12,2006 (Philippine Independence Day) at the Ramada Hotel, State of Kuwait.
Me and my wife, Cecille.
My little angel, Aliyah who's also a part of the audience:-)
A pose with my Family.
New National Artists Proclaimed
Newly proclaimed National Artists Bienvenido L. Lumbera (Literature), Ramon A. Obusan (Dance), Benedicto R. Cabrera (Visual Arts), Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. (Architecture), Ronald Allan K. Poe a.k.a. Fernando Poe Jr. (Film¬-Posthumous), Ramon Valera (Fashion Design-Posthumous) and Abdulmaari Asia Imao (Sculpture) were conferred the Order of National Artists in Malacañang on June 9 and were honored in a “Gabi ng Parangal” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater also on the same day.
The seven artists were named National Artists on May 23 for “their preeminent excellence in their own fields and for national genius that contributes to the artistic heritage of the Philippines and the world.”
At the Malacañang conferment ceremonies, the President presented the Order of National Artist Medallion and citations to Lumbera, Obusan, Cabrera, Santos and Imao, and to the families of the late Poe and Valera. The program included speeches by Ambeth Ocampo, chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Emily Abrera, chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
At the CCP’s “Gabi ng Parangal,” the program included performances by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Ballet Philippines and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Among the guest performers were singer May Bayot who sang “Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal” and three children’s choirs who rendered “Awit ng Pagsinta,” both from Lumbera’s “Rama Han,” and models wearing Ramon Valera gowns. There was also an audio-visual presentation on the life and works of the artists. This year’s “Parangal” was marked by upbeat and youthful presentations in a program sewn together by young actors selected from participants of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Children’s Theater and Teen Theater Workshops.
The Order of National Artists, formerly known as the National Artists Award, is one of the honors of the Philippines that embody the nation’s highest ideals in humanism and aesthetic expression through the distinct achievements of individual citizens. The order is jointly administered by the CCP and the NCCA and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.
The Awardees
Benedicto "BenCab" CabreraKuwait
Philippine Outstanding Award for Culture & Arts
The PHILIPPINE OUTSTANDING AWARD for CULTURE & ARTS was awarded to me by His Excellency Ambassador Ricardo Endaya on June 12,2006 (Philippine Independence Day) at the Ramada Hotel, State of Kuwait.
Me and my wife, Cecille.
My little angel, Aliyah who's also a part of the audience:-)
A pose with my Family.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
New Works
Raja Cuda (The Prince and the Angler)-In progress (100 x 70 cms oil on canvas)
Sultan Adarna (The Prince and the Phoenix)-In progress (100 x 70 cms oil on canvas)
Saturday, May 27, 2006
"de Colores" Opening Night
The Ribbon-Cutting ceremony with Shiekh Bader Al Sabah and His Excellency Ambassador Ricardo Endaya.
French Ambassador Corinne Breuzé being interviewed by the media.
A view of the inside gallery "packed" with friends, critiques, dealers, artists and the media.
Arcie, one of the glamour guest that nite, poses with my acrobat piece.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
ALL GEARED UP!
Article published by Arab Times (Kuwait's English Daily) covered by Ms. Maxxy Santiago of ABS-CBN/TFC.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
GilSem
"Emotions.. It's nature and relevance is what makes the foundation of my works. Vibrant and striking colors, slick and sharp techniques all in equilibrium, A fusion of passion and spontaneity creates an art that takes the observer to a dynamic state of consciousness where complexity blends with simplicity."
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The Plight of the Dancing Gecko I (61 x 91cms Oil on Canvas)
Bought by Mr. Joe Kawasaki, Director of RAINMAKERS Motion Pictures-Kuwait
Monday, April 24, 2006
The Dancing Gecko 2-In Progress (61 x 91cms Oil on Canvas)
Sold to Mr. Hussam Khallaf, Deputy GM, PUBLICIS-Kuwait
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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