Renaissance XX: Two Decades of Driven Art Direction at SM Megamall Art Center, June 3-28

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RENAISSANCE XX, a month-long celebration at the Art Center, SM Megamall 4/L Bldg. A with a collective presentation of the recent works of artists who have previously exhibited in the gallery, either in solo or group shows.

Way back in 2003, a new gallery introduced itself to the Philippine art scene. Christened with the engaging and appropriate name Renaissance – the French word meaning rebirth – the gallery was the brainchild of Manuel and Agnes Romero.

Instantly evoking the names of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance art was a period in European civilization distinguished by Classical learning and wisdom.

Inspired by the original Renaissance, the Romero couple envisioned the revival of the classical version of Philippine modernism in the visual arts, now to be spearheaded by a young emerging generation of Filipino modernist and contemporary artists.

For the next two decades, this avowed mission has been consistently fulfilled, as testified and exemplified by the young artists nurtured by the Renaissance Art Gallery who have all since made their mark in the Philippine art scene.

In celebration of this exemplary achievement, the Renaissance Art Gallery is launching RENAISSANCE XX, a month-long celebration at the Art Center, SM Megamall 4/L Bldg. A with a collective presentation of the recent works of artists who have previously exhibited in the gallery, either in solo or group shows.

Participating artists are: Hermes Alegre, Melbourne Aquino, Max Balatbat, Naomi Banal, Bien Benitez, Gil Bien, Benji Bisaya, Remy Boquiren, Arley Carig, Addie Cukingnan, Egai Fernandez, Sonny Fernando, Irish Galon, Richard “Goma” Gomez, Allain Hablo, Helena, Rick Hernandez, Juan Sajid Imao, Malcolm Infante, Josef Laureano, Alice Atienza-Lee, Marlon Magbanua, Sio Montera, Jayson Pettz Muring, Jonathan Olazo, Sam Penaso, Jay Ragma, Cid Reyes, Genesis Rovero, Aner Sebastian, Resty Tica, Jun Tiongco, Valen Valero, Lydia Velasco, Melissa Villaseñor, Meneline Wong, Janice Young, and Orley Ypon.

The working committee behind RENAISSANCE XX is composed of Curator and Founders Manuel and Agnes Romero, Gallery Manager Margaux Oracion, art critic Cid Reyes, publicist Toots Tolentino, and photographer Jojo Colina.

RENAISSANCE XX will be on view until June 28.

Valen Valero: When “Electric Dreams” Become Reality

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“The Thinker”
Valen Valero

“Since I had worked in factories and made parts of automobiles and had worked on telephone lines, I saw a chance to make a sculpture in a tradition I was already rooted in.” --- David Smith 

Those words were said by the American sculptor David Smith (1906-1965), who was a pioneer in abstract and geometric sculpture, inspired by the works of Picasso and Julio Gonzalez, who became progenitors of the so-called assemblage, or sculpture made from various unrelated materials.

The idea of working in a tradition in which an artist is alred “rooted in” comes to mind with the 7^th solo show of Valen Valero, now on view at Renaissance Art Gallery. One might say that the scumptural roots of Valero grew in the fertile soil of the family business. The Valeros are engaged in electricity distribution, managing the La Union Electric Company, which serves the threr towns of La Union, San Juan, and Bauang. The young artist thus grew up with an encompassing awareness of the presence and value of electricity.

Not surprising then that this show should be titled, and appropriately so, “Electric Dreams.” Valero presents free-standing and wall sculptures, paintings, and chairs, which are all imbued with an imagination fired as it were by the concept of electricity. Making its striking appearance and presence is the ubiquitous electric meter, or what we call “contador.” A recording instrument of the electricity consumed, it transcends its functional role and assumes guises that lend unexpected surrealist tones. Like a previously palpitating heart, it now lies, or hangs, inert within the jazzy and jangly sculptural configurations of Valero.

The free-standing works, “The Thinker” and “Electro Chemistry” are, to my mind, stand-outs. With the sculptor’s playful but logistical engagement with her materials, the viewer immediately senses the empathy generated by the works’ references. “The Thinker” is, as must be known to is an homage to the famous bronze work of the French sculptor Rodin, A skulking over-life size figure of a naked man, deep in thought, it was originally conceived as part of Rodin’s “Gates of Hell,” a sculptural narrative of Dante’s Inferno. In Valero’s own rendition of the subject, she assembles various fragments of industrial materials, steely and metallic grids and lattices and spangled wires, locked together, emblematic of a human figure. The use of such materials – which one American sculptor graphically described as “defeated” – derives from the practice of the art movement known as “arte povera” or impoverished art. A more dignified term that has been used is “non-privileged” materials such as wood, paper, rags and stones. Again, like her subject, Valero has done her own serious thinking how best to animate her materials. In a witty gesture, she has seen fit to append a shelf for coffeetable books, essential food for thought for “The Thinker.”

The sculpture “Electro Chemistry”, on the other hand, suggests an ironing board, with sly overtones of electric consumption generated by the presence of an electric meter. It conveys an authentic sense of domesticity, itself a theme loaded with controversial implications. Painted in sleek black, red, and white, the electric meter this time looms less like a heart than a cranium or skull, the brain recording and registering dark, diurnal activities.

Wall sculptures or reliefs, such as “Voltage,” “Magnetic Flux,” and “Electric Dreams” employ the collage technique, whether of planes of wood or layers of metal grids. The result is always an equilibrium of tension and repose, balance and asymmetry, with enough improvisatory panache as to constitute a well-integrated piece.

By her own admission, Valero has always been fascinated by chairs. As an object, it is of enduring interest. As such, it would serve us well to assess this piece of furniture so common as to elude its significance. 

In the book on the subject, authored by Judith Miller, we read: “In Western culture the definition of a chair is a seat with a back designed for a single person. This differentiates it from a stool, which is backless, and also from benches, settees and other forms of elongated seating intended to support more than one individual. Chairs are invariably raised above the ground, usually but not always on legs, and are also movable.” In this show, Valero creates both chairs and stool, uniquely invested with her flowing “appliques” consisting of fabric inscribed with the strangely intriguing conflation of a multitude of congested alphabets and numbers, intentionally unreadable and blending into a blur.

Interestingly, the Miller book carries a foreword by the famed designer Terence Conran, which is precisely addressed to designers like Valero: “Chairs are not just for sitting on, and many are diabolically uncomfortable because their designers have ignored the basic principles of ergonomics. To me this is unintelligent design. A lot of chairs have become indoor sculpture, and in many cases the architects who have designed them have promoted their brand through the design of their chairs – for example, Corbusier, Saarinen, Eames, Alvar Aalto, Gio Ponti, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe. Sometimes I think that you are unlikely to be a successful architect or designer unless you have designed a classic chair.” The public is now invited to judge if Valero has created her own classic chair. Please take your seat.

Valero is what one may call “an accidental artist.” Though she has always painted as a hobby, her first interest was the culinary arts. She graduated with a degree in Food Technology at the O.B. Montessori College. But by a “brushstroke” of luck, a friend once saw her paintings, liked them, and was able to sell them. She took active part in joining many group exhibitions. In 2012, she even took up art studies at the famed Art Students League in New York.

 On this her 7^th solo show, Valen Valero’s “electric dreams” have become a reality.

Valen Valero: When “Electric Dreams” Become Reality By Cid Reyes

Valen Valero: When “Electric Dreams” Become Reality

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By Cid Reyes

“Since I had worked in factories and made parts of automobiles and had worked on telephone lines, I saw a chance to make a sculpture in a tradition I was already rooted in.” Those words were said by the American sculptor David Smith (1906-1965), who was a pioneer in abstract and geometric sculpture, inspired by the works of Picasso and Julio Gonzalez, who became progenitors of the so-called assemblage, or sculpture made from various unrelated materials.

The idea of working in a tradition in which an artist is alred “rooted in” comes to mind with the 7th solo show of Valen Valero, now on view at Renaissance Art Gallery. One might say that the scumptural roots of Valero grew in the fertile soil of the family business. The Valeros are engaged in electricity distribution, managing the La Union Electric Company, which serves the threr towns of La Union, San Juan, and Bauang. The young artist thus grew up with an encompassing awareness of the presence and value of electricity.

Not surprising then that this show should be titled, and appropriately so, “Electric Dreams.” Valero presents free-standing and wall sculptures, paintings, and chairs, which are all imbued with an imagination fired as it were by the concept of electricity. Making its striking appearance and presence is the ubiquitous electric meter, or what we call “contador.” A recording instrument of the electricity consumed, it transcends its functional role and assumes guises that lend unexpected surrealist tones. Like a previously palpitating heart, it now lies, or hangs, inert within the jazzy and jangly sculptural configurations of Valero.

The free-standing works, “The Thinker” and “Electro Chemistry” are, to my mind, stand-outs. With the sculptor’s playful but logistical engagement with her materials, the viewer immediately senses the empathy generated by the works’ references. “The Thinker” is, as must be known to is an homage to the famous bronze work of the French sculptor Rodin, A skulking over-life size figure of a naked man, deep in thought, it was originally conceived as part of Rodin’s “Gates of Hell,” a sculptural narrative of Dante’s Inferno. In Valero’s own rendition of the subject, she assembles various fragments of industrial materials, steely and metallic grids and lattices and spangled wires, locked together, emblematic of a human figure. The use of such materials – which one American sculptor graphically described as “defeated” – derives from the practice of the art movement known as “arte povera” or impoverished art. A more dignified term that has been used is “non-privileged” materials such as wood, paper, rags and stones. Again, like her subject, Valero has done her own serious thinking how best to animate her materials. In a witty gesture, she has seen fit to append a shelf for coffeetable books, essential food for thought for “The Thinker.”

The sculpture “Electro Chemistry”, on the other hand, suggests an ironing board, with sly overtones of electric consumption generated by the presence of an electric meter. It conveys an authentic sense of domesticity, itself a theme loaded with controversial implications. Painted in sleek black, red, and white, the electric meter this time looms less like a heart than a cranium or skull, the brain recording and registering dark, diurnal activities.

Wall sculptures or reliefs, such as “Voltage,” “Magnetic Flux,” and “Electric Dreams” employ the collage technique, whether of planes of wood or layers of metal grids. The result is always an equilibrium of tension and repose, balance and asymmetry, with enough improvisatory panache as to constitute a well-integrated piece.

By her own admission, Valero has always been fascinated by chairs. As an object, it is of enduring interest. As such, it would serve us well to assess this piece of furniture so common as to elude its significance. In the book on the subject, authored by Judith Miller, we read: “In Western culture the definition of a chair is a seat with a back designed for a single person. This differentiates it from a stool, which is backless, and also from benches, settees and other forms of elongated seating intended to support more than one individual. Chairs are invariably raised above the ground, usually but not always on legs, and are also movable.” In this show, Valero creates both chairs and stool, uniquely invested with her flowing “appliques” consisting of fabric inscribed with the strangely intriguing conflation of a multitude of congested alphabets and numbers, intentionally unreadable and blending into a blur. 

Interestingly, the Miller book carries a foreword by the famed designer Terence Conran, which is precisely addressed to designers like Valero: “Chairs are not just for sitting on, and many are diabolically uncomfortable because their designers have ignored the basic principles of ergonomics. To me this is unintelligent design. A lot of chairs have become indoor sculpture, and in many cases the architects who have designed them have promoted their brand through the design of their chairs – for example, Corbusier, Saarinen, Eames, Alvar Aalto, Gio Ponti, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe. Sometimes I think that you are unlikely to be a successful architect or designer unless you have designed a classic chair.” The public is now invited to judge if Valero has created her own classic chair. Please take your seat.

Valero is what one may call “an accidental artist.” Though she has always painted as a hobby, her first interest was the culinary arts. She graduated with a degree in Food Technology at the O.B. Montessori College. But by a “brushstroke” of luck, a friend once saw her paintings, liked them, and was able to sell them. She took active part in joining many group exhibitions. In 2012, she even took up art studies at the famed Art Students League in New York.

On this her 7th solo show, Valen Valero’s “electric dreams” have become a reality.

Renaissance Art Gallery's 11 th Anniversary celebrates with“Tinuod/Truth” by Bag-ong Hinan-aw set to open June 25

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One of the trendiest art galleries in Metro Manila, Renaissance Art Gallery boasts of having among the finest collections of established and upcoming Filipino contemporary artists. 

Among the events celebrating its eleventh anniversary this June, Renaissance Art Gallery is proud to present the grouped art exhibition “Tinuod/Truth,” featuring sixty-four masterpieces created by the artists and mentors of the Cebu-based art group Bag-ong Hinan-aw. 

Cebuano for “New Perspectives,” Bag-ong Hinan-aw is a group inspired and guided by the giants of Cebu’s academic realist tradition: the art philosophy of Martino Abellana, the Amorsolo of the South; and his two greatest apprentices, Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza (also known as Sym); and Romulo Galicano. 

Bag-ong Hinan-aw is composed of ten artists: Publio “Boy” Briones, Jr.; Buboy Cañete, Audie Estrellado, Ramon De Dios, Carlos Florida, Jonathan Galicano, Luther Galicano, Bernardo Hermoso, Facundo “Dodong” Tallo, and Jose “Pepe” Villadolid. 

Their works are suffused with the academic realism that came from National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, and bequeathed through the teachings of Abellana, Sym, and Galicano. 

Cebuano for “truth,” tinuod exemplifies their artistic values: to render the truth of nature through the honest and ethical work of painting, bringing the highest standards of craftsmanship and new visions to enthrall their audiences with unique concepts and newer ways of looking at art. 

“Tinuod/Truth” shall also feature guest works of Martino Abellana, Sym, and Romulo Galicano.

“Tinuod/Truth” will have its opening cocktails on June 25, 2014 – 6 p.m. at the ART CENTER, 4th Level, Bldg. A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. It runs until July 8, 2014. 

For further details of the exhibit, you may contact Renaissance Gallery the following ways:

By phone: 637-3101 

By e-mail: renaissanceart.ph@gmail.com

By Internet: www.renaissanceart.ph

Connect to Renaissance Gallery online through the following social media networks:

Facebook: facebook.com/renaissanceart.ph

Instagram: renaissanceartph

A certain faithfulness to depicting the world around them characterizes the work of the members of Bag-ong Hinan-aw. Cebuano for “New Perspectives,” the group has been enriched by the traditions of academic realism instilled into this emerging group of Cebuano painters by three generations of excellent master teachers: the seminal influence of Martino Abellana, the Amorsolo of the South; the fusion of modern thinking with faith in naturalism by Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza, or Sym; and the elevation of a successfully fused academic realism and abstraction by Romulo Galicano. 

Currently composed of ten artists, Bag-ong Hinan-aw has refined their already-excellent technical craft with ever-newer restatements of vision and technique that makes their respective bodies of works unique, and yet feels congruent to each other’s perspectives that form a consistent movement typifying the combination of concept, technique, and faithfulness to the perceived world. The group’s fidelity to the truths of both artmaking as a communion between artist and materials, and the absolute verity of natural depiction is what informs and enriches this exhibition. Tinuod is the Cebuano term for Truth, and it is through this meditation on the ability of art to present both the natural vision of the world, and the artistic truth of individual creativity, that best exemplifies the works of these ten artists of Bag-ong Hinan-aw. As a manifestation of Contemporary Philippine Art, Bag-ong Hinan-aw’s Tinuod aims to continue the legacy of past masters, and also to transform this tradition to suit today’s socio-cultural contexts and conditions of production. However, their fidelity as “sons of the South” continues to linger through their specialized subject matter, and ways of seeing.

(Boy Briones, Hello Kitty)

Capturing a scene infront of the Santo Niño Basilica, Boy showcases his academic realist credentials, while introducing his own modern element: the balloons that bring life out from weathered faces.

Publio “Boy” Briones, Jr. (b. 1949) focuses on the formal play of his otherwise traditional subjects, which are primarily exterior scenes of churches in Cebu City and Carcar, focusing on the dramatic contrast between the austere classicism of colonial architecture and the bright toy balloons lit by tropical sunlight. Through this contrast, Boy showcases both the deeply indebted tradition of academic realism, as well as the artistic innovation brought by Pop Art that updates his work, and makes it more relevant to today’s issues of globalization. Boy originally graduated with a BS and MBA from UP before learning how to paint during landscape sorties by fellow Cebuanos in the provinces. He subsequently took watercolor workshops and sketching classes at the National Academy of Design in New York (1987-1994). Boy was also mentored by Romulo Galicano starting from the 1980s.

(Boboy Cañete, Lady w/ CP)

A scene of domestic tranquility is riven with a moment of tension: is the lady reading through her lover’s cellphone, detecting illicit text messages? Her surreptitious glance seemingly indicates so.

Wilfredo “Boboy” Cañete (b. 1968) combines the tropical scenery of his urbanized hometown of Cordova, Cebu with the intimacy of contemporary domestic interiors, whose telltale bright lighting situates scenes of modern uncertainty, accelerated lifestyles, and the contemporary hassles of city life. For Boboy, tropical domestic life is both blissful and full of invigorating tensions, as constant life changes are recorded, commented upon, and rendered in the domestic vignettes that Pieter de Hooch and Vermeer would find familiar. Done with a combination of vigorous brushwork and attention to detail, Boboy’s contemporary domestic scenes are also a homage to Velasquez and Watteau. Boboy has been exhibiting professionally as an artist in Cebu and Manila since 1985. He was a finalist at the 1997 Metrobank Young Painter’s Annual in 1997 and 1999; and third prizewinner at the 1998 Metrobank Young Painter’s Annual. 

(Ramon De Dios, Bandera Spagnola)

Reflecting on Cebu’s Spanish heritage, Ramon captures the beach house scene in Oslob from a flowering garden. The title alludes to the lily in foreground, and the locale’s colonial past.

Ramon De Dios (b. 1956) is an architect who has found his true calling as a painter. Educated at the University of Southern Philippines, Ramon was involved in architectural heritage preservation (notably the rehabilitation of Malacañang Palace) before taking the leap in painting in 1998 through the guidance of Romulo Galicano. Ramon’s advocacy as a heritage preservationist perseveres in his paintings that combine aspects of Surrealism with narrative painting and still life. His rendition of Manila’s Carriedo Fountain is juxtaposed with the “real” story of a lost toy balloon flying off in the far distance; whereupon a vacation house in Oslob is foregrounded by a giant still life of a lily. Ramon has participated in grouped exhibitions since 2010, like the BPI Centennial Art Ehibition, the Sining Cebuano exhibition, and the recent “Artabang” exhibition for victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

(Audie Estrellado, Summertime)

The innocent joys of taking a communal bath at the seashore in summer animates Audie’s grouped portrait of children frolicking in the surf. Here, nature and delicate humanity are fused.

Audie Estrellada (b. 1957) uses the everyday life experiences and scenes of his hometown, the mystical island of Siquijor, as his personal testament to the singular importance of perceiving and contextualizing the social encounter between artist and human subject matter within a tropical paradise long associated with magic. A graduate of MSU, Audie has been a fixture of the Central Visayan and Northern Mindanao art scene since the early 1970s, when he first won on-the-spot painting contests in Marawi City and Tagbilaran City. Audie is a prizewinner at the 1983 Lazi Centennial Celebrations; 1986 Open-Air painting competition sponsored by the AAP Cagayan de Oro Chapter; and 2009 GSIS National Painting Competition. Audie is a member of various art groups, like VIVAA, Grupo Siquijudnon Visual Artists, and Kolor Sugbo. Audie was also awarded Outstanding Siquijudnon for Visual Arts in 1993.

(Ber Hermoso, Tuna Weigh-In)

Detailing the rich, dramatic textural contrasts between slick fish bodies, sweaty muscled torsos, and the grimy port, Ber showcases his command of paint in this magisterial portrait of southern commerce.

Bernardo “Ber” Hermoso (b. 1952) is a self-taught artist who has developed a uniquely “northern Cebuano” version of Martino Abellana’s dictum of acute naturalist observation in art. Based in Danao City, Ber focuses on nature, and humanity’s presence within it, as a test of both artistry and the faithfulness of being at one with the natural world. Boys frolicking at shore, or a mother and child next to a famed waterfall, find cognizance with his superb rendition of fishermen landing tuna at General Santos City’s famed wharf. Ber has mounted ten solo exhibitions since 1976. He was grand prizewinner at the 1980 International Year of the Child Competition in Manila; 1981 gold medal awardee at the UNESCO Art Competition in Manila; 1997 Grand prizewinner, Andres Bonifacio Portrait Painting Contest; and 2012 Grand Prizewinner at the 1st PAGCOR Art Competition. 

(Carly Florido, Lutopan Landscape)

Known as a mining community in Toledo City, Lutopan retains its natural charms through Carly’s sensitive handling of foliage and rocky outcrops. A winding river softens man’s intrusion with sublimity.

Carlos “Carly” Florido (b. 1940) focuses on the domestic space of family, as well as landscape scenes of Cebu as starting points in investigating the effects of light on his human subjects. Carly, who returned to Cebu after residing in the United States, is a self-taught artist who has been guided by Romulo Galicano through specialized master classes. He looks at landscape and humanity as interdependent elements that speak of both reflection, as well as the vital moment when mind, body, and space interlock seamlessly. He has been a member of the group Kolor Sugbo since 1993, and has participated in group shows in New York, Washington D.C., and Germany, (1993-1994). He participated in the “Homage to the Masters” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (2002), and “Ode to the Pasig River” exhibition at the Ayala Museum (2006). 

(Jonathan Galicano, Oslob Church After the Fire)

Jonathan renders the ruin of a famed southern Cebu church with documentary pathos and artistic verve. Its roofless, monochrome hulk contrasts with the colored belfry and sky, awaiting restorative redemption.

Jonathan Galicano (b. 1978) focuses on vistas of his father’s homeland (being born and raised in Manila), by combining traditional academic painting with conceptual elements—in this case a monochrome-mixed-with-color approach that is a homage to photography, as well as its translation into paint. Jonathan studied Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and has been guided by both Romulo Galicano and “Sym” Mendoza. A landscape artist who has mastered the mixed-monochrome/color technique, Jonathan captures both the poignancy of an upland farm, as well as that of a ruined church through this translation of photography into painted contrasts that bring out the contributions of young contemporary art. Jonathan has participated in numerous group shows here and abroad and received awards since 1990. He is also a member of Portrait Society of America and Ugnayang Pilipino Arts Foundation.

(Luther Galicano, Peace Valley)

The richness of tropical foliage, intermingled with city views, shows Luther’s superb handling of composition: the farmer and his cows are on one side, assuring dynamism and one’s roaming eye.

Luther M. Galicano II (b. 1961) takes as his artistic inspiration the sunlit outdoor scenes of flower gardens that remind us of the great Impressionists like Fantin-Latour and Monet, but decidedly depicting the tropical flora of Cebu. Luther took informal lessons in drawing and painting under Martino Abellana and Romulo Galicano, and is a frequent participant in the plein-aire sessions of Cebuano landscapists, from which he derives scenes of outdoor beauty and chromatic contrast in the various flower gardens, parks, and plant nurseries of this tourist island. Luther has participated in several group shows in Cebu City, Manila, New York, Washington D.C. and in Germany. He won First prize at the Cebu On-The-Spot Painting Competition sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism (1984); Third Prize, Cebu Art Association Art Competition (1995); and Second Prize, Kaalyado Ng Sining Art Competition (2011).

(Dong Tallo, Vanitas)

Art and reality intermingle and play against each other in this dense grouping of depicted paintings, sculpture, and props. Dong displays supreme handling of textures and colors in still life.

Facundo “Dong” Tallo Jr. (b. 1952) masters still life and the formal balance of objects set in space. Like Mulong Galicano and Sym, Dong studied under the maestro Martino Abellana from 1972 to 1978, and continued painting lessons with Romulo Galicano in 1979. In his still life arrangements, Dong shows a magisterial command of composition, as well as a sometimes-humorous look at the visual elements that makes still life an inner world worthy of extensive investigation, like characters coming to life in a miniature theatre. Segueing from mid-tone lighting to dramatic chiaroscuros and full daylight scenes, Dong gives a contemporary hyperrealistic feel to his still lifes and figure genre works. Dong Tallo has participated in numerous group shows since 1980. He is a member of Habagatang Art – Carcar, Kolor Sugbu- Cebu City, and Portrait Artist Society of the Philippines.

(Pepe Villadolid, Sunset With Rainbow)

Reflecting the complex hues of twilight, Pepe sympathetically renders his home island with a cosmopolitan relish. Beached fishing boats and the low tide mirrors sea, sky, and humanity as one.

Jose “Pepe” B. Villadolid (b. 1946) has made a lifetime commitment to depicting the richly-endowed and dramatically-lit seascapes of Cebu. Being born in Bantayan Island, Pepe learned earlier the rudiments of painting from his uncle. In 1988 he took up painting seriously and started joining outdoor painting with fellow Cebuano artists. In 1991 he met and befriended Romulo Galicano. As a seascapist, Pepe’s works can be comparable to the melodically-lit seascapes of Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, and is characterized by rich, Impressionistic colors, faithfully depicting the rich palette of aqua greens and blues of the tropical seas. He has recently gone back to Bantayan to depict its seascapes. Pepe has participated in numerous group exhibits since 1988. He won the Grand Prize for the Martino Abellana Painting Contest (1996), and Third Prize at the Badian Island Beach Resort Art Contest. 

(Romulo Galicano, Boating Party at Bagac)

Mulong’s masterful handling of academic realism, here showcasing a “fantasy setting” in Bataan, is contrasted by his equally magnificent combination of abstract vertical lines that gives credence to his contemporaneity. 

(Sym, The Three Cherries)

Alluding to the tiny fruits on upper right, Sym gives us a masterful rendition of Cubism via this tour de force of intersecting and parallel planes—a tabletop with sophistication.

Renaissance Art Gallery : “Driven to Abstraction”

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Renaissance Art Gallery as the celebration of its 11th anniversary, an art exhibit “Driven to Abstraction” will feature abstract artists: Max Balatbat, Bien Benitez, Benji Bisaya, Marco Coching, Arley Carig, Jane Ebarle, Fitz Herrera, Josef Laureano, Sio Montera, Cid Reyes, Aner Sebastian, Resty Tica and Valen Valero.

A highlight of the show are the works of master abstractionists such as National Artists Hernando R. Ocampo, Jose Joya and Arturo Luz, as well as Malang, Romulo Olazo, Gus Albor, Lao Lianben, and Nestor Vinluan.

Renaissance Art Gallery's 11th Annniversary Exhibit “DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION” to be held

June 6 - 24, 2014 at the Art Center, 4th Level, Bldg. A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Malang

Through over a decade, Renaissance Art Gallery has built a reputation as a nurturing ground for emerging abstractionists.

Here's from Cid Reyes:

“DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION”

By CID REYES

In this writer's early interview, the late National Artist Jose Joya reminded the reader of the universality of abstraction:

"It was only during the late '50s or early '60s that I started doing these Abstract Expressionist paintings, and I use that label as mere convenience, a label attached to the New York School of Painting.... Abstraction is an international trend; it isn't a contemporary development as most people would think. Even in ancient times, the Orientals were already doing calligraphy and Persian geometric designs; it isn't at all a recent phenomenon.... No, abstraction is not a time-honored convention in the Western world as it is in the Eastern world."

Credited with having created the first abstract work in the West is the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. In 1906, he did a watercolor consisting of squiggly lines and blots of colors commingling, suggesting no reference to the visible world, yet seemingly engaged with the spirit, akin to the mysterious power of music to touch the soul. The works of the American abstractionist Mark Rothko were said to move the audience into tears.

Aner Sebastion 

Thus, through over a century, abstraction has evolved its many variants, from gestural to geometric to minimalist. In his last public lectures, Kirk Varnedoe, director of the Museum of Modern Art, then in the grip of a terminal illness, kept the faith and trained one final light on abstraction: "It is the production of forms of order that are not recognizable as order, but vehicles of feeling that seem impersonal, vessels of intelligence that appear utterly dumb. Abstract art is a symbolic game, and it is akin to all human games: you have to get into it, risk and all, and this takes a certain act of faith. But what kind of faith? Not faith in absolutes, not a religious kind of faith. A faith in possibility, a faith not that we will know finally, but faith in not knowing, a faith in our ignorance, a faith in our being confounded and dumbfounded, a faith fertile with possible meaning and growth."

Indeed, there are Filipino artists, too, who believe in this faith. In 1951, the first group exhibition exclusively devoted to abstraction, or nonobjective art, was held. Over half a century later, Renaissance Art Gallery continues to uphold the tradition of promoting the works of both emerging and established abstractionists. 

From its inception eleven years ago, Noli and Agnes Romero made a commitment that the aptly named gallery will be instrumental in the rebirth and regeneration of abstraction in the country.

Max Balatbat

To this day, they are driven by the conviction that abstraction is an essential visual language that enriches the human spirit, capable, as no other idiom can, to connect man to the depths of universal emotion.

Arley Carig

Arturo Luz

Benjie Bisaya

Bien Benitez

Fitz Herrera

Gus Albor

HR Ocampo

Jane Ebarle

Josef Laureno

Lao Lianben

Marco Coching

Nestor Vinluan

Resty Tica

Romulo Olazo

Sio Montera

Jose Joya - Urban Beat

RenaiXance: A Decade of Renaissance Art Gallery

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Renaissance Art Gallery's celebrated their 10th year anniversary with an exhibit “RenaiXance – A Decade of Renaissance Art Gallery ” unveiled last June 5, 2013 at the Art Center located at the 4/F SM Megamall Bldg. A, Ortigas Center.

The exhibit  features more than 50 of the country’s foremost names in the field of visual arts (figurative and abstract), sculpture and photography.

Attended by special guests of honors National Artists Napoleon Abueva, Arturo Luz, Ben Cabrera, Abdulsari Imao and other respected names in the field of arts.

The featured artists are as follows: Leonard Aguinaldo, Ged Alangui, Hermes Alegre, Ral Arrogante, Rey Aurelio, Jojo Austria, Aris Bagtas, Max Balatbat, Flor Español Baradi, Bencab, Bien Benitez, Art Bermido, Benji Bisaya, Remy Boquiren, Boy Briones, Boboy Cañete, Ariel Caratao, Arley Carig, Felix Catarata, Marco Coching, Addie Cukingnan, Gary Custodio, Alfred Dato, Jane Ebarle, Clarence Eduarte, Egai Fernandez, Carlos Florido, James Gabito, Caloy Gabuco, Sandra Fabie Gfeller, Fitz Herrera, Abdulmari Imao, Juan Sajid Imao, Jay Javier, Josef Laureano, Alice Martha Lee, Lindslee, Art Lozano, At Maculangan, Jordan Mang Osan, Pol Mesina, Sio Montera, Nemiranda, Jonathan Olazo, Romulo Olazo, Jim Paredes, Azor Pazcoguin, Sam Penaso, Doltz Pilar, Jucar Raquepo, Cid Reyes, Ricardo Reyes, Rishab, Ronaldo Ruiz, Aner Sebastian, Fernando Sena, Wally Sy, Peter Sutcliffe, Resty Tica, Jun Tiongco, Van Tuico, Wig Tysmans, Orley Ypon, Jose Villadolid and Melissa Villaseñor. 

“RenaiXance – A Decade of Renaissance Art Gallery” is curated by Cid Reyes, author of coffeetable books on National Artists Arturo Luz, Bencab, J. Elizalde Navarro, and Napoleon Abueva. He received a Best in Art Criticism Award from the Art Association of the Philippines.

“ RenaiXance – A Decade of Renaissance Art Gallery ” will run until June 29, 2013.

More Photos : Enjoying Wonderful World Facebook