Iggy Rodriguez oil painting recently sold at Salcedo Auctions in the Philippines

On June 29, 2013, Saturday afternoon---via telephone bids because I was at a business meeting in another part of Metro Manila---I had recently bought this oil painting of talented and award-winning artist Raoul Ignacio "Iggy" Rodriguez from the Salcedo Auctions in Makati City, the Philippines. The seller originally bought it from his first solo art exhibit entitled "KIMI-IMIK" from November 10 to 30, 2009 at Blanc Compound in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

I remember I was invited to the opening of that exhibit by businessman and art collector Jonathan Que, and that was the particular work that I liked the most in the entire exhibit but it was already sold. So when this painting "Hindi Laging Ganito" came up for resale this year, I made sure that I should buy it, not only because I admire the talented painter and 2009 CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee Iggy Rodriguez, but I am very impressed by that intriguing, thought-provoking, powerful, defiant, idealistic yet still hopeful masterpiece.

Without telling him that I had bought it, I texted him that it was sold in the auction, the artist texted back me that it is one of his favorite works and which he also used as image for protest rallies of activist groups in Metro Manila.


"Hindi Laging Ganito," oil on canvas, Photo courtesy of Blanc Compound



Joel Vega, based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, wrote in his "18th Moon" blog wrote this essay on the first solo art exhibit of Iggy Rodriguez, here are excepts:

Not only is Rodriguez in my artist-to-watch list after seeing, on-line, some of his earlier pen-and-ink works, but also the fact that it is his first solo (co-produced with Slash/Art Artist Initiatives) in a mainstream art venue.

Kimi is “timid” in Filipino, a trait often attributed by Western observers to many Filipinos. Whether the observation is correct or not, assertiveness is a social trait determined by one’s cultural genes in the Philippines where the politics of class, stature and money dominates or is the red line that crosses many social narratives. In Rodriguez’s chosen title the flipside of “Kimi” is “Imik” which in Filipino means “to speak out.” Not exactly a palindrome, the show’s title is a clever twist on the palindrome. More intriguing is the implicit suggestion: is the Filipino’s ‘timidity-assertiveness’ actually a Janus-face attribute?

Three works in Rodriguez’s Blanc show engage my attention... “Hindi Laging Ganito,” (Not Always Like This) is a sharp commentary on capitalism, where the fruits of a capitalistic society is literally rooted or made on the bent backs of the working class. Rodriquez’s burnt reds and frenetic lines and brush strokes eloquently convey this urgent message of social inequality, a powerful work depicting the ‘powerless.’ 

In socially engaged art it is easy to slide into pamphletry and sloganeering and the pitfalls are many even for the skilled artist. And, perhaps, for many Filipinos, the art of speaking out remains a skill that has yet to be fully mastered and expressed particularly in the face of blatant corruption shown by those who are in power. Thus, the posited query: which part of the Janus-face should the Filipino show in these dog days of  rampant power abuse? 

In this debut solo show, and among his peers, Rodriguez has shown that an artist can eloquently speak out on the country’s ills without straying from or abandoning his own artistic vision.   

In his foreword to the Blanc exhibit, the Filipino social-realist writer Jun Cruz Reyes wrote that Rodriguez obviously still has a lot to say on the social ills that continue to plague Philippine society, adding that it would be a fitting gesture if the art world open the gates to welcome this young artist.

Image below of the artist, sourced from bulatlat.com

Private resort in hotspring capital Pansol, Philippines named after great romantic poet from Chile

Neruda Resort in Pansol honors world’s greatest poet of the 20th century

            Just a little over half an hour from Makati and below the slopes of Mount Makiling in the Philippines' hotspring capital of Pansol in Calamba City, Laguna province, a new oasis for leisure has recently opened---a private resort with two swimming pools, kitchen, barbecue grill, videoke, air-conditioned rooms good for 30 people---with Neruda Hotspring Resort at address 724 Natalie Street, Norville Subdivision, Purok 5, Pansol (very near and on the way to La Vista Pansol).

            Named in honor of great Chilean poet, writer, diplomat, Nobel Prize winner and statesman Pablo Neruda whom Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez called “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language”, Neruda Hotspring Resort is an elegant private resort with two swimming pools, air-conditioned rooms good for over 30 people, modern karaoke and sound system, kitchen and barbecue grille, and a social hall or seminar place. It is also the only resort in Laguna with a free library of books, mostly on poetry.

           The natural mineral-rich hotspring water pools have medicinal or therapeutic benefits to health, like lower blood pressure, eliminate toxins, help better sleep, improve joint and muscle mobility.

Now popular for summer outings, Neruda Resort Pansol is also ideal for romance like dates, a private wedding celebration or even for the most unforgettable wedding proposal.  Poets, writers, artists and teachers will be given special discounted rates, just go to the Neruda Hotspring Resort Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Neruda-Hotspring-Resort/118129861706136?ref=ts&fref=ts. Call or text Rose 09228901892 or Grace 09255877878 or email gh_realty@yahoo.com for inquiries, reservations and special discounted rates.

Below is an old photo of poet Pablo Neruda in is youth

  

Poet, diplomat and activist politician Pablo Neruda in his youth and latter years

Outstanding nude painting done by National Artist Cesar Legaspi in 1979

I bought this beautiful nude painting by the late Philippine National Artist for Visual Arts Cesar Legaspi from the Dasmariñas Village, Makati City residence of a friend, a respected businessman on the night of January 23, 2013.

Legaspi is one of the best modernist painters of Southeast Asia.

By the way, the late Cesar Legaspi was the father of talented Philippine singer Celeste Legaspi.

Below is the image of the beautiful nude painting I just bought...





Description:

Cesar Legaspi,

Nude

1979

charcoal on paper 53 x 35.5 cm

signed and dated (lower right)

(Image below of Legaspi sourced from kunst-gallery.eu)

Biography of Legaspi below sourced from Kunst Gallery:

Cesar Torrrente Legaspi is part of the country’s second generation of modernists. Known as the “Thirteen Moderns,” the group includes Vicente Manansala, Hernando Ocampo, Romeo Tabuena and Arturo Luz. The breakaway group challenged the rigid tradition of conservative academism as espoused by Fernando Amorsolo, exploring and creating in the process a new set of artistic idioms.

Born in the working class district of Tondo, in Manila, 1917, Legaspi attended the University of the Philippines’ school of fine arts.

By the time he graduated in 1936, he had established a name for himself through school competitions.

He found a job as staff artist for Elizalde & Company. He later joined Philprom, an advertising agency, where he worked for 20 years.

He retired in 1968 from his post as vice president for creative planning so he could devote his time to painting.

(Image below of the then elderly National Artist Cesar Legaspi sourced from article.wn.cn)

***

The website pep.ph on August 13, 2008 featured this conference room at the home of Dr. Vicki Belo, which has a Cesar Legaspi painting on the wall...

This is the caption for this picture taken by Rene Mejia:

The conference room, adorned with Cesar Legaspi paintings, is a necessity in this busy household.

“It’s funny, but when I’m up here,” Cristalle laughs, referring to her room, “I really think it’s malaki. But sometimes my mom would say, ‘My house is so small, ’no?’ Kasi minsan, maraming tao. I have a meeting here, my brother has a meeting there, we all have meetings. That’s why we have a conference room.

“The architect wanted that to be an office, because there’s always an office in every house—where there is one table, two chairs. I told the architect, ‘No, we cannot have an office, kailangan conference room.’

“In our old house, everyone was gathering around the dining table to have a meeting. Pag dinner time na, ‘Excuse me…’ Habang nagmi-meeting, nag-aayos ang maids ng lamesa. Parang it was so weird.”

(YES! September 2007 issue)

Photography: Rene Mejia

Below is another art work of Cesar Legaspi...

Description:

Cesar Legaspi

(The Philippines 1917-1994)

Tree Planting signed and dated 'Legaspi 49' (lower right)

oil on canvas

23 7/8 x 35 7/8 in. (60.8 x 91.1 cm.)

Painted in 1949

Another Cesar Legasi painting...

Description:

CESAR LEGASPI 1917-1994

NUDE SIGNED AND DATED '71 LOWER RIGHT

WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER

30 BY 19 CM.; 11 3/4 BY 7 1/4 IN.

Among the delightful purchases of art I have ever done were the three oil works by the superbly talented painter Waling Waling Gorospe from her exhibit "Storage Stories" held from January 6 to 28, 2012 at Finale Art File in Makati City, the Philippines.

Waling Gorospe was born in 1966 and graduated in 1986 from the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in Diliman, Quezon City with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Major in Painting) degree with Cum Laude honors.

Why I liked these three small oil paintings? The imageries are delightful, cheerful, with vibrant colors like red and yellow gold, and celebrating music. There's also a wonderful background story, which was on the wall during the exhibit and which I also got. I will look for the story and share it here....












Here was the description of her art exhibit:

Stories from Sojourns

Waling Gorospe’s latest collection of works is a contemplation on containment. Tangibly-rendered images of suitcases, bags, and trunks—filled to the brim—occupy center space in her works, packed and pregnant with narratives from the past.

‘Storage Stories’ quietly conveys the artist’s fascination with these objects: her musings on what empty luggage and bags must have once contained and her questions about forgotten things packed in bags, long covered with dust. The encounter with such signs is inevitably physical as well as symbolic: Gorospe herself migrated recently to another continent and has had to face the task of dealing with boxes, suitcases, bric-a-bracs, useless things, and special junk along the way. The artist writes:

So many stories [are] attached to objects by their keepers. Most people can look at somebody else’s collection with indifference. But, sometimes, an encounter with an object not your own can remind you of a past experience– a friendship, a trip, a worry.

Her paintings represent these objects not merely as inanimate vessels but also as signs of a sojourn: a containment of intangible, immaterial stories and sentiments throughout the years and a chronicle of sites and people encountered along the way.

The paintings take on the challenge of reminiscing, retelling, and de-cluttering: unpacking forgotten memories to clear the way, to be finally void of the past and all the weight that it carries. In the end, Gorospe’s art enables us to find solace in such strange comfort: uncovering a transitory spell of time when one world begins as another ends.


Other art works of Waling Gorospe in that same show are shown here below, not in any order:



This was one of my favorites, but already bought! Still, I admire and appreciate this art work....




More art works...

Jon Jaylo is a topnotch painter from the Philippines. His unique, often thought-provoking, poetic, philosophical and sublime works have been exhibited in Asia and Europe in recent years.

I admire Jon Jaylo as an exceptionally-gifted artist with profound ideas, vision and uncommon eloquence.





This "Immaculate Deception" work (depicted below) of an intriguingly beautiful woman was the first ever painting of Jon Jaylo which I saw at the Boston Gallery in Quezon City of the Philippines one afternoon around August 2009. It was already reserved by a buyer. I immediately texted an SMS message to art writer Giselle "Gik" Kasilag (artistic collaborator of writer Susan de Guzman) if she knew this artist.

Gik said Jon Jaylo was his friend, and she will check if he has works for sale.

Later on, days later, she and coincidentally Jon Jaylo later recommended that I buy a work of another talented artist named Ronald Ventura since his style is similar. I had then first researched the background of Ronald Ventura and I also liked the particular oil painting entitled "The Champ" by Ventura they had offered to me that time. This was a Ventura resale from an art collector, who preferred to remain anonymous. That Ventura oil painting was the first serious art work I had bought, that was in 2009, upon the suggestion of Kasilag and Jaylo.

However, I still waited for the day I will acquire my first Jon Jaylo work....

***

Here's the first Jon Jaylo work I had earlier seen and immediately liked ...

Title: IMMACULATE DECEPTION

Medium: Water Mixable Oil & acrylic on canvas

Size: 24in x 12 in
Model:Torj
Concept shot @ Art Movement Studios

Photo:Jeff Aquino

Collection of Mr. Bobby

Boston Gallery Aug 8, 2009

Exhibition Design: Mr.Ruel Caasi






This painting below is one of the most beautiful works of Jon Jaylo, a definite masterpiece...


Title: OF SAINTS AND SINNERS 

Medium: Water Mixable Oil

Size: 30 in x 48 in

Year: 2009
Model:  Torj & MItch

Photo: OliverConcept shot @ ArtMovementStudios

Collection of Mr. Wilson Lee Flores

Location: Southwing Lobby, House of Representatives, Quezon City, Metro Manila, The Philippines

Exhibition Design:  Mr.Ruel Caasi





“Of Saints and Sinners” is basically an imagery that is meant to confuse its viewers with the two clashing perspectives of what is good and what is evil.

At first look, one would already wonder and present attempts at deciphering the symbolisms masking the totality of the painting. The artwork itself is an enclosed mystery to be solved, with a question so simple, yet it never fails to decieve us all.

According to Jaylo, the figure on the left of the piece is evil personified, a dark shadow hiding beneath a façade of sinless beauty trying to tempt the character sitting next to it. “The face is almost angelic, proportionally beautiful in all aspects, but it’s quite noticeable that the smile is also very deceptive,” the artist says.

“The painting is set a few moments before the presence of dawn, perhaps the time where darkness and light meets and exchanges positions. It is very apparent that the lady in black is trying to convince the figure clothed in red. She wants her to stay in the night, where darkness triumphs within the absence of light, “ he continues.

If the painting is to be studied, a sense of parallelism between the halos is surprisingly present. However, the “sinner” reveals its true form within the black roman numerals engraved on her false radiance. “Evil has an ending. The numbers represent time. While good, as was mentioned in the bible, shall exult itself and live forever, past eternity"

The white piece of cloth resting on its elbow is softly tainted with blood, which connotes corruption and the dying of chastity. The “saint” on the other hand, is shown deep contemplation. This just shows that there is no such thing as concrete good. Man is always susceptible to the distortion of faith, because, it’s just the natural tendency of things. The good is prone to turning evil as evil is inclined to turning into good. Darkness would always choose to captivate and influence kind, god-fearing people.

"Of course, it’s a philosophical redundancy to corrupt the bad, for there is nothing left to corrupt inside their black-hearted souls, ” Jaylo explains.

“The snake is very wise, it would never instantly reveal its erectile fangs when preparing to sink it into his victim's skin and inject its secreted venom. Instead, it slithers slowly and quietly, trying to deceive its prey, and camouflaging within its environment. Like the 'Sinless Temptress', it would always blend in with its victims, pretending to be a mirror image of them, God-fearing, kind, and exquisitely angelic, like a wicked fiend dressed in sheepskin ,” he adds.

Sometimes, good-willed Samaritans could turn out as closet monsters, feeding an inner demon with their self-constructed mask of falsities and lies.

In this archaic masterpiece, Jon Jaylo simply depicts the immortal conflict of good versus evil in a classic dark, gothic fashion, guised with a hand-carved black wooden frame, to further emphasize its medieval, old world feel. Because in the void of its mystery lies a debris of hypocrisies, falsities, fake smiles, and hateful eyes. So in the end, we all recline confusion, asking ourselves: “Who’s the real Saint and who’s the real Sinner?


This photograph from the January 18, 2010 issue of the newspaper Philippine Star. The caption below from the same newspaper...

Writer and realty entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores with painter Jon Jaylo, front-running Quezon City Vice Mayor candidate Joy Belmonte, newscaster Precious Castelo and Zamboanga Congresswoman Beng Climaco before the oil painting “Of Saints & Sinners” at the November 16, 2009 “Art for Youth’s Sake” charity exhibit in the Philippine Congress by Quezon City Councilor Winnie Castelo and wife Precious.

This Jon Jaylo oil painting entitled "Of Saints and Sinners" was bought by Wilson Lee Flores in support of the socio-civic project of Castelo to benefit the urban poor youth of Quezon City.

Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte in that same occasion told Wilson Lee Flores that he and his late wife, the late Philippine Star co-founder Betty Go-Belmonte, acquired their first serious painting as a gift from the late National Artist Ang Kiu Kok when he wasn’t that famous yet and after his wife had convinced the late Equitable Bank founder Go Kim Pah to buy a work by Ang.





Once again, congratulations to the accomplished, talented and philosophical artist Jon Jaylo.

A 2012 Rodel Tapaya oil on canvas painting tribute to the Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as published in the "Philippine Star" newspaper.

This painting is in the collection of Wilson Lee Flores.

Both the painter Tapaya and Wilson Lee Flores admire Colombian novelist/journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez among their favorite writers.

The multi-awarded University of the Philippines (U.P.) Fine Arts graduate Rodel Tapaya is one of the most accomplished painters of Asia---an artist of remarkable talent, exuberant creativity, high intellect, passion and bold vision.




RECENT UPDATES ON RODEL TAPAYA:



T A P A Y A    U P D A T E S

Present/Current
Present/CurrentCCP Thirteen Artist Exhibit
Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP Complex, Tanghalang Pambansa
Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Philippines
on view until February 2013
Tuesdays - Sundays  10am - 6pm

Past / Previous

Enduring Commitment: New Acquisitions (2009-2011)The Bangko Sentral Collection (Central Bank of the Philippines Collection)
MET Metropolitan Museum of Manila
on view until December 15, 2012
Mondays - Saturdays 9am - 6pm
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex,
Roxas Boulevard, Malate-Manila
02-7087829/ 708-7828
info@metmuseum.ph

Mystic Origins: Plants I
Solo Exhibition
WADA Fine Arts, Tokyo
October 1-27, 2012

DEITIES
Solo Exhibition
West Gallery, Quezon City
November 6-17, 2012

Art TAIPEI
Group Exhibition
WADA Fine Arts at Taipei World Trade Center
November 9-12, 2012

Upcoming/Future
New Acquisitions by Pinto Art Museum
Rodel Tapaya Work
Pinto Art Museum
Silangan Gardens, 1 Sierra Madre Heights, Antipolo City
opens on Dec 16, 2012

***


Image of the topnotch international painter Rodel Tapaya, whose works are much sought after by top collectors in Asia and beyond. Source: Yahoo Singapore





November 20, 2011 article by Yahoo Singapore on Rodel Tapaya victory of another major award then.

By Sheela Sarvananda


Within the restored colonial confines of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) on Thursday, artists, guests and media gathered to celebrate artistic excellence in Asia Pacific.


The artworks of 15 finalists, nominated from 24 countries and territories, were presented for the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 in a ceremony organised by the museum.


The extensive selection of the finalists from a pool of 130 artworks was carried out by a group of eminent art experts.


With the emphasis on a single signature work of each contender, artists are provided with an uncommon benchmark for all artists — whether they have a long, pedigreed history or not.


Tan Boon Hui, director of SAM, said the focus is to level the playing field and to bring it back to basics: appreciating art for its own sake.


Inaugurated in 2008 and held every three years, the awards aim to cultivate the vibrancy of art-making in Asia Pacific today. The stage has been set for these artists to showcase their artisanal skills to a wider
audience, giving them a platform for recognition they would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.


"In a competition like this, in which it is open to both emerging and established artists, it is structured to award the prize for a single artwork. It really looks at excellence in the work, so everyone competes on an equal footing. That's very important in opening up the possibilities to look at a diverse a selection of art from the region," Tan said.


The grand prize was presented by Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts.


Grand prize winner Rodel Tapaya, from the Philippines, took home $45,000 for his painting Baston ni Kabunian, Bilang Pero di Mabilang (Cane of Kabunian, numbered but cannot be counted).


The floor-to-ceiling work is an impressive sight to behold, with a dynamic interplay of the past and present. It reflects the folkloric roots interwoven into the history of Tapaya's people, as well as the underlying themes of the devastating effects of nature. Bold colors abound, and even from a distance, painstaking brushstrokes and lovingly-executed details are evident, even to the untrained eye.


Tapaya said that his art is multi-layered in approach. "Philippine folklore is my world, the main theme I create in my work. But I want the viewer to not just see my painting as stories. I want him to look at the deeper perspective, too. So, I added some commentary on why we experience great floods, global-warming, deforestation," he pointed out.

Singapore's very own Michael Lee was also a winner on the celebratory night as he walked away with the People's Choice Award worth $10,000. This was presented by Michael Koh, CEO of the National Heritage Board.


Lee's Second-Hand City is a suite of eight digital prints exploring contemporary life with wit and insight into the machinations of everyday existence. His work showcases an insightful dialectic on living in a concrete jungle — using urban architecture, science fiction and pop culture as his palette and salvo.


This award in particular is the result of the public voting online at SAM's website, or casting their votes in person at the exhibition, prior to the 17th of November date of the ceremony. Lee's art is the undeniable hot-favorite with the public, and deservedly so.


Lee said he creates utopian architecture to encourage dialogue away from polarising debates on conservation. While some might believe conservation is key and others advocate the new as penultimate, he believes a middle-ground is where the answer lies.


"My position begins with moving out from moralising, taking a judgmental position. Morality is important to a certain extent. At its best, it pushes human being to be better. But very often, rules and norms make us complacent and unable to think out of the box — people may not even know they have been restricted. So when I propose imaginary buildings and impossible cities, I'm not saying these are my proposals as a solution. I want my work to be triggers through humor and irony, to get people to see things from a bigger perspective," he explained.



L-R Sheba Chhachi (Jurors Choice), Michael Lee (People's Choice), Rodel Tapaya (Grand Prize), Aida Makoto (Jurors …


During the night, four more artists were presented awards. Three Jurors' Choice Awards, worth $10,000 each, were given to Daniel Crooks from Australia, Sheba Chhachhi from India and Aida Makoto from Japan. These were presented by Roland Pirmez, advisory committee chairman and board of trustees member of the APB Foundation.


Pirmez spoke of the importance of the melting pot of cultures in the region.


"The foundation was set up to applaud and celebrate the diversity of life, as showcased in the artwork of the Asia Pacific region. The flourishing arts scene in Singapore provides the perfect platform to showcase regional contemporary art, and highlight the way in which it connects us to the communities around us," he said.


The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition will run from 11November 2011 to 4 March 2012 at the Singapore Art Museum. There will be a series of curatorial talks, artist talks and guided tours held in conjunction with the show to give the public further insight into the works on display.


(Image below of Tapaya work sourced from oneartworld.com)

Contemporary Art in the Philippines is outstanding, there are quite a number of talented young artists here.

One of the most talented contemporary artists of the Philippines is Annie Cabigting. I was walking at an arts event---known as the "ManilArt 10"---in Metro Manila a couple of years ago or about July 2010, when a prominent art blogger Trickie Lopa saw me there and took a photograph of me standing in front of Annie Cabigting's work.

No, I don't own this beautiful Annie Cabigting oil on canvas painting (though I wish I own it!!!). I believe this painter is a talent of Finale art gallery in Makati City, Metro Manila, The Philippines.

Here is the picture sourced from manilaartblogger.wordpress.com


Blog caption:  Wilson Lee Flores and Annie Cabigting's oil on canvas auction piece, "After Yves Klein"






The image below of painter Annie Cabigting and short bio-data are sourced from spot.ph

The artist: Born in 1971, Annie Cabigting majored in painting at the University of the Philippines. She views her craft as means to carry on the work of artists who have inspired her. Her piece After Yves Klein was auctioned off in the 2010 ManilArt.