EXHIBITED WORKS
Finale Art File, Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound

Bag-Ong Hinan-Aw
Viewing Tradition in a New Way

June 7 to 25, 2011

BAG-ONG HINAN-AW: Viewing Tradition in a New Way
Reuben Ramas Cañete, PhD

Unique to Cebuano contemporary figurative artists is a sense of disciplined craftsmanship imbibed from an academic tradition: tonal value, composition, and naturalistic rendering retain the key standards that they once occupied a century ago, and passed down from one maestro to the next. In this case, it was Carcar-based Martino Abellana (1914-1988), who was taught by Fernando Amorsolo at UP Manila in the 1930s; and who in turn taught Sofronio Y. Mendoza, a.k.a. Sym, and Romulo “Molong” Galicano in Carcar in the 1950s and Sixties. Since the Eighties, a group of emerging and senior Cebuano artists have gravitated around Galicano’s leadership, which emphasized both traditional standards of representational painting, and its fusion with modern conceptual—even abstract—approaches, asserting a middle path through which contemporary art can retain its contextual vibrancy, social effect, and aesthetic intellect. Out of this resulted the group called Bag-ong Hinan-aw, which is Cebuano for “new perspectives.” Composed of seven artists, this group combines the contemporary scenes of Cebuano life and rural landscapes with an academic discipline borne of the search for excellence and relevance of meaning. Each has his own approach to the depiction of life in the southern islands, while preserving the sense of aesthetic harmony and contemporary feeling that results when tradition and modernity are mixed. Taken as a whole, Bag-ong Hinan-aw continues the Filipino artist’s search for both excellence and meaning, while incorporating and fusing modern and contemporary touches that makes its hybrid results an indicator of the cultural longevity of representational art, and its declarative statement of contextual relevance in the lives of those who paint from the South.

Publio “Boy” Briones, Jr. (b. 1949) focuses on the formal elements of his otherwise traditional subjects, which are primarily interior scenes of churches in Carcar and Bohol, and figure genre lit with a dramatic chiaroscuro effect. The use of balance, harmony, and counterbalancing elements through the use of light and shadow, foreground-background relationships and narrational flow within his paintings points to his technical and formal discipline, while locating his human subjects within these painted spaces as both animating elements, as well as real social actors. 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 watercolour 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 1990s.

Carlos “Carly” Florido (b. 1940) focuses on the domestic space of his family, as well as his aesthetic homeland of Carcar as starting points in investigating the effects of light on his human subjects. Adhering to an Impressionist approach inspired from Americans like Hiram Bingham, Carly, who returned to Cebu after residing in the United States, is a self-taught artist who has been guided by Romulo Galicano, and looks at both light and humanity as interdependent elements that speaks 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 (b. 1978) focuses on “road trips” and highway-side views of the countryside’s often dramatic scenery that are common in Central and Southern Luzon, by combining traditional academic painting with conceptual elements like montage and found-object collage that continues the task of making academic realism relevant to contemporary young artists. Based in Manila, Jonathan studied Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and has been under the guidance of Romulo Galicano and “Sym” Mendoza. A landscape artist focusing on charcoal and oil painting, Jonathan has also sensitively captured the bright sunlight of Cebu in his farming and landscape scenes of Carcar, as well as the flower-growing mountain town of Busay. 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 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 Renoir 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 and nurseries of the island. Luther 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).

Florentino “Jun” Impas (b. 1970) depicts the social traditions and gallant mores of the Philippine south. A consistent prizewinner in art competitions since his high school student days in Surigao del Norte, Jun has recently focused on his expertise of the resplendently-attired human portrait to depict the traditions and rituals of small Philippine towns. In one instance, it is the act of gift-giving during Christmas in a gorgeously-attired house in Carcar which is transformed into a triple portrait of the family. Jun’s most recent achievements include the Excellence Award at the China-ASEAN Youth Artwork Contest (2008); 2nd Prize at the GSIS National Painting Competition (2009); and Finalist, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Art Competition (2010). Jun Impas has held five solo exhibitions, and is preparing for his sixth solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila’s White Cube Gallery (2011).

Facundo “Dong” Tallo Jr. (b. 1952) masters still life and the formal balance of objects set in space. Like Molong 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 narrational elements that makes still life an inner world worthy of extensive investigation. 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 Arte – Carcar, Kolor Sugbu- Cebu city, and Vice President of Portrait Artist Society of the Philippines.

Jose “Pepe” B. Villadolid (b. 1946) has made a lifetime commitment to depicting the richly-endowed and dramatically-lit seascapes that surround Cebu. Being born in the island of Bantayan, 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, and faithfully depicts the rich palette of aqua greens and blues of the tropical seas. 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.

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