A PIONEERING group exhibit brings to the fore the defining role of artists from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the country’s modernist art movement, presenting a rich collection of Thomasian talents across generations and genres.
The show, titled Vision x Interpolation, features the works of 22 artists from UST, ranging from seasoned veterans to mid-career practitioners to young up-and-comers. The exhibition opens tomorrow, September 8, at Art Anton in Conrad Manila, and will run until September 24.
“UST Fine Arts is the bastion of modernism in the Philippine art scene,” curator Abe Orobia said. “Konti ang nagbabasa ng art history; hindi alam ng karamihan na ang modernism [in the Philippines] ay nagsimula talaga sa UST.”
Spearheaded by Marissa Pe Yang, president of UST-CFAD Alumni Association, the exhibition is the product of years-long effort in mounting a large-scale presentation that aims to solidify UST’s legacy in Philippine art. Orobia points to the integral part of National Artist Victorio Edades in shaping the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA), now known as College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD), which have produced some of the country’s important modern artists.
Edades, who is hailed as the Father of Philippine Modernism, “courageously took it upon himself to bring the message of modernism to Filipino artists,” acclaimed art critic and writer Alice Guillermo once wrote.
She defined modernism as a “reaction against” established canon. In the early part of the 20th century, that pertained to the romanticist movement led by Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino. When Edades returned to the Philippines after completing his studies in the US, the artist introduced a pearl-clutching style that involved distortion and experimentation.
“They thought I was a lunatic who did not know how to draw,” Edades told art critic Cid Reyes in a 1973 interview for a story that had an abridged version published on Contemporary Art Philippines in 2011. “Remember, this was the year 1928…. The rough and rugged way I shaped my figures was a bit too much for them.”
The style, however, laid the groundwork for the modernist art movement in the country. Edades supplied the effort with extensive writing and collaborative paintings and architectural designs. He then formed the group Triumvirate along with Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo, advancing the cause of modernism.
The trio became pioneering professors at UST Fine Arts. It was under the watch of Edades as director of UST-CAFA when a liberal arts program was developed and mirrored the curriculum he had in the US, offering subjects like art history and foreign languages.
Orobia, the curator, suggested that the torch of modernism that Edades lit has been relayed by the succeeding generations of Thomasian artists.
Between the 1930s and 1980s, modernism was carried by UST-CAFA professors, such as Alejandro Celis, Bonifacio Cristobal, Severino Fabie and Vicente Manansala, among many others.
In the 1990s, which Orobia called the “golden years” of UST Fine Arts-winning students and competing art professionals, batchmates Rolando Ventura, Alfredo Esquillio, Wilfredo Offemaria Jr. and Melvin Culaba spurred “the rebirth of classicism and mannerism.” The following years saw a steady rise in Thomasian artists earning their stripes in art communities here and abroad.
Planned recurring showcase
VISION x Interpolation captures the richness in the artistic talent of UST.
“[The exhibition] showcases generational practices and stylisms embodied by Thomasian artists, highlighting different dialogues and expressions not limited to painting but print and sculptural works as well,” Orobia said.
The exhibitors include senior artists Raul Isidro, Ramon Orlina, Anita del Rosario, Jaime Nepomuceno, Marge Organo, Lydia Velasco, Fil Delacruz, Jess Flores, Edgar Doctor, Juno Galang and Dean Rosario Bitanga. They are joined by mid-career artists Elmer Dumlao, Anna de Leon, Lisa Villaseñor, Chris Pizarro, Richard Buxani, Meneline Wong, Milmar Onal, Juert Asejo and Janos Delacruz. Rounding out the list are young and promising 2018 graduates Summer de Guia and Ron Mariñas.
The hope is for the exhibition to grow as a series of recurring presentations that showcases UST artists. Orobia said that Vision is to be the name of the series, while Interpolation refers to the aim of this maiden edition to insert and strengthen the position of Thomasian artists in the general discourse of Philippine art.
“We wanted to start with the history of UST artists,” the curator said. “Then maybe, later on, we can mount much more curated shows per art style, such as Social-Realist Thomasians or Neo-Expressionist Thomasians.”
Orobia added that the exhibition aspires to bring the Thomasian artistic community together as well, and inspire the younger generation of UST artists. Asked if there’s one defining trait of a Thomasian artist, the curator said it is the willingness to think and create outside the box.
“Experimentation,” he said. “I cannot claim that it is only Thomasians, but there is a willingness to experiment. Gumagawa ng sariling style.”
For more information on Vision x Interpolation, contact Art Anton at inquiry.artanton@gmail.com.