Watercolorists gush over the multi-faceted allure of the medium. Some hail its luminosity and transparency, while others laud its immediacy. Meanwhile, not a few say watercolor painting is not so much about setting down paint as “releasing” it, with the colors having a stake in the outcome, leaving space for spontaneity and organic movement.
In Galerie Anna’s twin solo exhibitions set to open next week, a pair of Filipino visual artists present their latest, hyper-realistic watercolor works. Erwin Mallari captures mundane moments in Under the Bridge, while Joie Pabilando interacts with water in more ways than one in Eminence.
The shows will open on June 26 and will run until July 10.
‘Under the Bridge,’ Erwin Mallari
Scenes of people cramping up on sidewalks while cars remain as motionless in packed streets are commonplace for visual artist Erwin Mallari. Based in Malabon City and a graduate of University of the East-Caloocan, the artist is an urbanite through and through, accustomed to the madness of city living.
His experiences in the urban jungle receive hyper-realistic visualization in watercolor for his latest show, Under the Bridge. Whereas some of the most prominent watercolor paintings feature the most scenic sights and picturesque views, Mallari invites us to look at more everyday happenings across Metro Manila.
Jeepney drivers hit the road early for another day in the grind along Sangandaan, Caloocan in Unang Pasada. We are also taken to various points and situations along Edsa in a series of paintings, including the morning sunshine piercing the MRT railings and kissing the Quezon Avenue flyover in Glimpse of the Morning Light.
Mallari presents a separate set of artworks in this show: products of his painting sessions en plain.
The artist would often ride his bike and wander around nearby cities and provinces to find a spot to park and paint. In Harbor Square and Manila Yacht Club, Mallari illustrates the reflection of the Manila skyline on Manila Bay. There are other paintings of bodies of water as well, including a flowing river in Drizzle in the Park and flooded rice fields in the Field of Hope series.
Mallari reminds us that subjects of watercolor artworks should not be limited to sprawling greeneries or seascapes—that there is always something worth painting from scenes on the road, in the water, and even under the bridge.
‘Eminence,’ Joie Pabilando
Self-taught artist Joie Pabilando takes pride in his reputation as a photo realist. The Sorsogon native specializes in illustrations and portraits, and has showcased his works in numerous art exhibitions here and abroad.
Yet, as if to prove he’s more than depicting watercolor paintings with details and sophistication rendered in lifelike accuracy, Pabilando presents his latest creations with a touch of surrealism in Eminence.
Every artwork featured in this show is executed as if it’s viewed from a window, with raindrops running down the surface. An old man tries to make it through the rain on his bike in Riding in Raindrop Town. A couple walks in the open across mountain fields in Sky Met Sea and Swiftly Kissed. These seem normal enough until we examine Pabilando’s other works.
In You Knew I Was There, the face of a mysterious woman is veiled by shadows and distorted by watermarks.
She holds an umbrella, despite her background suggesting clear weather. Meanwhile, another much younger girl clad in a red dress perches on a dead tree, facing a gradient background that shifts from white to deep blue.
Pabilando has proven that he can always recreate lifelike images using watercolor. Perhaps, this time, he is implying that he’s as capable of distorting reality and creating his own set of truths.
Galerie Anna (www.facebook.com/galerieanna) is at SM Megamall Building A in Mandaluyong City.