Pangasinan Today

42-year-old Renato Mariano is serving as an inspiration to both students and teachers of San Lorenzo Ruiz Institute at Bakakeng, Baguio City. Read the rest of this entry »

They say that a picture paints a thousand words. If the picture is nude art, a thousand words may not be enough.

There’s plenty for the eyes and other senses to experience at the “100 Nudes, 100 Years” art exhibit sponsored by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association. Featuring the work of UP graduates including nine National Artists, the exhibit coincides with the launch of the hardbound coffeetable book with the same name.

Seeing the exhibit for the first time, one is inclined to step back and absorb each art work as a pure distillation of the beauty of the human form.

Take for instance the Fernando Amorsolo painting “Batis” of a woman bathing in the titular spring. There is nothing to titillate the mind in this masterpiece as one marvels at how this National Artist captures the purest essence of the Filipina in an idyllic setting.

On the other hand, Randy Solon’s untitled acrylic on canvas work plays like a still from a silent movie from yesteryears, like a negative image frozen in perpetual gray.

This piece by Jeff Dizon emphasizes exaggerations of style that almost masks the nudity of the central image.

Jonahmar Salvosa’s “Diwata” and “Kalaro” capture one’s attention by portraying the nude as fantasy images.

Some of the pieces display a naughtily playful side such as Gig de Pio’s pastel on paper piece “Slovak Kyla Cole” with the model writing a note of thanks to the painter right on the image.

Most of the nudes are female but there are a few pieces featuring male models such as Jose Joya’s untitled work and Omel Masalunga’s Ginkgo Blanco.

The exhibit has a total of 116 works on display produced by a plethora of artists including National Artists Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Napoleon Abueva, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Jose Joya, Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera and Abdulmari Asia Imao.

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