Saturday, February 21, 2015

A Hundred Blooms in Cevio Art Haus


We got caught up in the Sanso Museum yesterday we were unable to go to the opening of A Hundred Blooms in Cevio's Art House. My friend, Kat Pauso, was able to attend though, with her daughter Kallie. Kallie asked her mom to purchase a flower painting - it was priced at PhP 1,000.00. She was so encouraged by the flower paintings that she saw that she declared to her mother that she will be drawing flowers and will be selling them in the lobby of their condo. 

Below is the painting the mother and daughter purchased last night. Its acrylic on 12" x 12" canvas by James Imperial. 


Kim and I decided to take a side trip to Cevio on the way home tonight. We passed by, and was able to speak to the caretaker if we could see the exhibit. He obliged. 

The exhibit was composed of over a hundred 12" x 12" canvases. The media used were acrylic, oil, and MMC. 






They were presented like checkerboard tiles in the gallery - very cute concept.

Kim liked this painting:


A piece made by Miguel Toni Villanueva. While browsing through the other artworks on display, I sent an SMS to Kat confirming which pieces she acquired. As it turns out, she purchased the other Miguel Toni Villanueva painting, an acrylic masterpiece on canvas. 


So I knew I had to get the painting Kim liked, so that Miguel Villanueva's paintings would be owned by two college friends. Spoke to the caretaker, and left him my contact details, so that I could place a bid on the painting. 

I really love going to Cevio. One of the reasons I do is because of Keith Paras. It was in this gallery where I discovered his paintings - they had a very Klimt feel to them. Below is a snapshot of a Keith Paras painting that was shown in ManilArt 2014.


And here's another Keith Paras painting we found in Cevio while browsing through the blooms:


Please feel free to visit Cevio, below are their contact information:

Cevio Art Haus
60 San Isidro St., Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig
tel. no. 02.6564931
open from 12:00PM to 8:00PM

Friday, February 20, 2015

An Afternoon with Juvenal Sanso

I didn't really plan on anything grandiose today. Since it was a holiday, I took advantage of it by running a couple of errands. I went to Frame Plus in Sumulong Highway to have Marina Monina's painting framed. I actually did not intend to spend too much on the frame, but I fell in love with a white-washed and gold-stained frame that cost me south of the border on my budget.

From Sumulong, I drove back home to get my MacBook Pro to have it assessed at the Power Mac repair center in Northeast Square - I wanted to see if I could avail of their Trade In Trade Up promo. Shame on you Power Mac - you guys are worse than the people in Greenhills, attempting to pull a fast one on your client by downplaying the value of the laptop. That horrible experience was countered, however, because Kim's iPhone with its faulty lock button was replaced with a brand new unit right there and then (which really makes me wonder whether they were efficient, or just pre-empting the inferior quality of their product).

I didn't let Power Mac get the best of me, because, hey, it is a holiday. While waiting for the paper pushers finish the replacement of the iPhone, Kim and I drove to the Sanso Museum on V. Cruz in San Juan.


I am such a Sanso fanatic. We've been talking about going to the museum for days already, part of our plan of hitting up the other museums in the Philippines devoted to specific artists - Bencab in Baguio, and Orlina in Tagaytay.

I had given Kim fair warning that if I were to see Mr. Sanso himself, I would set aside all propriety brought about by my elitist education, and act like a rabid fanboy and beg for a picture, maybe even a selfie.

Thus, our first question to the security guard upon disembarking from the car was, "Is Juvenal Sanso in the museum, today?"

Rats, fat chance. According to the guard, he was in the museum yesterday, so he might not come today. No worries, I thought. It was after all an entire structure devoted to Juvenal Sanso. I was still going to be in heaven.

We went in and the reception was empty. We were ready with the PhP 100.00 entrance fee, but what welcomed us was a mystery as the museum seemed empty. We investigated. We went up to the 2nd floor gallery. Nobody there. But we heard voices coming from the top floor. We walked up, and the managing director of the museum was there with a visitor. She invited us to join the tour. On the top floor, we proceeded to an area showcasing personal pictures of Sanso. Old pictures that were resized and restored, and framed beautifully. There were several picture of Sanso in his late twenties to mid thirties, and he was a deadringer for Ray Fiennes.

While looking at a Persian tapestry with Juvenal Sanso's face embroidered on it - footsteps were coming up to the third floor, and in an instant, my world paused. Juvenal Sanso was there. I had to do a double take - Persian tapestry, stairs, Persian tapestry, stairs. It was him.


He approached us and he started looking at the pictures on the wall. "This guy looks familiar," he said as he stared into a photograph of him.

I held out my hand, and introduced myself, and shook his hand vigorously. I even did that classy handshake that Charlie Day taught Jason Sudeikis in Horrible Bosses 2.

He was quite the opposite of what I expected. He was neither quiet nor shy. He was boisterous, energetic, loud, vivacious - and I was able to get a picture with him!



And before I knew it, he became our personal tour guide in the museum. Its not everyday that you get toured by Juvenal Sanso in the Sanso Museum. He posed in front of his paintings, and he made faces in front of his paintings.


I did not know whether I was to get lost in the landscape or flora that he put on the canvas, or at how he would look at you with his bright blue eyes if you asked for the story behind each piece.

He told me of a sketch he made of a house on stilts in Alabang, before there was an ATC, of how he was enamoured by the house only to be told by the resident of said dwelling that he should stay away because it was a whore house.

He pointed out the moon in one of his Sanso Modernos to emphasize that it was his signature, and that another artist attempted to copy his signature moon,


and then he pointed to the Sanso Moderno next to it and asked, "Where is the moon on this one?" Not finding one, I asked where, and he responded, "Silly, I am on the moon looking down on this one." 


We walked down to the 2nd floor gallery,


and sat down in front of the patterns he had created for designers like Balenciaga, and noted that there were a lot of the fabrics in his home.


He approached me while I was looking at some of his reverse paintings, which were inspired by the sketches on black paper he made for an opera in Paris, and he asked, "What was I thinking when I made these?"

I replied, "Your managing director beat you to the punch already, because she explained to me how you were inspired to create your reverse paintings." He pouted.



He read aloud quotes from his past interviews, and he would teasingly ask who said those? He did of course, we would all chime in.


He hid behind some of the walls, eavesdropping whenever his managing director would take over explaining some of the pieces to us, but he would make knocking noises if he contested some of the facts.



After the tour was over, we escorted him to his office, where he had to eat a cookie and drink milk, and we continued talking. He recalled how his father, who had owned an ironworks factory, was supportive of his art, even if he wasn't able to help out in running the factory. In recounting this, he'd get distracted by the chrome and leather chair, quipping that easily, the ironworks factory could have produced something like it. He told us of stories about swimming in Pasig and Montalban, and riding in horse-drawn carriages with a kuchero whose stories you should never trust.



The afternoon allowed me to see a glimpse of his life and I felt blessed because I loved his works, and it was obvious that it was not difficult to appreciate the artist as well.
















Its not everyday you get to meet a person whose artwork makes people stop in awe. All I wanted was to be able to get a picture taken with him. But I got more than that from Señor.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Drapery of Red by Marina Monina Ceriola

Purchased a painting from a Fine Arts major in UST. Beautiful painting - will have it framed and displayed in the office:



I'm so excited! I'll be going to Frame Plus on Thursday to see what options I have for framing this oil painting!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Valentine's Day in Pinto Art Museum


Spent the entire afternoon of February 14 inside Pinto Art Museum. There were a lot of people inside, and most of them were couples - go figure.


Those celebrating being single during the day of hearts, also chose to brave the crowd in Pinto that day. Some were jejemons - opting to have their picture taken with artworks they probably don't even understand. Some were kolehiyalas who have bastardised Filipino and English to its all time low by attempting so hard to sound like a bulok Kardashian - pronouncing the kalabaw above as cal-ah-bahw. I apologise for the double negative on bulok Kardashian.


Regardless, being in Pinto was like returning to your one great love after so long. The time apart may have given you a different perspective on how you appreciate some of the artworks, but it doesn't change the fact that your love for the paintings there are just as great.

That's us by the way, trying to take advantage of the fact that the couples were out of sight.

So there's no need really to comment on the uniqueness of the art museum - that in itself is a different post, which I'm sure other bloggers have already noted, or the only thing other bloggers have noted.

So, I'll be sharing to you highlights of the afternoon in the museum. And how I tried so hard to put myself in the shoes of the artists to try to see if I could feel the emotion they must have had when they were painting.




Below is the famous Karnabal, made by Salingpusa - a collaboration of different artists, Elmer Bolognan being one of them.


Again, here's a snapshot of the following gallery - taking advantage of the absence of the couples.


This gallery contained a lot of Elmer Borlongans, part of the collection of Dr. Joven Cuanang.

One of my favourite pieces in the gallery is located here, it depicts a basketball game in a baranggay. Disclaimer, I do not like basketball, I just like the painting.


Geraldine Javier's Holy on Sundays also struck a note. Its an oil on canvas made in 1999. I love the negative painting technique.


Jose Tence Ruiz's Blu-Skreen Kotillion I thought looked a lot like Marie Antoinette.


Joven Mansit's School of Fish really looked like a  vintage photograph, had it not been for the seafood, I would have thought it was an actual photograph. 


Neil Manalo's Prusisyon really seemed like its candles would glow in the evening light. 


Winner Jumalon's painting of Dr. Cuanang's doctor's bag and the actual bag preserved on  a glass-encased pedestal. 



Another still life of the doctor's bag.


Notable paintings from the erotica room - a beautiful impressionistic nude, and a painting depicting narcissism.



Here's the view from the 2nd floor, overlooking one of my favourite galleries in the museum.


Monte mayor's beautiful triptych, Swim, Bike, Run.



And this beautiful angelic boy by Sarah Fable Gfeller. I really truly believe that this was how I looked like as a toddler - in my dreams.


Orencio's Daybed and Shade - these were located in the alcove. They almost made me want to buy the lone Orencio that was being sold in the Museum Shop. 



And right next to that alcove where the 2 Orencios were facing each other - a commissioned piece by Daniel dela Cruz, nymphs descending. 


J'adore absolument this painting by Sarah Fable Gfeller, because I will be purchasing on Monday a piece from a student artist of UST a painting with flowing fabrics also. This one is Knot II. 


Elmer Borlongan had an exhibit in the museum which was opened last February 1, 2015 - Labyrinth of Kinship.



Bili na kayo ng Bonsai, Oil on canvas, 2014

Sitting Pretty, Oil on canvas




Aside from the influx of Valentine's Day art enthusiasts, we somewhat got the day going by having Panna Cotta with fresh fruits, and iced teas, that were supposed to have been served in Mason jars, at the new concessionaire for Pinto Cafe, Peppermill. 


Here's a nice snapshot of the bridge leading out of the gallery with indigenous art. And of course, the obligatory selfie. 



Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope all of you had a great day!

Pinto Art Museum
1 Sierra Madre Street, Grand Heights Subdivision, 
Antipolo
tel. no. 02.697.1015.
closed on Mondays, otherwise open from 9:00am to 6:00pm