Angelito “Lito” Antonio, a former professor at the defunct UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA), passed away on Sept. 24 due to septic shock related to ventilator-associated pneumonia. He was 86.
Antonio was among the second-generation modernist masters who mentored third-generation modernists at UST CFAD, such as Mario de Rivera and Raul Isidro.
Leon Gallery announced his death in a Facebook post.
Antonio is survived by his wife, Norma Belleza, and their three children.
Before his passing, Antonio mounted exhibits that captured both his life and surroundings.
Antonio graduated from the old UST CAFA in 1963.
“As a professor, he was remembered by his students as both jolly and a jester—teaching with stories, laughter, and a humor that made art and life unforgettable,” Fatima Antonio Baquiran, daughter of Antonio, told the Varsitarian.
His legacy as a prominent figure in modernist painting and a memorable professor of the fine arts will continue to inspire future artists, she said.
“As a painter, my father was a consummate modernist and a colorist who captured the poetry of ordinary lives,” Baquiran added.
Antonio’s wake will be on Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at St. Peter’s Chapels, Quezon City.
A funeral Mass will be offered on Oct. 2 at the Garden of the Divine Word Columbarium in Quezon City. Cremation and interment will be on the same day. Kirsten Therese C. Barrameda
