IF BLOOD flows in the veins of a person, then color is what flows in the veins of life.
This inspired “Saturday Group” artists Benjamin Infante, Jose Dinglasan, and Naning Estrella, to hold an exhibit entitled “Agos ng Kulay,” at the UST Museum last August 16.
Manifesting the art realism movement style, Infante’s paintings feature subjects from sunset landscapes to nude portraits. Using soft pastel, Infante captures the beauty of life in his works.
Edith, Mylene, and Jing, which feature voluptuous naked women, are particularly arresting in their erotic quality, while Buko Pastel and Crabs appear very real even from a distance through skillful shadowing.
Other paintings by Infante deal with the simplicity and beauty of rural life. Bignay Stream and Beach Boys contain images of young boys frolicking in the water. Infante’s dreamy personality is reflected on these pieces especially in his brush strokes in the foamy waves and splashes of water. How he captures the emotions of the children through realistic rendering of their laughing faces is commendable. Magtanim ay di biro, and Beach Talipapa, show the village people hard at work.
Among the paintings, Beyond Sunset stands out most. The piece captures the magical play of colors in the sky during sunset. The way these colors are reflected in the seawater is especially evocative. The hazy shadows of the fisherman’s boat in the middle accentuate the breath-taking moment rendered in this piece.
Unlike Infante, Estrella’s and Dinglasan’s paintings contain only one subject.
In watercolor, Estrella’s works are characterized by a soft-looking surface, which deal with ships and boats. Compared to Infante’s hazy strokes, Estrella is a more detailed artist. Moored and Sailboat are examples of his characteristic emphasis on detail, particularly in the lines and structure of the ship.
On the other hand, Dinglasan’s paintings are about flowers in bloom. He shows a similarity to Infante in his choice of oil pastel as medium. Compared to the other two however, Dinglasan makes use of more vibrant and lively colors. His painting collection of flower blooms is categorized in shades of colors blue, red, gold, and green.
