CHILDHOOD scenes, rural life and churches became canvases for memory and identity as Thomasian artists gathered for Grupong Tomasino’s annual “Obra Maestro” exhibit at the Ayala Museum in Makati in August.
The group exhibition, which ran from Aug. 8 to 12, brought together UST Fine Arts alumni and faculty members whose works explored nostalgia, Filipino life, nature, faith and personal experience.
Founded in 1981, Grupong Tomasino mounts exhibitions to provide current and former Fine Arts faculty members a venue to showcase their works.
“This initiative highlights the lifelong dedication of these academic masters who served as the foundational figures in both education and the contemporary Philippines,” Asst. Prof. Pedro Felix Garcia II, chair of the Department of Painting, said.
Garcia, one of the exhibiting artists, revisited the Filipino past in “Casa Manila (Una),” a 24-by-18-inch oil-on-canvas painting depicting the living room of a classic Filipino house.
“Nagfo-focus ako sa mga lumang bagay, nostalgia, para mabigyan sila ng documentation for the future generations,” Garcia told the Varsitarian.
(I focus on old things and nostalgia so they can be documented for future generations.)
Garcia said he sought to portray timeless images in a surreal, dreamlike fashion, finding beauty in vintage and antique objects and preserving them as visual snapshots for younger generations.
Painting alumnus and professor Thomas Daquioag turned to family and rural life in “Tampisaw,” a 24-by-18-inch oil-on-canvas work depicting his son paddling in a river.
He also exhibited “Mag Kompare,” a 28-by-30-inch oil-on-canvas painting portraying two men on a farm.
Daquioag’s works explore nationalism, romanticism and Filipino life, reflecting his desire to connect with nature through landscapes and the green fields around him.
Asst. Prof. Benedicto “Bong” Ducat of the Department of Painting drew inspiration from flowers and faith in two series of works.
His 12-by-12-inch oil-on-canvas “FLOWERS Series III” placed the peony at the center of a lively and luminous composition.
“The peony is more beautiful when it blooms. Compared with the rose, which is smaller, the peony produces much larger blooms,” he said in Filipino.
Ducat also depicted churches across the Philippines and the Filipino practice of attending Mass in his “SIMBAHAN Series,” painted on 14-by-14-inch canvases.
Ducat said the series sought to illustrate his views on Catholicism.
“You can draw people to Catholicism because many people are drawn to churches, especially old churches,” he said.
Beyond exhibiting their own works, the artists hoped to encourage their students to continue pursuing art and developing their individual creativity.
“I think it is important to showcase their artworks or their talents… you can practice what you preach,” Garcia said.
Other artists featured in “Obra Maestro” were Ana Rhea Adonis, Jennifer Aguilar, Jonathan Arzadon, Fr. Edgardo Alaurin, Mailah Balde, Tony-Rome M. Balde IV, Pamela Lei Bermudez-Felipe, Eunice Mariefranz Ching, Patrick Dotimas, Ma. Victoria Mortel-Flores, Allen Michael Geneta, Federico Mendoza, Gigi Ocampo, Jenika Pascual, Patricia Romero, Jose Tence Ruiz, Maria Consuelo Salao, Carolina Torres, Wilfredo Tubig and Noli Vicedo.
