Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Bridging the gap By Ritchie Landis Doner Quijano
CEBUANO artists are known to break new grounds.
They don’t confine themselves in the homecourt setting. They reach out, venture out and courageously enter the arena in places such as the National Capital.
As early as the 70s, there have been a wave of pioneering Cebuanos who set their sights at the big city. Painters Romulo Galicano, the Mendoza brothers (Sofronio, Godofredo and Teofilo), printmaker Maning Rodriquez Sr., Gamaliel Subang, Virgilio Daclan, Gig de Pio, among many others, all established names and creative careers in Manila.
These artists exhibited their works to a greater audience with very positive results. However, there was a time when the frequency of Cebuanos showing their paintings in galleries became sporadic and then there was a lull.
To revive the venturesome practice, two Cebuano painters came up with an exhibition, entitled Bridging the Gap, at the Valle Verde Gallery in Pasig City.
Celso Pepito and Jun Impas brought their collective works to Metro Manila not only for national exposure but also, as the exhibit title suggests, “to bridge the gap.” The exhibit is on for the whole month of May.
Building bridges, not walls so-to-speak. But that is not all. By bridging the gap, they have as well bridged a much greater divide between Cebu and Manila art; blurring the divisive line in their aim to define values and qualities inherent in the making of art to the level of what national or Philippine art is all about in the context of contemporary art practice.
Pepito and Impas are both adept in conservative realism though the former has since transcended to a style that can be read in many ways, such as figurative abstraction, neo-realism with linear subdivisions that gives it the air of cubism. His stylized figures are done in bright colors and bold strokes. The latter has opted to settle down to the true and natural forms of being a conservative realist painter. Impas wants an honest depiction of what he sees and observes because he is a painter in search of lifelike truth. But common to both of them is depicting the Filipino genre: Content-wise, their subjects are representatives of Philippine culture.
This is not their first time as exhibitors in Manila. Years ago, Pepito frequented the Manila art scene to participate in group shows. Impas, on the other hand, made a big splash in the national level by winning the much-coveted Petron grand prize. So both are no strangers in the metropolis. And their paintings and profiles have also graced the splendid book pages of artwriter/author Manuel Duldulao. Hence, if you’re reading about them, they could already be very familiar faces to most of you, too.
This exhibition is a testament that Manila isn’t so far away. After years of practice and several solos to their credit, Pepito and Impas have gained the privilege to have a major exhibition together in Manila. Though both painters pursue different directions, they’re one in their shared vision that art knows no boundaries and is universal in spirit.
