CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The works of Kapampangan painter Alvaro Malig Jimenez under his unique style of Letras y Figuras are now on exhibit at SM City San Fernando Downtown.
The exhibit was formally opened over the weekend will run for a week as part of the mall's contribution to promoting local culture, arts and traditions. Public Relations Officer Rain Cervantes said that the works of Jimenez showcases Kapampangan ingenuity and creativity.
Alvaro Malig Jimenez was born in Bacolor, Pampanga on February 19, 1948 and was raised by simple folks in rural surroundings. He finished BSIE, major in architectural drafting in 1969 at the Don Honorio Ventural Memorial College of Arts and Trades.
He taught art appreciation and drafting at the same school for two years before he started painting.
Jimenez specialized on abstract in oil and Philippine Scenery in watercolor until he pioneered leaf paintings and other indigenous materials. After a lot of research and experiments he advanced the art by devising a unique method of preserving Japanese orchid leaves and banana stalks.
Jimenez is now famous for his Letras y Figuras. The earliest known painter of this genre, perhaps its inventor, is understandably also the most celebrated practitioner of the art – Jose Honorato Lozano.
Letras Y Figuras is an art form in which the letters of the alphabets are painted in such a way that their contours are formed out of the shape of human figures, plants, animals, and quotidian objects.
One artwork of Letras Y Figuras usually presents an individual's name (first name, surname "apellido", or initials) usually that of the patron.