PRINTING is one of the more fascinating facets of art. Tracing its origins to Chinese artistry centuries ago, the craft has since sprouted various techniques, from the traditional stone lithography and woodcuts to the more contemporary mono prints and giclée (which, apparently, is done using inkjet printers). It is an art form that has consistently evolved over the years, so that even at some point, traditional techniques were considered avant-garde before—not too different from how some view today’s digital prints.
The traditional has nevertheless remained, and is one of the most valued creative processes, as artists from all over the world tinker and experiment, finding that right medium and texture that would best express their work. And inherent in each manual print is the personal touch of the artist that not even state-of-the-art modern printers can replicate.
Recently, the works of three printmaking masters in the Philippines were gathered and displayed in a backroom exhibition staged by the 856 G Gallery. It had the works of Manuel Rodriguez Sr., who is the “Father of Philippine Contemporary Printmaking,” his former student Pandy Aviado and Manuel Baldemor. The exhibit ran until March 27.
It was a compilation of the three artists’ styles like lithography, intaglio and even its counterpart, relief. Rooted in impressionism, the exhibit presented a lineup of gripping images, sights that were familiar yet with a dreamlike tone because of the peppy use of colors and textures. And as practiced in the art scene, each image was annotated with the number of “impressions” that the artist had made for it.
Rodriguez’s works showed life in the countryside—the animated bustle of farms and cockfights. Baldemor’s art was a collection that reflects his penchant for geometric forms and vibrant hues, in his images of fiestas, barrios and fishermen. Aviado played with patterns in his works like Mag-Ina, which was made using woodcuts, and Low Batt that was done through relief printing.
In the gallery’s statement, the mounted prints collection was described as ones that had “probed Filipino intellect and emotion.” More than that, it displayed the dynamism of printmaking in the Philippines—of three maestros at that—and how the art form has transcended generations.