A SOLO exhibition by multi-awarded Raul Isidro was held recently at the Charlie’s Gallery. Isidro is considered as one of the country’s leading and most respected artists and educators, a TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee, and a guru of Philippine contemporary art.
As a student in the 1960s, Raul Isidro has won numerous awards in painting, sculpture and printmaking, such as the 17th Annual Shell Painting Competition in 1967, the 1st National Sculpture Competition in 1969, and many more.
In the 70s, he garnered the TOYM award in the field of fine arts. As head of the College of Fine Arts of the Philippine Women’s University, Isidro has influenced young artists under his tutelage to become frequent winners in art competitions as well.
In 1983, his peers and colleagues recognized his leadership and elected him as president of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) from 2000 to 2006. He continued to receive several other awards and citations up to this day, as he celebrates almost five decades of his years as an artist.
“Raul Isidro’s abstraction is often characterized by lyrical beauty and unassuming polish whose themes and images evoke nature and its wonders. His art has the capability to remake nature. Thus the artist himself is nature-maker,” said Nestor Jardin, former president and cultural director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Jardin added, “As a leading and influential artist of our times, Raul Isidro’s unstinting devotion and dedication to his craft, coupled with his single-minded advocacy for the preeminence of the Filipino talent, became an inspiration to aspiring young artists. To this we pay tribute to a man whose exceptional talents and achievements exemplify the true Filipino artist.”
I love the artworks of Raul Isidro. In fact, I treasure a painting that we bought from him more than 20 years ago. It has a special wall in my home. Bacolod is blessed to have his works showcased here so that artists and art lovers can witness his expertise up close.