Antecedence- A One Man Exhibit and Book Pre-Launching of Cebuano Cubist Celso Duazo Pepito

-

 
Mark the date-August 25, 2024 at the SM Art Center SM Megamall- A Solo Exhibit of Cebuano Master Cubist Celso Duazo Pepito featuring retrospective and recent works. It is also a pre-launching of his book- Going Above, Over and Beyond which will officially unfold in Cebu City on November 10,2024.

Primarily a painter, Celso Pepito’s (b.1956) practice stems from his love of God, family, and country. Guided by Saint Josemaría Escrivá’s teachings on the sanctification of ordinary work, Pepito believes that man must not limit himself to material production and instead remember Escrivá’s proclamation that “Work is born of love; it is a manifestation of love and is directed towards love." 

Hence, Pepito’s devotion to illustrating representations of life through these virtues, along with its struggles and triumphs, are presented in the exhibition Antecedence. The selection offers a glimpse into Pepito’s artistic career, which spans four decades of mostly working with sketches, drawings, and paintings. 
 


Popular posts from this blog

The Last Painting of Pedro D. Villadolid

-
Image
Pedro D. Villadolid, Waterfalls, 1979, Oil on Masonite, 24"x42",  Private  Collection   Pedro D. Villadolid (6 October 1916- 7 August 1980) loved nature. He was a self taught painter who  worked with actual subjects but added elements from his fertile and wild imagination. In this painting we see lush autumn tree colors not seen in our country and two deers with long antlers, non-existent in Bantayan island ,  Cebu . He loved birds in flock-of-seven and here, we see them perched on a branch (right tree), on a rock (beside middle tree) and in flight (left tree).  This flock-of-seven bird pattern can also be seen in his 1953 Farm scene , 1976 Forest , and in this painting. His trees appear crooked and asymmetrical, the rock formations unrealistic.  "He paints with apparent disregard for proportion or natural coloration.  His subjects architecture were free, loose with bright gay colored patterns", writes Manuel Duldulao in his famous 1982 book, A Century of Re
Read more

Vicente Fabella on Stamps

-
Image
Vicente F. Fabell a (1891-1959). Educator, economist, civic leader and the first Filipino certified public accountant . He was the founder of Jose Rizal College .  He was born on May 7, 1891 in Pagsanjan , Laguna , the third of six children of Juan Fabella, who served as mayor of Pagsanjan during the Spanish and American regimes, and Damiana Fernandez.    He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1912 and then continued his studies in the United States, obtaining concurrent degrees of bachelor of philosophy from the University of Chicago and diploma in commerce from Northwestern University in 1915. That same year, he became a certified public accountant in the state of Wisconsin .   In 1916, upon his return to the Philippines, he became a professional lecturer in accounting and auditing at the University of the Philippines . At the same time, he opened the accounting firm, Vicente Fabella and Company.   He was instrumental in the founding
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Celso Duazo Pepito

-
Image
The Will to Live 2021, ( Autostereogram )     When we look and appraise a painting by color blind Master artist Celso Duazo Pepito , one will immediately come face to face with a brilliantly made work of art.    He was born 54 years ago on the 22nd of November in Daan Bantayan , Cebu . He plunged into the world of art as a young man who showed special skills in lettering . He was surprised when he steps into the halls of the University of the Philippines that the fine arts course was after all about painting. His painting career soon took off soon after college.    There were years of facing struggles hurdling one trial after another. But, like college education, experience is considered as the best teacher. His paintings are known to contain imagery that is brought to life by crisp and clear lines, bold strokes and his usual usage of bright color scheming. But deep within his subjects are personal motives and intentions that come from his heart. The man is with a mission he
Read more

Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era

-
Image
" Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era " is a 276-page coffee table book of nearly 600 of the best photographs, postcards , stereoviews and lantern glass slides of Cebu and its many towns taken between 1870-1945. More than just a mere showcasing of rare, never-before-seen images, the book also provides a treasure trove of information accompanying nearly every picture. The author, Lucy Urgello Miller has been collecting vintage Philippine postcards and photographs for over 20 years, the thrust of her collection being Cebu . She acquired 90% of her Cebu collection in the United States where she is living with her husband Richard "Rick" Miller. Most of the collection was bought at antique postcards shows. Lucy has about 1,000 pictures and postcards on Cebu but she selected only the best and most interesting for this book. Mommy Gingging, Lucy and my wife Grace A blue-blooded Theresian, Lucy spent her entire education from kind
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Wenceslao Cuevas

-
Image
Wenceslao "Tito" Cuevas (Sep 2, 1938 –Mar 19, 2012)  is considered as the father of Cebuano abstract expressionism .  In the 70's, after visiting the Museum of Modern Art in New York , he was inspired by the works of Franz Kline and Mark Rothko .  He started doing his style of abstract expressionism and prodded his Cebuano contemporaries to cut back painting in the realist - impressionist manner and create something different. This was one of the reasons why Celso Pepito was inspired to try cubism. He also dabbled on abstract expressionism as a Fine Arts student and even made it his thesis in UP Cebu .  Pepito considers Cuevas  as the Father of Modern Cebuano Art - by modern he meant non- traditional painting. During this time, Cebu was not ready for abstract expressionism and his paintings were generally disliked and bought only by a few select group of unconventional collectors.   Today, his paintings are well sought after both locally and internationally. A ba
Read more

Rodolfo S. Cornejo on Stamp

-
Image
Rodolfo S. Cornejo is the first Filipino composer who received an honory degree from a government recognized music school in the United States . He is also remarkable for his pianistic and compositional know-how by improvising a piano composition at the spur of the moment.   He was born on 15 May 1909 in Singalong, Manila . At the age of six, he had his formal piano lessons. After 2 years, he played fourteen pieces and six encores for his recital. In that same year, he became the organist of the Pasay Catholic Church when they moved in. When he was ten, he composed a piano piece entitled, "Glissando Waltz". He became so keen and inspired about music by his mother's genuine support.    At 13, he composed the "Salute", a military march that was also published. He also composed the Philippine Suite: Paalam sa Pagakadalaga , Okaka Variations , Paalam na Sinta , Oriental Fantasy , Nocturne in G, Piano Concerto no. 1 , and the Moro Wedding Dance . At 14, twenty
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Pedro D. Villadolid

-
Image
Pedro D. Villadolid , Forest, 1976, Oil on masonite 36" x 60", Avanzado family collection At 3x5 feet, this 1976 painting by little known painter from Bantayan Island , Cebu , Pedro Villadolid is the biggest known work of the artist to date.  I grew up looking at this painting everyday. This commissioned landscape art piece adorned our main living room,  another beautiful seascape version hung in my parents bedroom, a third piece - a still life - could be found in our dining room, and a fourth - a flower in a vase in front of the bar. Not much is known about this Cebuano painter who had the exceptional God-given talent for the arts but only started painting later in life.  His son Jose "Pepe" Villadolid , also a notable painter in Cebu recalls, "he didn't start painting seriously until my younger brother Balsicas got sick".  Balsicas was the most talented among the Villadolid painters that included my uncle Diosdado "Diovil" , my father Pe
Read more