The Anthem Philatelist

Vendors, Early Works in Watercolor Darby Vincent Alcoseba is a illustrious figure in the contemporary Philippine art landscape, bridging classical Cebuano ( Sugbuanon ) realism with a modern, global sensibility. Born on June 26, 1983, in Cebu City , Alcoseba belongs to a four-generation artistic dynasty that has heavily shaped Visayan culture. While he initially pursued an academic path far removed from canvas and pigment, his inherent lineage eventually caught up with him, prompting a dramatic pivot that established him as an internationally recognized master of realist and surrealist painting. The Weight of Artistic Heritage To understand Alcoseba’s art is to understand the legacy he carries. His great-grandfather, Jose Trinidad “Noy Peping” Alcoseba , was a founding member of the historic Cebu Art Association in 1936. Noy Peping had 3 children- Vidal Sr, Wigberto and Leo. Darby's father, Antonio "Tony" Alcoseba , son of Vidal Sr., is a revered master of watercolor wh...

  Minglanilla River, 33" x 47", Oil on Canvas, 1986 For some artists, a work art of can become part of themselves and are hard to let go of.  Such is Celso Duazo Pepito 's the Minglanilla River , an oil on canvas painting he created in 1986. During this pre-cubism period, he was obsessed with the use of a palette knife .  " I remember, I consumed almost 2 tubes of 200 ml white oil paints.  That was the time when 200 ml was only 12 pesos", he fondly recalls. Martino Abellana was his foremost influence in understanding the use of color.   " The Law of Simultaneous Contrast that he shared with us in our art class was one great guide in my creativity, understanding the proper use of warm and cool colors, even up to now when i am following the Cubistic style", he said.   "It was great to remember the past in relation to the future as I continue my journey as a painter." Master Celso, why is this painting so close to your heart you're ...

  Vintage Piece 2, Oil on Canvas 2005   Antonio Vidal's artistic journey began at an early age.  He has shown and discovered his penchant for art even before entering his elementary education.  Born and raised in Puerto Princesa, Cebu , he used to go to his mother to church and got fascinated with the Cherubim , decorating the house of God.  His exposure to religious processions , especially during fiesta celebration, has added up to his intention to draw angels and other spiritually-enriching images.  As he continually joins his mother attending church activities, his strong interest in ecclesiastical arts gradually manifested. With much encouragement and support from his father, Tony decided to enroll in an art workshop in Gallery 90 in Cebu .  With positive guidance and motivation from his mentors, he learned the basic of doing portraiture in black and white providing comfort and ease in this medium.  This led him enrolling at the UP Cebu F...

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 i...

    Born on April 28, 2002, he is one of the youngest emerging artists making waves both locally and internationally is a 20 year old native of Danao City, who is currently living in Carmen , Cebu . His name is Leodito Rosales Bongo III.   Currently a Fine Arts student of the University of the Philippines Cebu, he was also a  personal student of Master Cubist Celso Duazo Pepito since 2020. He  garnered several local and international awards for his art and was the champion of the 7th World Youth Art Festival 2020 in South Korea . He started creating art when he was in grade 3 but did not take it seriously until he was 16.    His journey in pursuing his passion for creating art was not easy - with initial opposition from his parents.  He started losing hope because no one believed in him. But God sent him two angels in the person of Sir Paul Llideau and Celso Pepito who started to mentor him and changed his life for good.  He was g...

  After shifting to Cubism in 1994, Celso Pepito thought of ceasing to paint in an impressionistic manner.  However, after thinking that such privilege to paint this way is a gift from God, he opted to paint again in this style in 2009.  It was one of his ways to commune with nature.  He usually does this on-the-spot painting with friends. Painting below are scenes from Consolacion , Liloan and Oslob , Cebu . Oslob, Cebu While his friends were doing the whale shark, he painted this road in Oslob                                                                           Bagacay Point, Liloan, Cebu, 2009                                 Sometimes beset with boredom,...

Moving Forward, Watercolor on Paper, 12"x16", 2001   Entering the formal art scene with an initial lack of natural drawing confidence, Pepito relied on relentless observation and continuous sketching to hone his technique . Martino Abellana famously encouraged his students to embrace whatever medium was accessible—whether ink, charcoal, pencil, or watercolor . Watercolor, known for its unforgiving transparency and rapid drying time, forced Pepito to develop a precise yet spontaneous hand.  Unlike the heavy layers of his later acrylic and oil canvases, his early watercolors capture the transient, ambient light characteristic of impressionism. These pieces demonstrated a nuanced understanding of tonal values. By leaning on the values and structural shapes of his subjects, Pepito bypassed the limitations of his color blindness. This phase proved that his early command of tone, shadow, and light was robust enough to deliver striking visual narratives without relying on standard ...

Abstract expressionism is the term applied to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock , Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often characterised by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity Within abstract expressionism were two broad groupings: the so-called action painters , who attacked their canvases with expressive brush strokes; and the colour field painters who filled their canvases with large areas of a single colour. Wenceslao “Tito” Cuevas (September 2, 1938 –March 19, 2012), a renowned third generation Cebuano artist, whose non-conformist attitude paved the way for Filipino modern art to emerge in the Queen City of the South . He is regarded as the Father of Cebuano Abstract Expressionism Cuevas exposed himself to art outside the Philippines. "This exposure paved way for his signature abstract expressionist style. Splatters of paint and bold brush strokes done...

Still Life, Oil Pastel on Paper, 18"x 14", 2009 Fe Madrid's art are in the formative years. Her favorite subjects usually revolve within the household, though she often joined in workshops and painting excursions with the CAI group.    A doting mother of three, her works reflected to ' mother & child ' themes, still-lifes and nude figures. The life of motherhood and family as an intimate source of inspiration probably draws her more to painting and drawing. Basically a self-taught artist, she chooses oil and pastel as her favorite medium.    A glimpse of her works may lead on to feel its surface's crudities, but pastime or passion, it testifies a personal warmth of her own.   Bagacay, Liloan Cebu, 2009  

Cesar Castillo was born and raised in Cebu City . Though he had shown interest in arts, he ended up taking Mechanical Engineering course in the University of the Visayas in 1986 just to fulfill the request of his parents. After graduation, he worked as a quality controller in the glass plant department of San Miguel Corporation , Cebu branch situated in Mandaue City   Though busy with his works, he always found time to develop his artistic skills, turning his free time into opportunities for learning.    As his artistic quest evolved, he started to find self-confidence in every painting he created thus giving him the privilege to slowly expose his art to Cebu's art patron and enthusiast. His first art teacher was Cebuano master cubist , Celso Duazo Pepito but he was personally mentored by Jose Kimsoy Yap Jr. , who taught him the notion of "less is more" and "not all has to be seen".   Giving in to the clamor for artistic expression, Cesar  Castillo ...