The Anthem Philatelist

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 198...

  One of the "desirable" things the pandemic accorded us was solitude. Solitude brings silence, and with silence comes stillness. Silence ( Matthew 6:5-8 ) eliminates the external secular noise, and stillness ( Psalm 46:10 ) the internal mental chatter (guilt, worry, too busy with earthly concerns). These attenuates the voices of the flesh; worship becomes effortless and  the mind more attuned to the Spirit of God , making creativity, a shared trait of God and men, conducive.  Praying in the Spirit necessitates that one is continually connected to God. If this connection is cut by sin, one has to pray to reconnect. Christians must maintain this connection for prayer to be effective. We pray for God's will to be done and that He be merciful to humanity whom He loves inspite of them undeserving of His love.  If we ask for something and is not given, it isn't God's will and He might give you something better. So, just be patient and continue to pray. We lost God...

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 Suba,   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 f...

Figurative Art in Cebu owes its sense of realism and classical ardor to the late Martino Abellana and those he mentored, particularly Romulo "Molong" Galicano . Since the eighties, Galicano has taught and encourage a band of Cebuano artists to excel in the academic techniques of figurative painting, and who has since emerged as the leading edge of a new generation of figure painters. They include Boy Briones , Pepe Villadolid , Carly Florido , Dodong Tallo , Jun Impas and Jonathan Galicano .    Bag-ong Hinan-aw (New Perspectives) is a brief survey of this new movement in Philippine art that combines academic technique with contemporary vision that combines tradition, innovation, and Cebuano creativity to a new degree of excellence.    Publio "Boy" Briones (b. 1949) originally graduated with a BS and MBA from UP before learning how to paint during landscape sorties by fellow Cebuanos in the provinces. He subsequently took watercolor workshops and sketching c...