Vincent de Pio

Vincent is the son of the renowned artist-professor Gig de Pio. He was exposed to art techniques, anatomy and drawing early in life. In his time, Vincent was destined to become a major artist in his own right. A product of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts, he quickly developed and took his interest from painting landscapes and portraitures to figurative paintings. He has now evolved a most distinctive and unique style.

Recently, Vincent has been captivated by classical music and the performing arts. Inspired by expressionism, his current works on women playing various musical instruments have been critically and commercially acclaimed in the numerous exhibits he has been featured in Manila and in Singapore. He presents his women as highly cultured individuals exuding mystery and sensuality.

His works are favorites in many auction houses. He has participated in over 20 group exhibits and three exhibits where only four selected artists were asked to paint their vision of the women of today. He has been a finalist in painting competitions of the UP College of Fine Arts, the GSIS National Art Competition and the Metrobank Art Competition.

In his Latest Two-man Show in early 2011 with Aileen Lanuza titled (Un) Robed, De Pio dabbles in the symbolisms surrounding his women and the conjectures afforded in context, whether they be occupational such as women as musicians, or conceptual such as women in Japanese geisha garb. His featured work in oil on canvas titled “War and Peace” shows two characters in Geisha garb facing-off, and “Through the Autumn Fields”, where Vincent encapsulates the heroine’s struggles.

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Japanese popular culture is something that Filipinos are endearingly familiar with. From mangga to anime, to Yakult and Yan Yan snacks, to Doraemon and Hello Kitty, Japan exerts a strong influence on the Philippine psyche. At the same time, however, the Land of the Rising Sun can also be exotic and mysterious. That the Japanese have also played an aggressive role during World War 2 also makes it challenging to reconcile their dual nature as the nation of Astro Boy and naval warships--of geishas, the kamikaze and the dreaded Kempetai.

This compelling cocktail of history and pop culture is the foundation of artist contemporary artist Vincent de Pio's recent works. Growing up on a healthy dose of Japanese pop, he later juxtaposed it with textbook entries on Japanese history to develop a oeuvre that explores the tropes and nuances of Japanese society while simultaneously opening up this rich and diverse culture to the current generations. Through this examination of the Japanese social milieu, de Pio attempts to explain the many supposed quirks and nuances we witness in Japanese culture, and tackles the challenge of reconciling the disparate ideas of Japanese society--the blending of the ancient and the modern, for instance. Or the interactions of Eastern Zen and Western philosophy.

These interludes are ripe for artistic exploration. And it is a concept that Vincent de Pio, the son of famed portraitist Gig de Pio, has wrestled with before. Now, he uses his own surreal interactions with Japanese culture and history as a springboard for his latest works. De Pio is an explorer, discoverer, and insightful observer of a culture he is enamoured with. He is imbued with an outsider’s sense of wonder, skilfully satirizing his own personal observations and experiences. A product of the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines, de Pio is one of the most sought-after artists of his generation.

Having been included in numerous prestigious auctions abroad - including auctions in Hong Kong and Singapore - de Pio was originally captivated with painting classical women cellists in the pursuit of their craft. However, he soon branched out and pioneered the usage of Japanese historical and pop imagery--starting with an exploration of the role of the Japanese geisha. From this initial push, de Pio dug deeper and became interested in other aspects of Japanese culture such as Japanese noblemen and ladies and inevitably the world of the samurai. This culminated in a critically-lauded exhibition called "The Art of Making Sushi” held at Art Underground Earlier this year.

Indeed, de Pio is at his best when working with these messages and capturing the very essence of wabi-sabi in his works.