Exhibitions
View Rare Paintings and Drawings Gallery
RARE PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OPENS 25 MARCH AT GALERIE JOAQUIN
Galerie Joaquin presents "Malang: Rare Paintings and Drawings", a collection of nearly 40 works on paper and on canvas showcasing two facets of the 81-year-old artist's career. The exhibit opens on Wednesday March 25 at 7 p.m. and runs until April 8, 2009 at The Main Gallery of Galerie Joaquin, 371 P. Guevarra Street corner Montessori Lane, Addition Hills, San Juan.
The show encompasses two of his best-known themes in various media such as oil pastel, oil paint, gouache, and watercolor: the rigidity of his buildings balanced by soft skies; the round-faced saya-clad cubist women show some curves.. The scapes and structures date from the early 1970s to the early 90s, many of them watercolor pieces from 1978, while the women are rendered mainly in oil-based media from the late 90s, ranging from an early mother and child in crayon to the another such scene painted 25 years later. Malang's dedication to his craft is evident in the evolution of his drawings, but his voice and coloring remain always his own.
As a child, Mauro Malang Santos took night classes under classical realist Maestro Teodoro Buenaventura, one of the founding teachers of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Art. After high school, Malang enrolled at UP but dropped out to work at the Chronicle, where he created the country's first daily comic strip in English, Kosme the Cop, for the newspaper's evening edition. A multi-awarded artist and cartoonist, he consistently won in competitions of the Society of Philippine Illustrators and Cartoonists and the Art Association of the Philippines.
As an illustrator, he drew editorial cartoons, sight gags and comic strips for a host of characters until his early retirement from the daily grind in 1964. But the discipline of working for a daily newspaper for 20 years sharpened his ability to work quickly and cull inspiration from what others would consider ordinary experiences. Shanties near his workplace gave rise to his barung-barong series, while seeing his mother sell food and sundry items inspired the female vendors he paints.
National Artist Vicente Manansala advised Malang to work with color after seeing his black-and-white semi-cartoons at his first one-man show at the Philippine Art Gallery. Mentored by another National Artist, H.R. Ocampo, in painting, Malang started taking this seriously at the age of 39 for his one-man show at Luz Gallery. Switching between media, he started with tempera, moving between charcoal sketches to water-based media. Malang then became known for his colorful scenes celebrating Filipino life, including the Virgin on a carroza. His use of the full spectrum of the palette made him highly regarded as a colorist.
Although Malang never aimed for photorealism, his several decades in art has taken him from more representational to less rigid forms that were never about theory or special meanings. He believes that an artist should strive to master a single subject or a medium--in itself a life-long processes.
Malang was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1963 and Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan by the City of Manila in 1981. Two of his sons, Steve Santos and Soler Santos, are also accomplished artists. As a senior member of the Saturday Group of artists, Malang continues to inspire and encourage young Filipinos to express themselves in art.
Visit www.galeriejoaquin.com or call 723-9418 or 723-9253.
Galerie Joaquin presents "Malang: Rare Paintings and Drawings", a collection of nearly 40 works on paper and on canvas showcasing two facets of the 81-year-old artist's career. The exhibit opens on Wednesday March 25 at 7 p.m. and runs until April 8, 2009 at The Main Gallery of Galerie Joaquin, 371 P. Guevarra Street corner Montessori Lane, Addition Hills, San Juan.
The show encompasses two of his best-known themes in various media such as oil pastel, oil paint, gouache, and watercolor: the rigidity of his buildings balanced by soft skies; the round-faced saya-clad cubist women show some curves.. The scapes and structures date from the early 1970s to the early 90s, many of them watercolor pieces from 1978, while the women are rendered mainly in oil-based media from the late 90s, ranging from an early mother and child in crayon to the another such scene painted 25 years later. Malang's dedication to his craft is evident in the evolution of his drawings, but his voice and coloring remain always his own.
As a child, Mauro Malang Santos took night classes under classical realist Maestro Teodoro Buenaventura, one of the founding teachers of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Art. After high school, Malang enrolled at UP but dropped out to work at the Chronicle, where he created the country's first daily comic strip in English, Kosme the Cop, for the newspaper's evening edition. A multi-awarded artist and cartoonist, he consistently won in competitions of the Society of Philippine Illustrators and Cartoonists and the Art Association of the Philippines.
As an illustrator, he drew editorial cartoons, sight gags and comic strips for a host of characters until his early retirement from the daily grind in 1964. But the discipline of working for a daily newspaper for 20 years sharpened his ability to work quickly and cull inspiration from what others would consider ordinary experiences. Shanties near his workplace gave rise to his barung-barong series, while seeing his mother sell food and sundry items inspired the female vendors he paints.
National Artist Vicente Manansala advised Malang to work with color after seeing his black-and-white semi-cartoons at his first one-man show at the Philippine Art Gallery. Mentored by another National Artist, H.R. Ocampo, in painting, Malang started taking this seriously at the age of 39 for his one-man show at Luz Gallery. Switching between media, he started with tempera, moving between charcoal sketches to water-based media. Malang then became known for his colorful scenes celebrating Filipino life, including the Virgin on a carroza. His use of the full spectrum of the palette made him highly regarded as a colorist.
Although Malang never aimed for photorealism, his several decades in art has taken him from more representational to less rigid forms that were never about theory or special meanings. He believes that an artist should strive to master a single subject or a medium--in itself a life-long processes.
Malang was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1963 and Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan by the City of Manila in 1981. Two of his sons, Steve Santos and Soler Santos, are also accomplished artists. As a senior member of the Saturday Group of artists, Malang continues to inspire and encourage young Filipinos to express themselves in art.
Visit www.galeriejoaquin.com or call 723-9418 or 723-9253.