Famous and Rising Abstract Artists in the Philippines You Need to Know
The Philippines is teeming with artists who seek to examine and convey the intricacies of our world through abstractions. Abstract Filipino artists have been around since the 1900s and have continued to explore and hone their craft. See how abstract Filipino art has evolved through these 8 artists:
8 Popular and Contemporary Filipino Abstract Artists
1. Constancio Bernardo (1913 – 2003)
Bernardo was one of the first to introduce abstract art into the Philippines as a response to the Neo-Realist trend that prevailed in painting during the 1950s. He had the privilege to join the UP School of Fine Arts faculty in 1948 even while he was still finishing his bachelor’s degree. He learned from the likes of Fernando Amorsolo and Josef Albers which helped to inform and develop his own unique works.
Bernardo’s later work is characterized by applying Albers’s theory of color interaction, which states that color is defined through its relations to another color. He applied this to great effect in what critics would call “optical art” which engaged viewers' perceptions with the depth of shapes and pulsating colors in his paintings. This is best captured in his magnum opus, Perpetual Motion, with all its simplicity and hidden complexity.
2. Edison Barlan
Is an up-and-coming artist who studied accounting at Navotas Polytechnic College, he participated and won in numerous Philippine art competitions over the years through his paintings. His works' influences range from cubism to expressionism. Combining intricate shapes that draw the viewer’s eye across his work and colors that create contrasting depth.
His most recent work Family Abstract seems to be a culmination of all his previous practices constructing fluid motion and entangled silhouettes.
3. José T. Joya (1931 – 1995)
Joya was one of the foremost Filipino abstract artists who sought to transcend foreign influences. He was initially taught traditional painting by studying the works of Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino, but eventually, he was influenced by the emerging trends in Philippine modernism coupled with American Abstraction.
Joya’s paintings were inspired by Philippine landscapes showing harmonious and vibrant colors and lines. He used rice paper in his collages which emphasized the value of transparency. Joya was also a pioneering multimedia artist, painting on ceramics like tiles and many portrait/model sketches. His notable works include Beethoven's Listening to the Blues, Granadean Arabesque, Dimension of Fear and Space Transfiguration.
4. Anafe Nemenzo
Nemezo started drawing at an early age in every place she could find: paper, leaves, walls, and even sand. Her background was in interior design but during her time she would join art competitions and eventually decided to focus on developing her art after she graduated. Since then her work has gained widespread recognition and is exhibited in Italy, Indonesia, Germany, and the Netherlands.
A prominent feature of her work is the celebration of the human figure, shown collectively and individually, such as in her painting Xanadu.
5. Arturo Luz (1924 – 2021)
Arturio Rogerio Luz was also a multimedia artist who painted, sculpted, and was an art administrator well-known for his abstract paintings focusing on lines and geometric forms. He also created sculptures from metal or wood and acted as owner of the Luz gallery supporting the growth of Philippine modern art.
His great works such as his Cyclist series, From the Carnival series, and other significant paintings like Night Glows, Cities of the Past, and Imaginary Landscapes all had a profound influence on the development of Filipino abstract art.
6. Michi Calica
Calica spent three decades in the fashion industry and was a full scholar at the Art Institute of Seattle joining fashion competitions in Osaka, Jakarta, and Paris. However, during the height of the Covid pandemic she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. During her intervening surgery she lost her voice completely for over a year. For weeks she was isolated, undergoing cancer treatment in a farm in Pampanga where she decided to paint as her only means of expression.
Using abstract art to process her inner pains she was able to create beautiful works, her brushstrokes subtle patterns like in her work: Pambihirang Tagumpay.
7. Nena Saguil (1914 – 1994)
Saguil was one of the earliest Filipino artists to delve into abstract art during the 1950s. Her works centered around shapes that transformed into universal or microscopic processes which reflected her deep mysticism. She was awarded several art grants which helped her study at the most prestigious art schools in the world.
She would make her way to Paris to experiment with abstract styles such as cubism, surrealism, and impressionism. In making a name for herself, she would be asked to join the “First Exhibition of Non-Objective Art in Tagala” arranged in 1953 by the Philippine Art Gallery. Her iconic works such as The Island, her Landscapes of The Mind series, Power Room, and Cosmos series, show her versatility and productivity as an artist.
8. Michael Pastorizo
Pastorizo's initial education in management found his way to art by working with a local artist as a canvas maker. Over the next 15 years, he worked with various artists as a freelancer to gain exposure and establish his reputation. He practiced sculpture, acrylic screen painting, oil painting until he transitioned to abstract art. Pastorizo cultivated his style of simple forms fusing to make floral designs and motifs.
His latest painting Mystique encapsulates his transcendent flower patterns.
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The Intimacy of Abstract Art
Renowned abstract Filipino artists employ diverse techniques and subjects allowing their style to intersect both traditional and modern art. These artists have left a notable mark on the art world through their innovation and persistence shown in their body of work.
That is why Nami Art Gallery has curated a collection of these abstract paintings due to our commitment to collaborating with the best Filipino artists to showcase their talents. Browse through our art catalog or visit our galleries to support your local Filipino artists.