“Psyche In The Midst of a Song”
Notes on Adeste Deguilmo’s art exhibit ‘Distortus’
THE CROPPED image used as illustration for the exhibit poster sealed the deal for me. It shows a guy with his mouth wide open, as if in a soundless scream, with his hair blown in one direction and his eyes closed.
This is not typical of Cebuano artist Adeste Deguilmo’s work I’ve glimpsed in the past. I distinctly remember his affinity to the Kolor Sugbu art universe. I am referring to paintings that highlight local color, showcasing mundane activities and peopled by simple folks: Bronze-skinned farmhands harvesting in a rice field; charming ladies in native costume dancing on church grounds; a menagerie of denizens during market day. In short, the rustic Filipiniana mode of painting, à la Fernando Amorsolo.
“Strength Under Lavender Sky”
My curiosity is thereby aroused. I have to view this exhibit. I want to see how far the artist has pushed the envelope in his current show.
Without much ado, I have to say that the artist did not recklessly push the envelope too far. There is no effort to burn bridges or to shock or to be controversial. The transition to Expressionism is very much toned down, in keeping with his prudent artistic sensibility. A well-informed viewer can discern the hints of familiar echoes from modernist masters and their iconic pieces. Right off the bat, I notice the indirect homage to Edvard Munch and his iconic work The Scream, as well as to Amedeo Modigliani and his stylized portraits with elongated necks that were inspired from traditional African art. And of course, the fingerprints of pre-Cubism Picasso are all over the place.
As stated earlier, Adeste’s current renditions are never subversive or adversarial. Hence, it is not surprising to hear somebody lament that the works are ”kuwang sa angst.” Angst, after all is one of the cornerstones of contemporary art and literature. But as a viewer, I’m not bothered by such appraisal. I am adequately satiated.
All things considered, I can very well see where his strengths are posited.
Craftsmanship is admittedly the Excalibur of Adeste’s art, his weapon that defines his place in the scheme of things. His technical dexterity honed through the years reminds me of the heightened level of representational art perfected by the Renaissance masters. It sets him apart from the merely competent who can earn a living as komiks illustrators or those who can’t draw but are adept in pouring and hurling paints at a canvas.
“The Four Ages of Woman II”
Presentation, or packaging is another aspect that draws my attention in Adeste’s recent exhibit. It’s a requisite that is often overlooked by many local artists, perhaps because all their energy and funds have already been consumed in the arduous task of producing their artwork. Or maybe because they subscribe to the notion that the world, on its own volition will beat a path to seek out and celebrate a finished body of work.
With an advertising background in his résumé in the past, the artist took pains in considering the peripheral but equally important details of presentation. Qube Gallery, one of the few art galleries in Cebu with an impressive art calendar was the chosen venue. The tandem of Lorenzo Dino and Sonia Yrastorza were signed on to curate the exhibit. Dr. Teresita Gimenez Maceda of UP Diliman wrote the text in the handsomely produced exhibit brochure. Even the frames the artist chose for his mostly square canvases of 4 x 4 feet were impeccably elegant.
Is it any wonder then that the paintings were already sold out to unnamed collectors even before the exhibit opening? That’s marketing!
