Cafe Quesada Dec 26, 2023

December 26, 2023 Kape Kesada (Cafe Quesada.)

There's a coffee table book at Cafe Quesada titled Dakilang Lagunense, The Art and Artists of Laguna which is a good primer on Paete, Laguna Province, Philippines. The artist perspective as that humanities link to history. There is also a pile of art brochures, of shows which is the legacy of Dr. Nilo Valdecantos, the great promoter of art. 

Much to unravel and not enough cups of coffee.

To begin with the legacy artist Manny Baldemor, Fred Baldemor, Glenn Cagadahan, Dominic Rubio, Luisito "Luis" B. Ac-Ac, Jose Caancan the pupil of Jose Rizal who trained many succeeding wood sculptors and carvers of Laguna.

A quick coffee length browse and already revealed is the liberating genre "Pinoy-Pop Social Realism," as coined in the work of Joseph "Otep" F. Banez  of Barangay Casile, Paete. 

Almador "Jojo" Barquila of Albay, a self taught artist that gained success simply from community support.

Almer V Moneda who painted from photographs if old Manila with a silkscreen like rendering and an outspoken Thalo blue. A favorite visual vocabulary for interested photographers in particular who like to paint from photographs.

Then the fantastic realist paintings of Jasper Penuliar.

 

Also among the art brochures a very interesting insight on a body of paintings  shown in "Paethnic" by Lamberto Acayatan. His repeated theme of a woman raises many questions and conjures equal mysterious and silent answers.

Thus, that second cup of coffee, haha 😂 many more cups of coffee to follow...