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Lebajo Studio: A legacy of more than 50 years of artistic pursuits

The studio is a ground-breaking project of one of the respected icons of Philippine visual arts, Raul Lebajo.

This year marks the 80th birthday of one of the respected icons of Philippine visual arts, master surrealist Raul Lebajo. What makes the celebration significant is that it coincides with the fulfillment of his ground-breaking project – a studio – which now houses his masterpieces, old and new, and can showcase them to a range of art lovers and collectors, even to up-and-coming artists.

Nestled inside the sprawling Lebajo ArtFarm and family resort in Sinaliw Malaki, Alfonso, Cavite, the studio is a two-floor edifice with wide spaces. The roof interior is made of bamboo sticks, which emits a cool atmosphere and looks exquisite aesthetically.

The first floor serves as the main studio. It displays various works of the Lebajo patriarch and his two sons Nikulas and Gio, who both pursued their father’s artistic inclination to arts. The second floor or the loft is where the working area of Raul can be found. It is here where Raul stays most of the time painting to his heart’s content while having a view over the verdant surroundings of the farm.

The main studio is where all the paintings of the Lebajo patriarch are being displayed.

 

Nikulas Lebajo’s masterpiece (left) and Raul Lebajo’s huge artwork adorn the main studio.

 

“Inspiration comes from a wellspring of imagination – what I see from my surroundings – from simple to the most extraordinary, things I can draw motivation from,” Raul shares. “I just keep on painting. No one forces me to paint. It’s like a stream of thoughts, which keeps flowing when creativity is at its peak.”

Raul believes that an artist is someone creative, passionate, and effective. He is someone who is not constrained by money. Ultimately, the reward will come when people see the value of your work, he quips.

“I’m grateful that I can leave behind a legacy that my children and grandchildren will carry on,” Raul muses.

 

Two masters: Raul Lebajo welcomes National Artist BenCab to ArtFarm.

 

Not too far from the main gallery is the basement, where the master’s bedroom is located, then the guest room, and kitchen area. The look and feel of the property all came from Raul’s ideas.

One of the best parts of having the studio in this location is to be closer to nature. The scenery is delightful and tranquil. The air is a lot cleaner and fresher, too. You feel relaxed. You can look forward to a picturesque sunrise and be fascinated with the chirping of the birds around you while doing your gardening activities.

 

Raul and his wife Elena nurture together the ArtFarm.

Staying in this kind of healthy and comforting environment makes the artist more productive in creating masterpieces that resonate with his present views of the world at the time of the pandemic.

For the time being, the studio accepts visitors by appointment only. For inquiries, call +639296956656 and look for Gio Lebajo.

#lebajostudiogallery #lebajoartfarm #alfonsocavite #legacy #mastersurrealist #visualarts #filipinoartist #naturefarm #sanctuary #paintings #surrealism #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

 

 

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Lenten exhibit “Takip Silim” depicts the passion and sacrifice of Christ

Araneta City held recently an exhibit of religious relics in Ali Mall to remind the public this Lenten season of the passion and sacrifice of Christ.

Invitingly titled “Takip Silim”, the exhibit depicts Jesus Christ’s passion, crucifixion, death, and burial which ended during the day’s dusk (or takip silim). More than 40 religious images and replicas from different parishes around Metro Manila and Rizal were on display in the exhibit.

Notable images displayed are vintage holy week images of Nazareno, Mater Dolorosa, La Esperanza Macarena, and San Juan Apostol, to name a few. These inclusions mirror the religious processions held in cities and provinces across the country during Good Friday.

“We are bringing to Ali Mall this timely Lenten presentation to bring the Passion of Christ closer to our patrons and nearby communities. May this exhibit make the faith of our mallgoers stronger, especially in this period of recovery,” Aileen Ibay, Property Manager of Ali Mall, said.

#lentenexhibit #passionofChrist #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Educator-artist Fernando Roxas flexes his art in ‘Music in Me’ exhibit

In time for the National Arts Month, professor and artist Fernando Martin ‘Nani’ Roxas opens his second one-man art show through the “Music in Me” exhibit at the Gateway Gallery in Araneta City.

More than 20 pieces of artworks of various genres and media are up on display until February 18, 2022, at Gateway Gallery’s Small Room. Viewers will get to experience his masterpieces that are inspired by the Post-Impressionists, Expressionists, and Constructivists from the Western modern art period.

Roxas’ exhibit constitutes a body of art created in various stages of his life. A professional educator who enjoys the arts and music, he favors working with acrylics on canvas, mixed media on paper board, pastel on velour, and recently, gouache on canvas. He also works in three-dimensional art as evident in the Music in Me exhibit’s solo sculpture, which will be featured on the cover for a tourism book to be published by the University of Sussex and De La Salle University.

Outside of his art, Roxas has been teaching Operations Management, Supply Chains, Systems Thinking, and other basic modules in the Degree and Executive Learning Programs of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for over 20 years. He has published internationally in peer-reviewed journals on Sustainable Energy & Tourism. He is also the Executive Director of the Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, where he develops training programs and research on Sustainable Tourism applications.

Catch the “Music in Me” exhibit at the Gateway Gallery, located on the 5th floor of Gateway Tower in Araneta City. Lucky visitors may even get the chance to meet Roxas and experience a personal tour of the exhibit by the artist himself!

Admission is FREE. Gateway Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. For inquiries on the exhibit, call 8588-4000 local 8300, email gatewaygallery@aranetagroup.com, or connect through the gallery’s official social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter).

 

#fernandoroxas #musicinme #gatewaygallery #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

 

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Araneta City honors feast of Santo Niño with ‘Ang Batang Hesus’ exhibit in Ali Mall

Araneta City opens to the public the “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit in Ali Mall in partnership with Santo Niño devotees to honor the Child Jesus.

In time for the feast of Santo Niño, the faithful are invited to visit the solemn display of the different images of child Jesus near the Gen. MacArthur entrance of Ali Mall from January 7 to 15, 2022.

The “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit features more than 50 images from Santo Niño devotees and benefactors. Among them are the famous replicas of the three oldest Santo Niño images in the Philippines: Santo Niño de Cebu, Santo Niño de Tondo, and Santo Niño de Arevalo.

Aileen Ibay, Ali Mall Property Manager, sees the exhibit as an opportunity to strengthen the faith of the public given the ongoing health crisis. “This exhibit aims to give hope to people by reminding them the symbolism of Santo Niño to our faith and culture,” she said.

In Philippine history, the original image of the Santo Niño was given as a baptismal gift to native Filipinos by Spanish explorers. The image was venerated and accepted by the locals but was lost in warfare. It was, later on, discovered intact and safe amidst burning debris, a miracle regarded to show that anyone can rise from any tribulation.

A formal opening and blessing of the exhibit on January 7 were led by Rev. Fr. John Thomas of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. The exhibit is open for public viewing for free during mall hours.

Under Alert Level 3, Ali Mall and other Araneta City malls (Gateway Mall and Farmers Plaza) are open from 10 am until 9 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until 10 pm every Friday and Saturday.

#FeastofSantoNino #AranetaCity #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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‘L’Art de Trois Femmes’ Features Swedish Artist Jeanette Kamphuis

The  “Fashion Interiors” (2307 Chino Roces Extension, Makati 1232-Former Pasong Tamo, Magallanes ) exclusive furniture store had the honor to host the soft opening of “L’Art de Trois Femmes,” an exhibition of European artists featuring Swedish Jeanette Kamphuis, Polish Natalia Biegalska and Denise Hedera. The soft opening was broadcasted by the music group “Anything goes 101”.

Kamphuis exhibited her larger Suprematism Contemporary collection where she gives honor to the infinity in the Universe and the living basic elements on Earth. As you go for a visit you will also have the opportunity to view a few of her skyline series where she encourages the audience to take care of Mother Earth. For this series, she received an award 1 Dec 2019 in Manila Hotel from the “Noble Queen of the Universe” organization as “Ambassador Queen of the Environment.”

Kamphuis is a multi-talented artist. At the tender age of eight, she won an art competition and she never stopped painting since then. Many of you might know her as a musician or talent in many telenovela series but art has become second nature to her. One of her sayings is “Art is OXYGEN” and we all surely need that especially these days.

Kamphuis skyline series.

She is an artist, a musician, an actress. She is a citizen of the world with deep ecological sensibilities whose many iterations stem from her varied life experiences of traveling to more than 96 countries over seven continents.  Ultimately, she is a constant evolution of talent, ideas, and beliefs. You can find her murals and art in Sweden, Germany, Austria, the USA, the Philippines, South Africa, and Mozambique.

Kamphuis has made a great impact on the Philippine art scene with three solo exhibits and 34 group exhibits with local artists. For more information, visit her website http://artisticeuro.com/.

“L’Art de Trois Femmes” group exhibition has been extended to January 8, 2022.

#JeanetteKamphuis #artist #musician #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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His legacy will live on

National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz passed away peacefully on May 26. He was 94.

Arturo Luz, painter, sculptor, designer, and esteemed Philippine National Artist in the visual arts passed away Wednesday night, leaving behind a legacy in the arts that “exemplify an ideal of sublime austerity in expression and form.”

His daughter, former TV personality, Angela Luz, announced that the 94-year-old artist passed away peacefully while she was at his side at 8:45 pm on May 26.

“God blessed my father with 94 of the most wonderful years on earth. He enriched our lives with his art, his incredible talent, and his genius. As a father and a grandfather, he was simply the best. He was the most kind and generous human being. And as a husband to my mother, he was perfect. He will be terribly missed, but will never be forgotten. His legacy will live on, and will last forever,” wrote Angela on her Facebook post.

“He enriched our lives with his art, with his incredible talent and his genius,” wrote Angela Luz on her Facebook account. Courtesy Angela Luz FB account

Luz was born on November 20, 1926, and was a founding member of the modern Neo-Realist school in Philippine art. He was educated at the University of Santo Tomas School of Fine Arts in Manila, and then went on to the Art School of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and to the Académie Grade Chaumière in Paris. He became the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in 1976, holding the position until 1986. He was named National Artist in 1997.

Luz’s notable works include the Carnival series of the late 1950s to the recent Cyclist paintings.

Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de Flores, Skipping Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows, Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary Landscapes.

His mural painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.

He produced works that elevated the Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of sophisticated simplicity.

He established the Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an institution and set a prestigious influence over generations of Filipino artists. He inspired and developed a Filipino artistic community that nurtures impeccable designs.

Sources: Yahoo News, NCCA, Angela Luz FB account

Featured photo courtesy of NCCA

#ArturoLuz #NationalArtist #visualarts #legacy #DeathofArturoLuz #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Raul Lebajo’s ‘Enter His World’ Book Launch

In his book, the artist invites the viewer and art lover to enter his fantastic world and pursue the surrealist vision in his paintings and drawings.

It was a proud moment for our family when my father-in-law, master surrealist painter Raul Lebajo launched his first coffee table book entitled, “Enter His World,” at the Ayala Museum recently. Finally, it has been out after 20 years in the making. It was authored by noted art critic and historian, Alice Guillermo, and published by LC: Questor Worldwide Corporation.

In his book, the artist invites the viewer and art lover to enter his fantastic world and pursue the surrealist vision in these paintings and drawings.  “Special to Lebajo’s art is the experience of universal energy that courses throughout the whole nature,” describes the author. ”

Lebajo’s masterpieces crafted over the years are divided into several topics which composed the book’s entirety.  Of course, there are landscapes of cosmic energy, the secret life of plants, offerings of fruit, an uncommon aviary, reinventing nature, varieties of organic life, a marine universe, humans in nature, forces as archetypes, cosmic furniture, the vases series, sculptures, and other works.

“Raul Lebajo is a true artist of nature, but this does not mean that he does traditional landscapes and still life paintings of flowers. He does not paint valleys of earth, trees, and sky as though they stretched out before him, or does he paint flowers bunched together in a vase for his personal delectation. Not for him is a linear perspective, for, in fact, he plays with perspective, and his views are often warped, telescoped, spiraling, and spinning into multiple worlds,” – Alice Guillermo. She received her graduate degrees in France and at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.