The multi-colored world of Bolaños

Pierre August Renoir is an art demigod. The vibrant colors of his paintings are like the sun always smiling, bewitching and scorching. His paintings celebrate beauty and feminine sensuality. The painting Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre which Renoir did in 1876 sold for $78-M. It is fifth in the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold. The owner, a Japanese mogul, also owns Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet which he bought for $127-M. The Japanese mogul reportedly suggested that he intended to cremate both paintings when he dies causing international outrage.

But if Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci were to be sold, it would certainly be the most expensive painting in the world. The world’s most famous, most expensive paintings are usually owned by museums. Mona Lisa for example was listed by the Guinness World Records as having the highest insurance value for a painting in history. It was assessed at $100-M on Dec. 14, 1962, before the painting toured the US for several months. However, the Louvre chose to spend the money on security rather than insurance. Taking inflation into account, the 1962 value would be approximately $670-M today. Most valuable paintings are often sold at auctions. Here are the world’s top five most expensive paintings sold at auctions: No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock at $140-M; Woman 111 by Willem de Kooning, $137.5-M; Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer 1 by Gustav Klimt, $135-M; Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh, $127.3-M; and Bal au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre August Renoir, $120.5-M million USD. No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock and Woman 111 by Willem de Kooning were previously owned by Hollywood media mogul David Geffen.

It is said that former First Lady Imelda Marcos has a fairly good collection of art works. Some say she has a Rembrandt, a Van Gogh and many Russian icons. A lover of art she was once the Patron of the Arts and in her watchful eye, several artists were discovered. In the field of music, there are Cecile Licad and Rowena Arietta whom she sent to a Russian school to study piano.In the local art scene, Greg Bolaños is acknowledged as the King of Pastel. Greg is a quiet, reserved, unassuming and an extremely spiritual man. His serene demeanor is evident in his vast body of work.

The Bolaños paintings display the artist’s affinity with nature. So close to, and so respectful of his chosen subjects, his paintings capture the ethereal quality of continuity, and the perpetuity of all that is natural. Greg’s wonder of nature originated in his simple but idyllic, rural childhood. He has also been greatly influenced by the works of classic masters of the landscape: Turner, Renoir, Gainsborough and Van Gogh.

Bolaños obras speak eloquently of permanence, of innocence and sensuality. All of his works have a refreshingly restful, serene, delicate, peaceful and natural quality.

Greg remembers his childhood with warm affection. His birthplace was in a small town in the scenic, coastal barrio of Sawangka in the province of Sorsogon, Southern Philippines. His family lived in a large ancestral house close to the sea. "At sunrise," recalls Greg, "I used to go to the long, white beach and draw my first pictures in the sand with a stick. I had no pencils or paper at that age." And, if there was no sand, then Greg would etch his drawings on a banana leaf with a small stick.

1974 was a major turning point in Greg’s life when he joined the Saturday Group, an elite club composed of the Philippines’ most successful national artists, including H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legazpi, Vicente Manansala, Ang Kiukok and Bencab. In all his works, Greg would bring a fresh, vibrant, effortless style that reveals his love and deep respect for nature. This style, his style was labeled "magic realism."

In 1975, Greg took the big step of becoming a full-time professional artist. His reputation grew. He sold paintings through galleries and by personal recommendation. He was commissioned to execute portraits of many well-known actors and actresses of the time. In 1980, Greg was commissioned to produce a portrait of President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos. Greg was also invited by First Lady Ming Ramos to participate in an Invitational group show at the Malacañang Palace. On an almost yearly basis, Greg was mounting one-man shows in mixed media of pastel, oil and water color, of both landscapes and still-life.

In his 70s, Greg experiments with impressionist, expressionist and abstract styles. His work has turned full-circle, to styles evident in Greg’s formative years as an artist, to the light shades of freshly disturbed sand and the ridges and troughs of bruised banana leaves. From the art of the young boy who would draw pictures in the sand and scratch images on banana leaves to the legacy of the "King of Pastel," the legacy that the world will inherit will transcend time.

Greg Bolaños launched his coffee-table book entitled Pastel by multi-awarded publisher Marlene Aguilar at the fabulous Bulan Restaurant in Little Baguio, San Juan. The beautiful publication includes 145 full color pages showcasing over 200 original artworks by the "King of Pastel." Guests of honor to the art event of the year were National Artist Napoleon Abueva, Philippine Tatler magazine Chit Lijauco, art patrons Hans Dy Buncio and Alwin Sta. Rosa and Asian Development Bank executive director Richard Stanley.Pastel by Greg Bolaños is a Philippine Heritage Book and available at leading booksellers nationwide.

For details, call Bulan Restaurant at 725-8496 or Likhang Kulay Gallery at 092-28804668.