More than meets the eye

MANILA, Philippines - There’s more to beauty than meets the eye. This is what Maria Isabel Lopez, Nina Ricci Alagao, Lani Lobangco, Evangeline Pascual and Melanie Marquez get to prove as they topbill the painting exhibit titled Art and Beauty on July 13 to 31 at the second floor of Ricco Renzo Galleries and Caffe on 210 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air 2, Makati City. 

Yes, their gift in the visual arts will be immortalized on canvas, instead of their beauty.

“It’s my concept to bring beauty queens in one exhibit,” offers event organizer and The Film Artist Group (FAG) head Maria Isabel. “I conceptualized it three years ago. I’ve been doing exhibits for the past years through FAG which I formed in 2001. It’s an association of movie stars who are into painting and sculpture. It provides an alternative job to the stars in between movie assignments and inspires them to paint.”

Aside from the beauty queens, FAG has Joey de Leon, Rosanna Roces, Cesar Montano, Baron Geisler, Nadia Montenegro and Dranreb Bellesa as its members.

Maria Isabel Lopez: Painting is an alternative job to the stars

What objets d’art can people expect to see at the exhibit? According to Maria Isabel, a fine arts graduate from the University of the Philippines (UP), the subjects (which range from the female form to contemporary social conditions) and styles are varied. Her work glorifies the human body with elongated proportions. Lani, a University of Sto. Tomas fine arts graduate, is more on stylized and figurative works. Evangeline has a leaning toward mixed media and incorporates valuable items such as gold and pearl and scraps in her artwork. Hers is stylized and experimental. Melanie uses candle drip in her paintings. Nina, also a product of the UP College of Fine Arts, shows cultural realism in her artwork.

“More than realistic works, I want to show real works which is almost like looking at photographs,” says Nina. “I want to showcase discipline (encompassing technique and skills) as a new artist. I want to work within boundaries. Then, I eventually jump out of the box. Right now, I want to show and inspire beauty. It’s like things simply said. I don’t like having (others) interpret (my) artwork with many meanings. What I want is for one to appreciate its beauty. The colors are beautiful and vibrant. The composition is nice. The distribution of weight is good. There’s a good balance between this (element) and that (element). The lighting is well-distributed. There’s control.”

Evangeline Pascual incorporates valuable items like gold and pearl in her artwork

Also mounted by the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) and the Character Building Foundation, Inc. (CBFI), Art and Beauty is also an avenue to teach the young and to remind the young-at-heart about Filipino values like resiliency. CBFI director Heidi Sison says that we project values through arts. It is the place where we can uplift the soul and hearts of people.

The artists’ motivation is to help others with CBFI as the event’s beneficiary. After all, talents are meant to be expressed — and shared. Every single stroke of the celebrity artist’s hand counts.

“Painting is very gratifying because it is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life,” says Maria Isabel. “Even if you’re old, you can still sell your artwork.”

“(Beauty in my work) is something that will give you a sense of delight when you experience it,” adds Nina. “It’s not necessarily physical beauty. When you see the work, you feel how beautiful life is. I want the beauty of life expressed in every single artwork even if it’s dark. It’s not just (about) the appearance (of my work titled) Ondoy. When you see it, it’s muddy, almost sepia and gloomy. But when you look closely, the man (in the painting) is smiling. It seems like in the middle of this tragedy, he can still afford that smile because he knows he can do something good out of (that situation) with his positive thinking and disposition.”

Thus, art does not only imitate life. It also inspires.

(For details, call 898-2543 to 2545 and log on to www.riccorenzo.com.)