Girls, Girls, Girls

One of the more fascinating aspects of viewing art is finding the glimpses of the artists’s personality that find their way into the work. For it is often said that a work of art is more about the artist than the subject with the latter being the means to reach the inner core of its creator. A rigor of thought and self appraisal must be applied to make truly interesting works that can communicate beyond the post card of here is. And the more honestly that is portrayed the greater the work that results.

The current exhibition at the Ricco Renzo Gallery employs the feminine to allow seven male artists explore that aspect of their psychics. Not surprisingly a goodly number of the works are nudes that range from the European centric pastels on paper along with an oil on canvas by Gig de Pio to an exploration of process from sketch to finished work with a Modigliani influence by Nino Quartana.

Ramon Diaz has contributed eleven works to the exhibition, a mixed bag of works which also use the nude as motive and includes several works with a golfing metaphor. That being said his mixed media on paper work “Awakening” is an intriguing work created with a delightful economy of line. Allan Cosio’s five acrylic and pastel on Pelon suede also explore the nude ranging from his three vixen like scarlet Barbie dolls as muse in ”Babae I” to the equine portrayal in “Mare” that hints at Peter Shaffer’s 1973 play Equus.

Yves Sadurni broadens this feminine dialogue with his socio political works that explore advertising in “Red Horse” to trans-gender issues in “Truth for Sale”. Whereas Cesar Caballero’s works are more concerned with painterly issues in which elements of design and decoration predominate. From the strategic placement of the rectangles in “Sueno Elemental I & II” to the incorporation of Jackson Pollock’s drip technique in his four mixed media on wood works which is decorative rather than substantive. Then there are the works by Jose A Ibay, six oil stick and acrylic on canvas portraits. Portrayed are strong individuals with opinions who when not looking you in the eye are at ease in their reverie.

To varying degrees each of the artists draws away the mask of the every day to reveal not only their view of the Babae but also a contemplation of their own femininity be it intellectual, decorative or carnal.

Babae, the exhibition continues at Ricco Renzo Gallery, LRI Business Plaza, 210 N. Garcia (formerly Reposo) St, Bel Air 2, Makati City until the 11th of May.