Big Apple Dreams' Twin













Amirasolo and Other Essays

Part 3. My Thoughts on the Matter


ESSAY 45. BIG APPLE DREAMS' TWIN

By Arnaldo Mirasol

Although abstract, "White Head" (first image below) is the twin painting of the very figurative "Big Apple Dreams". I called it that because I did and finished both paintings almost simultaneously using the same oil paints I had on my palette. The surplus paints after I concluded a day of working on Big Apple Dreams was what I applied afterwards on the abstract canvas. Even though I'm satisfied at how this abstract painting came out, I was still pleasantly surprised when somebody bought it. White Head was part of Kartini Asia Gallery's 2018 group exhibit at the Alabang Country Club.

I originally titled this abstract "Fliptop Champion", in reference to that disgusting so-called modern balagtasan - Fliptop - where declaiming protagonists shout expletives, obscene words, and insults at each other, instead of arguing using lilting  poetic wholesome words like in the balagtasan of old. I decided to change this painting's title to White Head to erase its link to that dirty present day verbal joust on Youtube.

Even though my paintings are mainly of the realist mode, I have in my list of favorite artists 14 abstractionists who I'm sure are also masters of the realist technique - Jose Joya, Raul Isidro, Lao Lian Ben, Gus Albor, Lito Carating, Red Mansueto, Rock Drilon, Buds Convocar, Ross Capili, Max Balatbat, Isagani Fuentes, Fitz Herrera, Michael Pastorizo, and Josep Pascual. Their art have inspired me, and drove me into dabbling in abstraction.

But some may question my leap into abstraction. I have been a realist painter for more than three decades now, and many art theorists looked askance at painters whose shift to abstraction was rather abrupt. Well, all I can say is my shift was not abrupt, because I have been at it, experimenting in creating new forms since 2008.

Unlike some child abstract expressionists who've gained prominence lately - thanks to online hype and sleek marketing strategies - what I worried about in my early youth was how to get my drawings of the human form right. The thought of leapfrogging into being an abstract expressionist by creating art using the drip and splatter technique never entered my mind then.

The instant abstractionists have not done right, in my opinion. They have not hewed closely to what art and being an artist is about. The word art after all was derived from the Latin ars, which means skill. Thus, painters who aspire to do abstractions should hone their skill in drawing and realistic painting first. They should first learn the rules before daring to break them. 

Some may disagree with that axiom, but if what I stated is wrong, what's the use then of having art workshops for beginners and schools and colleges of fine arts?


(Top image of the photo collage below: "Evolution of the Naos"; Bottom image: "Brown Cliffs of Nowhere")




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