I’m the proud mom of a self-proclaimed art freak. My baby girl, Mica, has been going on an on about this art exhibit in Makati. Since I found myself a bit of free time, I decided to indulge her in her new interest and together, we checked out the exhibit.
Filipinos in the Gilded Age features artworks of Filipino artists during the 19th century. It brings together ouvres of ilustrados such as Juan Luna, Damian Domingo, Jose Taviel de Andrade and Felix Resureccion Hidalgo among others. The pieces, housed in a gallery dressed up as a well-appointed colonial room, depict scenes in colonial Philippines as well as faces and views encountered by the artist-ilustrados in their European travels. While Mica waxed poetic about Hidalgo’s sweeping seascape and Luna’s brooding portrait of a Spanish noblewoman, most notable for me are Hidalgo’s impressionistic depictions of women in natural settings and the anito-ish renditions of religious icons.
The exhibit seeks to provide this generation’s new breed of artists a glimpse into the legacy of past masters and peek into the struggles of Filipino artists forging an identity.
Filipinos in the Gilded Age is on show at the Leon Gallery located at G/F Corinthian Plaza, Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village, Makati City until July 20. Entrance is free.
Jellybeans in the City 