IT’S HARD not to associate the works of National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz (1926-2021) with grandeur, but an exhibit called Streamlined II at the Renaissance Art Gallery in SM Megamall shows more intimacy from the late artist.
Mr. Luz is best known for his grand works displayed in the grandest venues and offices in the land, but this selling exhibit — which is ongoing until June 16 — features the private collection of Edd and Malou Gaerlan.
Mr. Gaerlan befriended Mr. Luz in the 1970s, and they formed a close bond, so much so that Mr. Luz and his wife stood as principal sponsors for the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary.
The exhibit features 62 pieces. While there are some sketches and drawings of Mr. Luz’s work in the 1960s, the collection largely consists of his work from the 1990s to the early 2000s. According to Renaissance Art Gallery’s Managing Owner, Manuel Romero, Jr., in an interview during the exhibit’s June 3 opening, these consist of what the National Artist captured during his travels around Southeast Asia during that period.
“An idea of what he thinks about the place,” is how Mr. Romero put it.
In a guide published by the gallery, Mr. Luz is quoted as saying, “These architectural paintings, which I call ‘Cities of the Past,’ are imaginary landscapes, recreations of my Asian pilgrimages. They share a common element: They are not literal but rather composite images formed from memory. They are imagined, transformed, and invented. They don’t originate directly from a single source.”
Writer and artist Cid Reyes, who curated the exhibit, has over 20 hours worth of interviews with the late Mr. Luz. Of the exhibit’s title Streamlined II (they had an exhibit called Streamlined last year), he said, “It is the one single word that touches on the essence of an Arturo Luz painting.”
“The work of Mr. Luz is so devoid or stripped of all ornamentation and excessive decoration, which is the penchant of many Filipino artists — because that is our sensibility. Because the art of Luz has been so stripped bare, it can connect to any period,” he said.
The works on view range in price from about P280,000 to P8.9 million. While the answer is obvious as to why the work of a National Artist can command such a price, Mr. Reyes notes that not everyone is drawn to his art. “The works of Mr. Luz remain a mystery. Unlike the works of Manansala, Amorsolo, that are all emotionally accessible to the Filipino audience, the work of Mr. Luz are still in that limbo of appreciation. It takes a particular sensibility to appreciate his works.”
For Mr. Romero, Mr. Luz’s work still creates buzz because previous collectors of Mr. Luz’s works have largely kept their collections private. “Nothing much has come out in the market. You can only see them, buy them, in the auction houses. Now, we’re trying to present that we still have a lot. Maybe it’s his time.”
Renaissance Art Gallery is located at The Artwalk, on the 4th floor of Building A of SM Megamall at the Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. — Joseph L. Garcia
