LEGACY OF THE MASTER
One can either choose to follow the trend or choose to make a trend. Wenceslao “Tito” Cuevas Jr. was an artist who chose to make a trend, one who did not let the pressures of fitting into society cripple his artistic creativity. When the rest of his colleagues were into classical realism, he was into abstract expressionism.
Tito Cuevas was not part of the bandwagon; he chose not to be. He resisted doing landscapes and portraits; instead, he exposed himself to art outside the Philippines. This exposure paved the way for his signature abstract expressionist style.
Now, years after deviating from the trend, he has made more than just a trend but a legacy in art. A series of exhibits of his greatest works are on display for the public eye. The first of a series of
retrospective exhibits that pays homage to Cuevas, who is considered the Father of Abstract Expressionism in Cebu, is in Casa Gorordo Museum, entitled Cuevas: A Retrospective (Iconography and Style).
It focuses attention on different styles that the master employed all throughout his art career from the late 1970s to 2012. The exhibit also examines the visual images, symbols and modes of representation found in his pieces.
The opening day of the exhibit marked the 40th day of the artist’s death. The exhibit will run from April 27 to June 20 only.
John Vincent Castro, curator of Alternative Contemporary Arts Studio (ACAS) and the Cuevas retrospective exhibit, said the exhibition in Casa Gorordo Museum traces the development of Cuevas’ art career and highlights his abstract expressionist style.
“The exhibit highlights his Abstract Expressionist style, the evolution of it, and the seminal works from the late 1970s to 2012. The second very important part of the exhibition is the iconographic works, the icons, his icons,” he said.
Cuevas’ style is very bright, mostly yellow and red, which are also his favorite colors, his brush strokes very bold and very big. As a painter who did not limit himself, the strokes in his painting were big and unlimited. Splatters of paint and bold brush strokes done in bright colors set against a black background have become apparent in Cuevas’s pieces.
Cuevas’s favorite painting, also one of the highlights of the exhibition, is Do Not
Weep for Me, Mother. One reason is that it was difficult to do; the piece is done in egg tempera with gold leaf on hard wood. Using egg tempera is quite difficult as the egg dries really fast and a gold leaf is very expensive.
Another highlight of the exhibit is his oldest existing seminal work done in acrylic on KE paper, the Salagimsim.
Tito Cuevas did not go to church; his paintings were his way of showing his devotion to God. After all, God is a personal God. Each individual’s way of worshipping Him differs. For an artist like Tito Cuevas, it
is through his painting.
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