CESAR CASTILLO’S IMAGES OF FAITH NOW ON DISPLAY
The undying hope for prayers to be answered is one of the most prized possessions of every Cebuano. This hope is symbolized by Sto. Niño, the Holy Child to whom Cebu offers the grand celebration known as Sinulog every third Sunday of January.
Having offered his talents to the Holy Child, Cesar Castillo launched his first one-man exhibition entitled “Larawan sa Pagtuo” at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel curated by art collector and local businessman Jerry de Leon from Jan. 5 to 15. Opening a public art exhibit is also a first for the hotel, having decided to start the year big in line with the celebration of the annual fiesta.
“I started to know Cesar a year ago when I saw his painting at Ayala Center Cebu and I fell in love with his painting. I fell in love with his watercolor painting of a peacock. That’s when I asked him to go to my office and bring some more paintings for me to choose from,” said de Leon.
“That was the start of our friendship. Then I realized that we have the same devotion. I am also a devotee of the Sto. Niño; Cesar started his career painting and drawing Sto. Niño,” continued de Leon.
The show’s main highlight is a very detailed watercolor painting of Sto. Niño owned by de Leon, one of the paintings he bought from Castillo having discovered the artist’s versatile talent.
“I worked for a corporation for 19 years but I really resigned to start painting because I’ve always wanted to paint but my parents never allowed me to take up Fine Arts because they said I wouldn’t have a future with it. I followed their wishes and finished a degree in Mechanical Engineering and then I worked. I applied in Mindanao Rattan and then I got accepted, but then later I really pursued painting,” said Castillo.
Having pursued his passion for painting, Castillo brought upon himself the mission of finishing one artwork per day totaling 365 paintings every year. In 2015, during the weeklong celebration of the feast of the Holy Child, he started painting one image of the Sto. Niño for every novena and that amounted to nine varying portrayals of the Sto. Niño for that year’s Sinulog. And ever since then, he has continued doing such tradition inspiring hundreds of Cebuanos over Facebook.
“The Sto. Niño I paint for every novena depends on what Sto. Niño I see that makes an imprint on me and deeply touches me,” said Castillo.
He uploads his paintings on his Facebook page, never denying people the opportunity to see his artworks despite having already joined several group exhibits in Cebu and Metro Manila, as well as in other countries like Singapore, China and Malaysia.
“I became a student of Kimsoy Yap in an art workshop
and I was one of his students who he said did not know how to draw. And it’s true. Until now, I am amazed at how my paintings turn out after I make them. After that feedback, I prayed hard for Sto. Niño to help me and bless me with the talent of painting for that was really what I wanted to do. True enough, until this day, he blesses me by letting me borrow these talents which I will make use of every day,” said Castillo.
This humility is the way he honors the Sto. Niño, and imparting his talents to his audience is one way of showing his gratefulness for the talents he has been blessed with. On matters of hope, the artist admitted that he turns to the light as much as he can—just like the sunflower which faces the sun and closes during the night—and hopes for light for the following days ahead.