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In tribute to the most famous symbol of the 100-year old University of the Philippines, the Oblation, seventy-nine alumni artists present their works in a landmark exhibit, “100 Nudes, 100 Years,� opening at the Mandarin Suites, 4F Gateway Mall from June 19-25, 2008.

The famous Oblation, which is present in UP campuses across the country, is a creation of the National Artist in Sculpture and one-time director of the School, now College of Fine Arts, Guillermo Estrella Tolentino. To date, of the 14 National Artists in Visual Arts, nine of them are UP alumni.

For the first time, Tolentino’s and the glorious works of eight other National Artists, are experienced in one unparalleled collection. These are Napoleon Veloso Abueva, Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, Carlos Villaluz Francisco, Abdulmari Asia Imao, Jose Tanig Joya Jr., Cesar Torrente Legaspi and Vicente Silva Manansala.

Other artists have been recognized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines with the Thirteen Artists Awards, such as Pablo Baen-Santos, Elmer Borlongan, Benjie Cabangis, Neil Doloricon, Ofie Gelvezon-Tequi, Alfredo Liongoren, Popo San Pascual, José Santos III, Nestor O. Vinluan and Edwin Wilwayco.

Still others who have contributed their work have dedicated their lives in part in the service of the University, as professors, department chairpersons and administrators. One of the ten women in participating in the project, Dr. Gigi Javier-Alfonso, currently serves as Chancellor of the UP Open University.

The collection cuts across generations of alumni as well, some father and son tandems and even father and son and daughter as in the case of Mr. Cabangis and his children, Zean and Niña.

UP Alumni Association President Gari M. Tiongco said, “This is a rare and great cultural event that may not be repeated. We are deeply grateful to the artists who have heeded the University’s call for help and agreed to sell their precious paintings. Other works are on loan from private collections.�

The exhibit will be curated by Prof. Ruben D.F. Defeo, a professor of art history, theory and criticism at the College of Fine Arts and concurrently the Director of the UP Diliman Information Office and the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.

Mr. Tiongco added, “The works in the collection consist of paintings done in oil, acrylic or mixed media, drawings in pencil, pen and ink, pastel and charcoal, sculptures in metal, concrete, plaster and resin, and prints in ithograph, photoetching and digital art.

Collectively, as astutely noted by our curator, the works “give substance to the immense journey that the visual arts have taken. They reflect the diversity in stylistic approaches, from the highly representational to the stylistically essential, in interpreting the theme of nudity in art.�

The coffee table book, in turn, is a sumptuous full color 120-page volume on the collection featuring brief information on the works and their artists. This limited edition book, a testament to the creativity and artistry nurtured by the University, is available for sale at Php2,000 each.

Source: www.GoodNewsPilipinas.com