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Magsaysay-Ho revives romance
of tempera paintings
(Editor's note: Paramount Life & General Insurace
Corporation was one of the main sponsors the Magsaysay-Ho Exhibit) |
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Anita Magsaysay-Ho,
working with Singapore-based art consultant Matin Tran, is holding
a one-woman exhibition of egg-tempera works and monoprints at
the Yuchengco Museum, RCBC Tower, Makati City.
In “Anita Magsaysay-Ho: From Egg Tempera to Print,”
the 92-year old artist is showcasing decades-old works, with
her trademark Filipino women in the rural areas as core subject.
Originally an orthodox medium of painting, egg tempera has gone
far from its medieval heyday. It is considered as the hardest
medium to prepare and handle.
Prevalent in Southern Europe’s Middle Ages, tempera is
traditionally created by hand-grinding dry-powdered pigments
into egg yolks, which are the fundamental binding element. The
concoction is sometimes combined withe honey, water, milk and
a variety of plant gums.
The traditional method requires the application of numerous
small brush strokes in a cross-hatching technique, making the
colors, which are painted over each other, resemble pastel when
unvarnished, and a deeper color when varnished.
Because tempera cannot be applied in thick layers as oil paints
can, tempera paintings rarely have the deep color saturation
that oil paintings can achieve. However, tempera colors do not
change over time, whereas oil paints darken, yellow, and go
transparent as time goes by.
Mentored by Fernando and Pablo Amorsolo, Vicente Rivera, Ireneo
Miranda and Fabian de la Rosa, Anita Magsaysay-Ho is considered
the Philippines’ first female Modernist.
Born on May 25, 1914, Magsaysay-Ho has mastered the art of egg
tempera, depicting images from her own life while growing up
in the rural areas. Her paintings have obtained record prices
at international auctions, fetching as high as 26 times the
original catalog estimate.
The proceeds from the etchings in the exhibition will be donated
to the Capuchin Sisters of the Holy Family Home and the Philippine
General Hospital’s Obstetric ward. The exhibit runs through
February.
Call 65-62529217 or 65-9298 0836, or e-mail matin@matintran.com;
and 7285598 or 8132617, or e-mail selectmedia@pldtdsl.net.
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