The Presence in the Heart of Summer Capital

“There is that constant channel of communication connecting the internal and the external, a correlation that links what is perceived and what is experienced, and the manner by which this discourse become apparent in paint. Such transpires in and with Presence. It is for an artist to explore varied ways to draw a parallel to the macrocosm in which he locates himself. Whatever conflict that arises in the midst of diverse facets of a circumstance, the artist delves into what lies amid the image and the imaginary, of body and space, relating to appearance and radiance, to animosity or luminosity, in motion and motionlessness, and to sum up these strains to achieve completeness” --JCrisanto Martinez

Days ago, I was face to face with a visual artist who creates paintings that are in depth, not in the manner of how he paints per se or by the materials he uses, but by how he expresses his notion of reality sandwiched between what is imaginary and what is imagined. His unique conveyance of looking at the presence of life’s substance from what is not seen by an ordinary eye led him to making a statement in a field where world revolves around creativity. To simplify, let’s call him JCrisanto.

JCrisanto is a well-respected artist of younger generations who share with him the same interest and view in life of escaping what is obvious via unexplained travel of the creative minds to the space unknown to many. Thanks to THEM. Life is explained beyond its apparent context.

I had the chance to meet one of the generation’s creative minds in one of the exhibits he himself organizes at a high-end modern museum set in the prime commercial hub of Metro Manila, Philippines. The exhibit which he names as THEM is housed in the premise of Ayala Museum and which I can describe as simple yet classy. JCrisanto’s works, however, were not showcased giving away to young aspiring ones to start making a name of their own through an exhibit which surely is still considered as average and simpleton when compared to a sixth one-man exhibition set in the cold region of the country.

From the natives of Baguio City to the art aficionados living in the far ends of Metro Manila, the artist’s creative display of his mind is popular to be called as PRESENCE.

JCrisanto will be seen along with his pride at The Manor in the grounds of Camp John Hay until March 14, this year. His works are showcased in the interior cottage- ambiance of the hotel. His masterpieces of striking blend of colors are set in a neutral- colored wooden wall making the artist’s paintings a prominent highlight of the hotel’s interior.

The uniqueness of his creative mind is actualized in PRESENCE via his latest masterpieces of acrylic wall paintings set on burlap or canvass. Showcasing the art pieces are arranged with setting 3 up to 6 paintings per suite. Arrangement per suite considers general situation to include tonal relationship and relating color palette and the artwork size.

The art pieces as per the artist himself are postmodern exploration of the concurrence of divergent painting styles where the contextual essence of presence is deemed as more of phenomenon and not as how it is typically seen as structure.

Outlandish, absurd, and baffling arle who are visiting the exhibit mystified. But as how the master creator puts it, his works in general is a reflection of the entirety of human being’s collective selves. And that it is innate to humans to possess a heart close to the cynic world as with JCrisanto’ statement, “it is where belief in essence and faith in particular can only be justified by a tangible presence”.