Popularly known as FB Concepcion (1933-2006), the works in the show curated by Miguel Rosales, creative director at Caramel, represent the different media the artist used to express his art, not just in the luminous oils on canvas he is known for, but also in more experimental types such as ceramic, printmaking and layered works done during his highly sought after Roman period.
Rosales says, “Viewers will see how he shifted from figurative abstraction to the purely abstract via a sampling of select works that come mainly from the artist’s estate, many of which will be on view for the first time, with some works on loan from private collections.” He further adds, “This is a rare opportunity to acquire works with direct provenance from the artist and to see them all together at the gallery that showed his works through the years.”
Born in Manila, the artist graduated in 1953 with a Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines and initially worked as an opera backdrop artist under Ireneo Miranda. His early works, which were paintings and prints featured landscapes, seascapes, and the common folk.
In 1961, he went to Rome as an Italian government scholar for his graduate studies and received his MFA (Licenziato di Pittura) from the city’s Accademia di Belle Arti. In Italy, he was introduced to the Arte Informale movement, and this period marked the beginning of artist’s practice where his works evoked feelings of transcendence and peace.
Upon returning to the Philippines, this artist turned his back on commercialism and declined numerous opportunities for commissioned works and exhibitions for the sake of display. He then joined the faculty of Fine Arts at the University of the East, where he mentored generations of artists, some of the most notable ones are Lao Lianben and Romulo Galicano. He was known to constantly challenge his students while teaching them the principles of art and its methodologies, instilling in them the importance of critical self-reflection in their practice.
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