Capturing the beauty of nature

Transition 3 (2018, oil on canvas, 137 by 152 cm). The beauty of nature is something the artist admires deeply because of the relaxing and serene aura it gives, a refreshing far cry from our everyday busy urban world.

ArtistSpace presents “Hybrid Interplay,” the 12th solo exhibition of visual artist Ricky Montilla. The show bears the theme of the mundane beauty that can be found in nature, with all the colors and movement that can be seen through the artist’s unique art style, and his fondness of natural elements such as flowers, landscapes and koi.

Montilla draws much inspiration from the beauty around us and the natural elements given to us. The beauty of nature is something the artist admires deeply because of the relaxing and serene aura it gives, a refreshing far cry from our everyday busy urban world. The subject matter of his works, flowers, landscapes and koi fish are a common sight. He can draw out the vibrancy of these mundane objects through his paintings as he spends much time and thought looking for a good object, taking numerous photographs then later rendering in his rather unique art style, which he calls “realistic impressionism.”

The exhibition is an interplay of his art styles, taking in realism and impressionism and mixing them together to explore a more modern approach to art themes and genres.

Montilla’s interplay of styles creates a hybrid with the combination of his previous style adapting to a more modern approach. His realistic impressionism art style is inspired by East and West, by Filipino artist Fernando Amorsolo, and French artist Claude Monet. In combining the classic and modern, he portrays people and nature scenes in vivid light and soft brush strokes. Montilla’s paintings embody movement and emotion without sacrificing his attention to realistic detail. He wants to create a realistic view of nature, similar to the likes of Amorsolo, yet at the same time, conveying emotion, movement and light like the impressionist Monet, which is not normally found in the classic realism style of still life pictures. This is done through brushstrokes and vibrant color palettes to connote various movement or dramatic lighting, as if trying to visualize the fleeting moment without disconnecting from detail and realism. This method of oil painting was developed while he was studying painting in University of Santo Tomas (UST). While he learned the foundations of classic realism, he desired something more unique, so he fused it with impressionism.

Combining the beauty of both styles, the technical detail and soft brush strokes with lighting paved way to his realistic impressionist style. Through this different art style that he sought after, the artist can further highlight not just the thematic styles and visuals nature, but also deliver an experience; how the viewer can experience the feeling of tranquility, hope or beauty that is nature. For Montilla, the representation of natural elements is not enough. He believes that art is capable of transcending language and culture — that it is universal. It is for this reason that he fused it with impressionist ideas so that emotions can be expressed in his pictures, on top of the detailed form. Through his paintings, he aims to give the viewer a window to an experience.

Montilla studied Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Painting from the University of Santo Tomas. Aside from being an exhibiting artist, he has also had experience with painting backgrounds and special effects for animation. Montilla further studied Painting at Slim’s Fashion Art School and then later, Advanced Painting at De La Salle College of St. Benilde.

In 2008, he acted as a judge for the UST Student Art Competition. He was also the showcase winner of the 2009 Artslant art contest, as well as the Fine B category winner of the 12th Internet International Art/Photo contest.

Montilla has presented solo exhibitions in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States of America, mainly in Seattle and New York. For decades, he has shared his life and his unique worldview through his art style. Now, he is based in Bellevue, Washington, but returns home to showcase his latest exhibition.

“Hybrid Interplay” is on view from 1 to 14 August at ArtistSpace located at the Ayala Museum Annex in Makati City. It is open from Mondays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, call or e-mail Jane Salvador at (02) 759-8288 or artistspace@ayalamuseum.org or Ricky Montilla at rickymontilla_artist@yahoo.com.

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