{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":50140,"auction_id":99,"set_id":131,"lot_number":"52","artist":"Romulo Galicano (b. 1945)","title":"Kutsero","starting_price":180000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1976 (lower right)","medium":"watercolor on paper","size":"21\" x 29\" (53 cm x 74 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist \nconfirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Romulo Galicano has always taken creative inspiration from his native Carcar in the province of Cebu. Through his artistic training under the foremost Cebuano virtuoso, the ‘Dean of Cebuano Painters’ and his uncle Martino Abellana, Galicano imbibed the painterly technique of directly observing from nature as a fathomless wellspring for ingenuity.
It was also through his uncle’s mentorship that Galicano had an Impressionist phase during the early years of his career from 1969 to 1975. This period also concurred with his ‘Dimasalang Group’ era, where he practiced painting en plein air with other figurative artists Emilio Aguilar Cruz, Andres Cristobal Cruz, Ibarra de la Rosa, and Sofronio Mendoza.
1976 was a period of transition for Galicano. That year, he slowly veered away from his Impressionist visual language and ventured toward tonal paintings. By this time, Galicano had achieved his artistic coming of age, deviating from the boldness and earthiness of Abellana’s works and progressing into a photo-realistic approach to figurative paintings. Yet, Galicano still retained his attribute as a staunch observer of nature.
Galicano’s photo-realist approach is evident even in his watercolor works, such as this 1976 piece. Here, the artist integrates his Impressionist training with his newfound style of photorealism. Since watercolor is a medium only a few artists can masterfully manipulate due to its unpredictable nature, Galicano brings out his Impressionist flair by combining speed with meticulous accuracy in rendering a life-like image of the subject. The resulting work exudes an intimate and natural charm, in which a local scenery is depicted as void of any artificiality, like a photograph taken candidly. (A.M.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Romulo Galicano (b. 1945) Kutsero signed and dated 1976 (lower right) watercolor on paper 21\" x 29\" (53 cm x 74 cm)