Jes Evangelista will do various mediums on canvas in varying sizes, ranging from intimate paintings to those almost fitting an entire wall. The essential in his work has been a concern for the formal aspects of making paintings, inducing a given material and arriving at an aesthetic that perhaps lies in an artistic compromise- the material dictates what is a visual steal and leaves for the artist the role of recognizing that moment. In another series of paintings, he has worked with hard-edged rectangles and squares, and lays them out on a pictorial ground and superimposes another layer of rectangles and squares of non-neutral colors, with the intention of analyzing how the intrinsic elemental of figure and ground in a painting can cause visual tricks and fallacies that lead to a beautiful painting, He uses the subject matter of the square as ‘the entity in modern art history’ and has deliberated injected and attached private philosophies to his use, usage, and abuse of it, taking everything out of context, and, un-afraid, placing it perhaps in his own subterfuge of whimsy. For the exhibition, the artist will continue on from an award winning series of paintings, making use as starting point for each painting pieces of parts from toy puzzle assembly kits of cars, trains, airplanes etc. The artist confesses such toys have wowed his interest since childhood. His methodology starts from one shape he has picked out from the bunch of the toy puzzle parts, and consciously builds up the painting using the shapes of the other puzzle parts as models, until the entire picture field has arrived at a perceived ‘all-over-ness’. For the artist, the use as subject of toy puzzles expresses a resolution of a degree of depravity for toys that he had experienced at a young age. He has cued us in on his motive for painting a shape in each of the paintings the color white, perhaps in an attempt to disclose and appreciate with the viewer the intricate nature of the procedure employed in his work, giving tremendous value to the physical process and meditation invested in each painting.
By Jonathan Olazo
Visual Artist
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jose Eveangelista, born in Manila, Philippines on January 30, a transferee student from Far Eastern University-Manila and holds a BFA in Painting from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He was a finalist in the 22nd and 25th Shell Art Competition. Last 22nd day of September, he won the First Prize of the 2nd AAP-ECCA Semi-Annual Abstract Art Competition.
In June 2007-2008, participated in an invitational group exhibit ‘”Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival” at the Seattle Center, Seattle Washington, USA that was presented by the Filipino Cultural Heritage Society of Washington. Also this year, exhibited his works at Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland CA.
Upcoming exhibits will be November 15-30 “Unwrapped” at Galerie Stephanie, Libis Q.C. and November 25-Dec 10 “Tutok” at Blanc Art Space, Makati City and Mandaluyong City.
His journey in art is a means to give gratitude to God for his talent in Painting. His works are a means of reflection for all the blessings and challenges he encounters as an artist.
