UP Naming Mahal

May 5 – June 6

UP Vargas Museum
Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, Roxas Avenue, UP Campus, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines

UP Vargas Museum, together with Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity, presents L. De Guzmán’s fifth solo show titled UP Naming Mahal. It opens on May 5, 6pm at the 3F Galleries of the museum.

UP Naming Mahal is an exhibit showcasing 22 medium-scale landscape acrylic paintings of De Guzmán’s renditions of the landmarks and scenery of UP Diliman. These paintings are done in the artist’s self-developed style he calls “Romantic-Impressionist”: a style that took him six months to concoct and two years to perfect from studying and improving the styles of the Philippine elder practitioners. Even though visually impaired, De Guzmán has managed to create works that resemble actual photographs at first glance, but exude warmth and emotion. It was during the early 2006 when De Guzmán suffered from Stevens – Johnson syndrome, a condition that burned him from the inside out, permanently damaging his vision. This did not stop him: by doing works through the use of his residual vision, he came to the realization that art should have a real and functional role in the lives of men.

Conversing with De Guzmán’s paintings are materials from the permanent collection of the museum. These include selected photos, documents and memorabilia from the archives presenting Jorge B. Vargas’ life as a student of the University and his education at UP College of Law: Jorge B. Vargas was one of the first students of the college when he studied there from 1911-1914.

This exhibit is Alpha Phi Beta fraternity’s and the artist’s tribute to the University as this serves as the accumulated memories collected by the fraternity over its 75 years of existence. Alpha Phi Beta celebrated its 75th Founding Anniversary last October 2014.

The exhibit runs through June 6.

For more information, please contact Vargas Museum at (+632) 928-1927 (direct line), (+632) 981-8500 loc. 4024 (UP trunkline), (+632) 928-1925 (fax) or send an e-mail to vargasmuseum@gmail.com. You may also check our website at http://vargasmuseum.upd.edu.ph/ or like us at http://www.facebook.com/vargasmuseum.upd and follow us @UPVargasMuseum for updates.