So what is Art if not in the everyday stuff that makes life what it is?

Your thoughts?

“The Throne of a Filipino,” by Metrobank grand prize winner Melvin Arlegui. Image above was reproduced from the catalog of the 2006 Metrobank contest

“The Throne of a Filipino,” by Metrobank grand prize winner Melvin Arlegui is traditional in its use of oil-based medium on canvas but unconventional in its portrayal: using the concept of a film negative to tell its story. The “film negatives” show a series of images of a young man bare to his waist showing his movements relative to the position of a chair centrally located in the strips or pictorial spaces.

The painting is dramatic. It uses the emptiness of the space, aside from the chair as props, to highlight the lone figure of a young man. The actions are clear, emotions are rife and meanings are found at various levels. The painting transposes the two-dimensionality of the object and allows the viewer to look at the painting and experience time and motion as if it was a short film. The drama, color-seducing power, and outstanding draftsmanship caught the eye of Cid Reyes, noted art critic and one of the judges of the Metrobank contest. He noted,” What is interesting about this painting is that it is subject to a number of interpretations. It induces the mind to think.”

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