PROPERTY FROM THE MARIBEL ONGPIN COLLECTION

ABOUT THE WORK

Romulo Olazo is regarded as one of the country’s foremost printmakers. Primarily known for his Diaphanous and Permutation series of paintings, he is also recognized for his elegant prints as he would work with wood blocks, metal plates, and slabs of stone. For decades, Romulo Olazo pursued abstraction that synthesized his experimentations in different graphic techniques, thus giving him various bold directions of abstraction to pursue. He began his Diaphanous series in the 1970s. Influenced by his practice as a printmaker, Olazo developed the series as one of his signature forms of abstraction, using a monochromatic color scheme and translucent, gossamer overlapping shapes that can be likened to gauze or dragonfly wings creating an effect that was airy and delicate. This particular piece showcases how Olazo’s artistic practice has come full circle. His now iconic series of groundbreaking abstractionist works that were inspired by his earlier practice of printmaking are now being produced as prints themselves. His ethereal and gossamer-like style is still very much palpable despite the artist’s shift in medium, solidifying Olazo as a true master of his craft.