ABOUT THE WORK

Romulo Galicano’s approach to art is unique in that he creates pieces that are influenced by ideas of Leonardo da Vinci of nature being the best form of teacher while incorporating philosophical ideals along with genre and figure elements to create a synthesis that is his own unique style. Through his long career, he has won critical acclaim while winning various awards over the years and was a part of many one man show exhibitions. Galicano exhibits much of his style that stands out in many of his works. He integrates classical themes and realism mixed in with elements of abstract expressionism. At times takes some measure in artistic license when it comes to depicting historical themes to emphasize the philosophical and emotional impact towards a certain piece. One theme that Galicano believes for what an artist should strive for and what emphasizes with his works is the idea of freedom. This particular piece entitled; “Malabon, Rizal” is an example of his early direction in creating art, where he encapsulates the beauty and emotion that can come from a landscape with minimal figures. The painting itself depicts a scene out in nature, where found in the distance is a lone figure in red stands with his back turned fishing in a marsh land surrounded by a few trees out of season and flowers of light aqua and light fuscia around the foreground while a gray sky hovers over the entire landscape, taking away any of the liveliness of the sunlight. There is a certain element that this lone red figure complements the scene as it stands out and brings focus toward its particular placement in the canvas. Being in the middle of a gray scenery somehow invites viewers to immerse themselves more into the experience. It is a subtle contrast of ideals where most of the environment is depicted in this gloom yet the lone bright red figure still stays and fishes despite this gloom as the flowers behind him are in bloom. There is a balance of an existential element and melancholic gloom complemented with the little signs of life that the lone figure and the flowers represent that Galicano expressed by letting his work speak freely through his subtle philosophical elements along with his realism and abstract expressionism style.