ABOUT THE WORK

Oscar Zalameda’s breezy cubism is a fresh breath of air to the Philippine art scene. Flashy and flamboyant in life as he is with art, Zalameda’s depiction of vendors, women, and the Filipino community is abuzz with a vibrancy that was borne from his Western education – first in San Francisco in 1953 then to Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the Sorbonne in Paris. However jetset his lifestyle may be, Zalameda still continues to take inspiration from his vibrant hometown. Born in Lucena, Quezon, Zalameda’s provincial lifestyle became a source of inspiration for the artist. His theatrical representation of the Philippine countryside is a pleasant shock to the people and a much-needed revitalization of the genre work. With this work, Zalameda's wide sources of inspiration are evident. Portraying the common folk of the Philippines, he nonetheless gave them a European flair, a joie de vivre that exalts both Zalameda's Filipino roots and his Parisian style. His Parisian and Filipino inspiration was given its due credits when Zalameda was conferred both the Chevalier des Artes et Lettres medallion by the French government and the Presidential Medal of Merit by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (Hannah Valiente)