Art Review- Popo San Pascual

856 G Gallery is presenting the works of Popo San Pascual from June 25 to July 25, 2015 at the 856 G Gallery. Popo San Pascual is a Tagaytay-based painter known for his vibrant interplay of colors. He is a Thirteen Artists Awardee and was granted an artist’s immersion program in New York sponsored by 856 G Gallery.

POPO SAN PASCUAL | Magnolia | 2015
42.25″ x 42.25″ | Acrylic on Canvas

His works for this exhibit have been inspired by the Imperial Chinaware of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. His current collection of Blue and White paintings is a departure from the more colorful pieces in which the artist has been known for.

The whole exhibit really relies on his choice of using blue as the overall color of the exhibit. It is challenging because one color can limits an artist’s works. And if works have limitations then it has the capacity to bore the audience.

However, the artists breaks away from this danger of boredom by working around this limitation with mixing imagery that is both symbolic and subtle. Then because blue is nearer to violet, the boredom transforms to becoming mysterious also.

POPO SAN PASCUAL | Children’s Zoo | 2015
54.25″ x 75.25″ | Acrylic on Canvas

The whole effect of the work, is that it is alive – it is moving. It’s dynamic like looking through a microscope and discovering new species or a virus colored in blue.

This was truly a risk by the artist to depart from his past works of colorful pieces. But looks like relying on blue made the risk worth it.

About the author:  N.M. CABANGBANG or “BANGBANG” has been writing about events, art and culture for MetroCebuNews since June 2014. He is a graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Painting at the University of the Philippines Cebu and was the chairperson for two major student organizations, namely Fine Arts Student Organization (1997-1998) and Nagkahiusang Kusug sa Estudyante political party (1998-1999).

Since 2010, he has been an ART teacher at B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy and is also the football coach for the school’s women’s team.

He is also the singer/songwriter of the rock & roll band PALTIK which has released their self-produced album, “Here Come the Guns of the South”.

He is happily married to his beautiful and talented wife, Rizza Del Castillo –Cabangbang and lives with their three beloved dogs: Choknut, Cream-O and Moby.