Celeste Lecaroz, the visual artist behind the spontaneous realism portrait of Kobe Bryant and the celebrated derivative Repetitio Fernando Amorsolo paintings, held a show at Arte Bettina (Level 3 of Greenbelt 5, Makati City). Entitled “Seasons of Grace,” the exhibit showcased paintings and furniture with images inspired by bird watching —a hobby that Celeste started at the height of the lockdown in 2020.
Gazing at birds has given Celeste opportunities to reflect on the pandemic. The artist elaborates, “Just as the environment goes through seasons, people undergo the same experience. If times are tough at the moment, these will pass. We will transition to a new season…” She added, “We’ve been so holed up in our dwellings, we’ve forgotten the lessons nature teaches us. Nature, including us, is built to move on.”
The images of the Philippine Hanging Parrot, Maya, Pulangga and Yellow Vented Bulbol were a few of the many local birds featured in “Seasons of Grace.” Willy Marbella, De La Salle University art teacher and curator, declared that these possess an aesthetic and documentary value. “Be it on canvas or a functional piece of furniture, Celeste brings these pieces to life and captures each bird in a particular time like a snapshot. With the use of colors and brush strokes, each of these avian creatures is seen for a millisecond, yet the motion Celeste captures are more than just palpable.”
Art writer Sheryl Quiambao summed up the show’s message as “remaining steadfast to hope.” Thus, one gets a soaring feeling from looking at Celeste’s artworks. As Marbella said, “These excite her viewers no end, and encourage them to get excited about life, and to surround their life with joy and color as one should.”
In fact, National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario was so moved that he wrote a poem entitled “Aves Aves” in celebration of Celeste and her work. The poem was included in the exhibit monograph.
For more information about Celeste Lecaroz, follow celeste_lecaroz on Instagram. For more information about “Seasons of Grace,” contact Arte Bettina at info@artebettina.com or at 09171150504.
