A visionary artist ahead of his time

A SWIRLING fury of colors dance around the canvas, creating a vivid yet abstract image that is both immersive and captivating. The lines travel in unpredictable trajectories, forming a calming path of shapes that beckon the eyes to follow. The entire picture is abstract. Yet, the message is concrete. Such is the work of Filipino artist Glenn Baustista.

Bautista is the seventh of Eugenia Angeles and Ignacio Bautista's nine children. His mother was a deaconess and his father a church minister. Therefore, he was reared in a family of faith. He went to the University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany.

Some of the awards he has received in his life are the First Prize Award at the Shell Art tilt in 1968 and the First Prize at the Aguinaldo Centennial Art competition in 1969. In the 1970s and 1980, he has been given an art grant in the United States of America and Europe. In 1974, he has been awarded the Cultural Center of the Philippines' 13 Artists award along with Nestor Vinulan and Tony Perez.

It is in his faith, alongside his family and philosophy, that Bautista takes inspiration for his artwork. One of his works, titled "New Earth," is based on the Revelation 21:1, which reads "Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." This drawing has also been featured in Art+ magazine's cover in the April/May 2024 issue.

Teal, red, yellow, white, black and green mesh together in unruly lines and brush strokes at the canvas of "New Earth," depicting a chaotic flow of things that eventually represent life. Geometric figures such as squares and circles form at the base, which is slowly being torn apart by the destruction going around. Despite the chaos that is unfolding in the painting, it emanates a calming feeling of hope that the proverb is trying to relay.

"The Event" is another one of his award winning pieces at the 1965 World Literacy and Christian Literature International Art Competition in New York. "The Event" depicts the journey of the three kings to the stable where Jesus Christ was born — in playful geometric shapes that are akin to stained glass figures. It is titled as such because it is "The Event" that changed the whole world.

Despite passing away in 2014 due to colon cancer at the age of 67, the legacy of Glenn Bautista continues to inspire and contribute to the Philippine art landscape. Art critics frequently mention his openness to experimentation and the diversity of his works. He not only had paintings, but lithographs and collages of Charlie Chaplin — as if created by another artist. This further illustrates his various works and, indeed, how ahead of his time he is.

Alice Guillermo, art historian and author of "The Uncommon Art of Glenn Bautista," says, "Total and spontaneous creativity is the principle that moves [Bautista, a] wide-ranging artist who resist tested formulas and whose prodigious work in diverse media, two and three dimensional, builds a universe of striking, haunting images that continually tease and challenge the mind. If landscapes, his paintings do not have the placidity and finality of familiar land and sky vistas, but have the uncommon quality of concealing and revealing at the same time. If abstracts, his work, never facile, pose riddles and enigmas that resist categorical answers. If three-dimensional works, they defy conventional expectations in order to extend the meaning and experience of sculpture."

Art+ Creative Director Kim Albalate says, "Bautista was not the typical artist boxed into one medium. His works ranged from oils to collages to materials such as wood and stones, and to choose which to highlight on the [magazine's cover] was quite a challenge. And yet there's something about his abstract works that was ahead of its time and which today's generation would appreciate."

To celebrate the life and art of this renowned artist, Gallery Genesis presents the book, "Glenn Bautista: An Artist Drowning in Visions" by Igan D'Bayan. The book delves into the life of Bautista and how this has made him the artist that he is known for until today, as well as 400 art pieces from the Genesis archives that he created throughout his life.

A visionary artist ahead of his time

D'Bayan collaborated with Bautista's art patron, Ernie Salas, to tell Bautista's life story in the book as well as Bautista's blog containing interviews with foreign journalists, his relationship with his family and connection with other artists as well as old photographs.

"[Salas] told me that the local art scene of the time was not prepared for Bautista's art: too progressive, too experimental, too restless. Bautista had so many artistic phases that if you gathered some of his paintings in a gallery, you would think that the paintings were done by different artists," D'Bayan says.

"Glenn Bautista's approach to artmaking is an invaluable one. It is about constant experimentation restless exploration and unending reinvention. How many artists can you say that, too, transcend convenient categorization? Looking at Bautista's body of works now, you get the erroneous impression that they are creations of multiple artists. In this aspect, Glenn Bautista stands as a unique and singular figure in Philippine art," he adds.

The book launch and opening of the art exhibit will be at 2/F Bridgeway, North Wing, Estancia Mall, Capital Commons, Ortigas Center, Pasig City from June 14 to 30, 2024.