The works of Jose Glenn Blanco were recently featured in a solo art exhibit titled “Paglalayag sa Kulay ng Buhay” at the Galeria Sinag, UPOU Community Hub, Los Baños, Laguna.
The UP Open University Cultural Community presented the exhibit, which was opened to the public.
Blanco is the eldest of seven siblings of the family of artists from Angono, Rizal. Their art is known for folk realism that portrays the so-called Tagalog Pastorale.
Blanco’s works became noted for their realistic and detailed portrayal of the local flora, which evokes the tranquility of nature. They are also products of his fascination over the rural life and social rituals of Angono.
Blanco’s works are classified into three thematic areas—landscapes, rural life and social rituals.
Blanco has been part of his family exhibits in Beijing, China (1986), Singapore (1990), San Francisco (1991), Seville in Spain (1992), and New York in 1999 and 2005. In 2012, he held his first solo exhibit at SM Taytay.
He was awarded as the Outstanding Alumni of the University of Santo Tomas, College of Arts and Letters in 2013 and the TOTAL 2014 Award, The highest award given to alumni of UST for his contribution to Philippine art.
He was also awarded Angono’s Sanguniang Bayan Award 2016 for his artistic excellence, and is one of 12 Filipino artists whose works were featured in Art Dialogo held in Malaysia in July this year.