A series of pencil drawings on circular 122-cm wood panels prepared and coated with emulsion and gesso (a surface paint mixture made from gypsum, plaster of Paris or chalk or pigment with glue as binder) are featured in the exhibit dubbed as Formal Elements by artist Irma Lacorte.
An accomplished artist who completed her Fine Arts degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1986 and pursued Studio Arts in 1999 at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Lacorte works with amassed images from old coffee table books and reverts to the basics of image making by isolating or expanding line, texture, form and tonal value.
48 inches diameter, 2015 Graphite on upcycled pressed wood
Drawing is predominant in the work of the artist, who explains that, “The word drawing in this series means not only the act of creating with a pencil but also connotes attraction that gels objects together.”
All drawings take up the shape of the circular wood panel in which the spherical shape “represents a cycle of exploring the basic elements of art – line, texture, and tonal value. Subjects range from microscopic features to colossal details.”
48 inches diameter, 2015
Graphite on upcycled pressed wood
Lacorte references the oeuvre of American abstract artist and architect, Richard Meier – transposing his modernity with an artisanal touch with h light and shade cleverly permutated to achieve aesthetic balance. She notes that Meier’s work “looked like they were spinning, that was the first drawing. I was still in Los Baños when I did it and it reminded (me) of a nest.”
In fact, she draws nest of the songbird known as the Rufous-naped Wren with shrewd fragility, boasting nondescript and gingerly outlined reeds which characterize technical excellence. Other works include as also a facsimile of a 400 B.C. Decadrachm coin by Kimon, wherein Arethusa’s (the name of a Nereid in Greek Mythology) profile is amplified with contours – showcasing delicate lines and a play of shadows that glimmer through the portrait.
48 inches diameter, 2014
Graphite on upcycled pressed wood
“I was attracted to the 400 BC coin because of its light and shadow in the way it was photographed, and I thought I can capture the same using pencil,” shares Lacorte, whose accolades include Vermont Studio Center’s Freeman Fellow Grant; and Cinemanila International’s best short film award in 2004 for the independent film “Balikbayan” which is a collaborative project with Larilyn Sanchez and Riza Manalo. Lacorte’s work has also been exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and at St. Paul’s Gallery Columbia University in New York.
The exhibit will run from January 9-30 at the Duemila Art Gallery located at 210 Loring Street, Pasay City. For more information, log on to www.galleriaduemila.com. You may also contact (632) 831-9990 or (632)833-9815 or email to gduemila@gmail.com.
