Unsung master of PH art: Rare F.B. Concepcion exhibit at Avellana Art Gallery

Select works highlighting the masterful skill of Florencio B. Concepcion (1933-2006), more widely known as FB Concepcion, will be in a show, Mixed Media: Florencio B. Concepcion, at Avellana Art Gallery, from July 27 to Aug. 27,  2024, showcasing the artist’s abstract works from the late ’50s to his final years.

Curated by Miguel Rosales, creative director at Caramel, the works represent the different media the artist used, not just in the luminous oils on canvas he is known for, but also in more experimental types such as ceramic, printmaking and other works on paper, and the strongly layered works done during his highly sought-after Roman period.

“Viewers will see how he shifted from figurative abstraction to the purely abstract via a sampling of select works that come mainly from the artist’s estate, many of which will be on view for the first time, with some works on loan from private collections,” says Rosales. “This is a rare opportunity to acquire works with direct provenance from the artist and to see them all together in the gallery that showed his works through the years.”

Born in Manila, Concepcion received his degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1953 and worked as an opera backdrop artist under Ireneo Miranda. During this time, his paintings and prints depicted landscapes, seascapes, and the common folk. He rendered them flat and yet displayed a focus on the subtle gradations of hue and tone while hinting at perspective and depth.

In 1961, he went to Rome as Italian government scholar for graduate studies and received his MFA (Licenziato di Pittura) from the city’s Accademia di Belle Arti. In Italy, Concepcion was introduced to the Arte Informale movement, whose members were recognized for breaking free from the historic limitations of painting by forging personal methods beyond the calculated and logical bearings expected of traditional abstraction.

This period marked the beginning of Concepcion’s practice where he produced works that evoked feelings of transcendence and peace. In them, heavy strokes of dark colors were reclaimed by an unapologetic use of a lighter palette forming images to seduce and at the same time, to soothe the viewer.

Upon his return to the Philippines, Concepcion made a courageous decision to turn his back on the allure of commercial success. He declined opportunities for commissioned works and rejected the idea of exhibitions for the sake of mere display. He once remarked, “A painting must move you. If you think while painting, you will produce a synthetic painting.”

Instead, he joined the faculty of Fine Arts at the University of the East, where he mentored generations of artists, among the most notable ones, Lao Lianben and Romulo Galicano. He was known to constantly challenge his students, asking them why they painted, while teaching them the principles of art and its methodologies, instilling in them the importance of critical self-reflection in their practice.

He worked on different mediums to unshackle himself from the perception that a painter could excel only in one.

This exhibit is an occasion to witness the embodiment of the sublime through Concepcion’s brilliant art.

Reflection, 1959., print

Rosales has always championed the works of FB, and brought it to an art fair abroad some years ago. “We are very happy to be working with the gallery and his estate on this show, which hopefully raises awareness for this Modern Master whose work is totally ripe for reappraisal and should be given his rightful place with the greats in Philippine Art.”

Mixed Media: Florencio B. Concepcion is part of a series of projects outlining art movements and influential figures who contributed to the dialogue of Philippine art. It will run until Aug. 27, 2024.

Avellana Art Gallery is at 2680 F.B. Harrison St, Pasay City.