daigdigpinoy.com

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home Filipino Artists Jo Layug Loignon “Chromatic Perspectives ”

Jo Layug Loignon “Chromatic Perspectives ”

E-mail Print PDF

Jo Layug Loignon Jo Layug Loignon was born in the Philippines but spent most of her life abroad in Europe, the United States, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Late this summer, she returned to the Philippines from Cambodia with her husband who recently retired from the Canadian diplomatic service.

After graduation Jo first moved to Europe and then to the United States where she pursued further studies at  the Parsons School of Design in New York, The San Francisco Art Institute and on to Canada at the Fine Arts Department of the University of Ottawa In the late 70’s Jo returned briefly to Manila and worked as Acting Director of the CCP Museum while Ray Albano was on leave on a Fullbright scholarship.

Jo started out as a printmaker. During her husband’s assignment in Hong Kong, she worked as a freelance photographer and experimented with non-silver photography, a process which she took delight in because of the endless possibilities it offered. She also trained as a printmaker at the Atelier Gravura in Lisbon while her husband was serving in Portugal.

Although Jo remained keenly interested in the visual arts, she devoted limited time to painting before their move to Miami. There, she was propelled into a whirl of cultural activities mainly through the Art Basel Miami Beach, which has become the most important modern and contemporary art show in the Americas.  A large part of the show is devoted to the works of emerging artists.  She participated in some of the activities that were sponsored by the Consulate General of Canada in Miami.  Art Basel Miami Beach was the place to discover and be inspired.   It moved her to paint and she resumed painting on a regular basis, this time working in acrylics and oils. Her canvases were composed of linear abstractions where lines and circles played a major role.

In Chromatic Perspectives Jo attempts to develop a whole new visual vocabulary removed from traditional and academic tenets as she did with her linear abstractions. Her forms and colour pallete however, remain in the minimalist genre. Her canvases are constructed with collages, cut outs of fabric, found objects -  sticks, tapes, etc. which she combines with plotted perspective studies and laborious craftsmanship. Like Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades, the objects once repositioned on canvas are transformed to another level.  In this exhibit she focuses her thoughts on forms arising from modern esthetics associated with an approach to man's relationship with the environment.  Some of her canvases turn into linear abstractions.  These canvases cross the line between graphic and fine arts.

Jo admits to being influenced by Sol Lewitt and Mark Rothko.   Her etchings, photographs and canvases have been exhibited in Europe and the U.S.

A piece of advice to artists, “Persevere. I had a painting that I wanted to throw out, because I do not like the way it was coming out, the colors just didn’t seem to work for me. But still I tried. So I just added green color on the artwork and it changed the whole thing. So you see, you just have to persevere and this is what I learned throughout my training in the workshops. I will always say, “I do not like what it turned out” and they will keep on telling me “work on it, work on it! ” and then something good eventually comes out.” Cited Jo.

 

EXHIBITS

"Chromatic Perspectives" - January 27 to February 20, 2009 at the Alliance Française de Manille, at 209 Nicanor Garcia Street (formerly Reposo Street), Bel-Air 2, Makati City, Philippines

 

Shout Out!

Mabuhay! Welcome to our site! Feel free to browse through our featured articles and inspiring stories that truly brings joy and pride to our country and its people.

Facebook Image
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner