Egay Lising’s ‘gestural abstract’
“When I look at Egay Lising’s paintings, I am immediately drawn into the physical nature of the works,” noted guest curator Gord Snyder.
An exhibition of mixed media works on canvas by Egay Lising is on view at Kulay-Diwa Gallery of Contemporary Art until August 14.
Lising’s fast and furious drawing onto wet/writing onto wet/scribbling on canvas and into oils to achieve that overall and compelling line vs. paint vs. color that is so a part of today’s culture of fast-moving thoughts. The work is gestural abstract expressionism filled with childlike imagery disguising the complex process of the artist.
48×72 inch (2019
In the tradition of Art Brut, as associated with the French painter Jean Dubuffet, Lising’s work is drawn and painted into a sometimes heavy impasto base. The complex compositions contrast line, color, and shapes in his works. Lising also creates the illusion of perspective by overlapping objects within his picture plane. The artist also uses text to draw the viewer’s attention to his intention.
Lising cites National Artist Jose Joya, known for his spontaneous and gestural style (called the leader of abstract-expressionism in the Philippines) and Mark Andy Garcia as his two main influences. Garcia is well-known for his anti-trend painterly style.
Perhaps the painting ‘Liberty’ best illustrates this beautiful calculated contrasts of colors, lines, shapes, and images. In the center, we find bold black, red and brown shapes — with black dripping over the red down and out of the painting. On the right are crude white drawings on black and grey complemented by the circular bottom-left.
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