Real good art is inherently full of ideas and implications that go beyond the obvious.
Teody Racuya’s paintings are traditional, in that he shows common Filipino themes that date back to the country’s pre-war years and all the way through the early Fifties when modernist art began to take over the Philippine art scene by storm.
Amid the gritty, smoggy grays of our desperate city, the artist takes on a role as a bringer of light, cool and fresh air. His art is a soothing shelter from the mad streets outside. ...
These pleasant bucolic scenes are a perfect excuse for rendering colors that suggest a bright and healthy sunshine. A cool summer that never ends. He is someone filled with admiration and awe of existence.
But, what is the artist really trying to say? Where is his art leading us?
Paintings that display traditional subjects seem to be easily taken at face value.
But more often than not, they do not really tell us all there is to know.
They only narrow the possibilities.
These realistic and ideal-life images enable the viewer to easily identify with the artwork. That’s the first step. And once that point has been crossed, it is up to the viewer to make connections with their own lives.
We need to use our eyes in a more demanding way. The intellectual process begins as we relate what we see, to the things we know.
In the artist’s hands, we see endless subjects of mountains,golden fields, green pastures, boundless fruit and sea harvests. All ideal yes. But what is really happening?
We all know the answers, but we seldom talk about it. We prefer to be oblivious to the truth that the scenes depicted in the paintings are disappearing. We don’t think about them anymore. It’s the rush of city-life and all its superficial goals that put the sunshine away. And therefore, the paintings are not meant to be looked at as an escape. If we will have it his way, we should allow the artist to pursue his need to fix things, through visual suggestions, whether obvious or not.
