Arturo Luz's exhibit at the Art Center in Megamall

Everytime I go to the SM Megamall in Ortigas, Mandaluyong, I always try to visit the many Art Galleries located at the fourth floor of this big mall. Being an avid fan of filipino artists, I always update myself on their latest works and try to discover some old paintings of famous artists displayed on these galleries. My son, Ponchie began to realize the importance of owning some works of new artists, bought at a fair price today and as it ages the price could escalate afterwards. He bought two artworks by Alan Morales and Fatima recently which I would say, they are a good investment today and later on he will not regret that he bought it.

As my lovely wife, Edith and I went shopping the other day we happened to visit the Art Center at the Building A at the fourth floor to view the recent works of a very popular artist which incidentally, is one of my favorite abstract artists, Arturo Luz whose many paintings could be seen hanging on the walls of the homes of the rich and famous. As many local lifestyle magazines feature these beautiful homes, very seldom that you will not find Arturo Luz's masterpieces.

As I read his biography, Arturo Luz is a painter, sculptor and designer. He received the National Artist Award in Visual Arts in 1997. He is best known for his works in linear art and a series on street musicians, vendors, cyclists and carnival performers. He is also an sculptor whose works are in metal, wood and concrete characterized by sophisticated simplicity and exemplify sublime austerity in their expression and form. Arturo Luz himself described his paintings as "semirepresentational, semi abstract"

Luz was born in Manila in 1926 and began his lessons in painting under Pablo Amorsolo, brother of the National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo. He finished his Fine Arts degree in University of Santo Tomas then received a scholarship at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. He continued his education at the Brooklyn Museum Art School in New York.Then he started his own figurative works but developed into abstraction.

He exhibited his first one-man show in Paris by his drawings at the Raymond Duncan Gallerie in 1951. He held his first solo exhibit in Manila Hotel when he returned to Manila on the same year. In 1960, he put up the Luz Gallery wherein contemporary works were showcased by different artists. As I always see his works on some selected galleries in Megamall, you would recognized his works by geometrical forms in lines, curves, circles and angles with meticulous simplicity with subdued colors and unobtrusive form.