THE POST-WARHOLITE BROTHERHOOD

By Arnel Mirasol

An art movement flourished in England at around the same time as when the Impressionists were starving and struggling to gain acceptance in Paris. The three founding members, William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and John Everett Millais (whose painting "Ophelia" is shown below left), called their group the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, to emphasize their fascination with medieval themes and painting techniques prior to the advent of Raphael. The Pre-Raphaelites abhorred slapdash and bravura brushstrokes, and had a great success emulating the glazing technique and obsession with details of the quattrocento painters of the Flemish School. Although the Impressionists were considered more significant for their contribution to the history and evolution of painting, the Pre-Raphaelites also had their own set of admirers from those who put premium on old-fashioned manual dexterity rather than innovativeness.

Pop Art made its first appearance in England in the late fifties. Richard Hamilton was its first proponent there. (Shown at right was the very first pop artwork, by Richard Hamilton.) Although initially British, it was the Americans who managed to popularized Pop and gained for it a cult following, Andy Warhol especially. Who can forget Andy's large scale silk-screened images of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jacqueline Kennedy, Mao Tse Tung (below), car crashes, Campbell Soup cans, and electric chairs.

CANYON by Robert Rauschenberg (above) TARGET by Jasper Johns (below)

BLAM by Roy Lichstenstein (above) FOOL'S FETISN by Jean Michel Basquiat (below)

MICHAEL JACKSON AND BUBBLES by Jeff Koons (above) JACK-0FF by Takashi Murakami (below)

Skulldy Dumpty by Robert Williams

After the heyday of the other original American pop artists, like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Roy Lichstenstein, along came Jean Michel Basquiat with his graffiti-like paintings, and Jeff Koons with his kitschy sculptures, of Michael Jackson and his monkey among others, and his porn/art collaboration with erstwhile wife, pornstar Ilona Staller (La Ciciolina). There also is Robert Williams who effected a fusion of pop and surrealism with his pop surrealist works. Lately, a reincarnation of sort of pop, occurred in Japan with the rise to prominence of Takashi Murakami and his followers in the Superflat Movement. Their art can be the defining style of the past decade with its penchant for using anime, manga, and computer icons imagery. In the Philippines, there are many painters who also does pop style paintings, like Ronaldo Ventura, Farley del Rosario, Froilan Calayag, Luis Lorenzana, Anthony Palo, Dex Fernandez, Christian Tamondong, Jojo Garcia, Janos dela Cruz, Nemo Aguila,Ricarte Ico, Mura Hari Das Evangelista, and me- to name a few. (below, samples of Filipino pop/pop surrealist paintings)

HORSE-AROUND By Ronaldo Ventura (above) MR. DRUNK MAN by Dexter Fernandez (below)

UNDER THE CANDY TREE by Christian Tamondong (above) ROCK COLA by Jojo Garcia (below)

THE FIGHTER by Janos dela Cruz (above)LABYU by Nemo Aguila (below)

ANGRY BIRDS OF PARADISE by Ricarte Ico (above) WONDERFUL TONIGHT BY ERIC CLAPTON by Mura Hari Das Evangelista (below)

DKNY (Divisoria Kanto Ng Ylaya) EXPRESS by me (below)

As with past and present pop artists elsewhere, this crop of Filipino painters are fixated on images contemporary and popular. Jeepneys, sneakers, soda drink cans, toys, anime/animation and manga/comics characters, graffiti doodles, rock stars, etc., are the staples of their art. With the proliferation of these Warholite disciples, it would seem that Andy hadn't died and is still busy directing his several assistants to manufacture the artworks for him to endorse and sign. If there was a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood before in England, there now is a Post-Warholite Brotherhood here. And that's good, because it sort of counterbalances the cloyingly sweet rustic paintings of the Amorsolo School and the charmingly repulsive macabre art of the Skull School.

BLOODY MARY, my first pop painting (top) MARIA CLARA AND THE SPIRIT OF WOODSTOCK. my latest pop painting (bottom)