BIOGRAPHY |
Grandier Gil C. Bella Born 1972 Education Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting 1993 cum laude University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Selected Exhibitions Grandier Solo Exhibition 2004 Pasig City Museum, Pasig City Pieces 2008 Esteban Sabar Gallery, USA Colorful Feast 2008 Seattle Center, USA Modular Reconstruction 2006 NCCA, Museo Pambata, Ayala Museum, Boston Gallery COMPLETE RESUME PORTFOLIO  |
Born to a typical, average Filipino family, and eldest of four children, Grandier’s initial exposure to art was when, as a young kid, he ardently read and browsed the extensive art book collection of his grandmother. The hard bound books opened his eyes to a wealth of information from the first cave drawings to modern art. Having found his interest in drawing and painting, his mother enrolled him to Fernando Sena’s art workshop. For several summers, Grandier was creatively immersed to the world of art, guided by the witty and stimulating teaching methods of his mentor. He joined in numerous art contests during his childhood and garnered enough encouragement to pursue a career in art.
It was in 1989 when, at 17 and after being accepted to the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines, Grandier further honed his skills in painting. As a student, he regarded painting as a combination of technical skill and comprehensive understanding of the medium. By concentrating on classical techniques and thorough study of academic figure painting, Grandier intensely studied the works from the Renaissance period. Developing his skills through self-study and research, he particularly got interested with chiaroscuro. His favorite media was, and still is, oil and pastel. His exposure to various concepts and styles in visual art, as encouraged by his school, was a point of conflict to him. Nevertheless, being exposed earlier in the rudiments of art, his natural inclination for traditional realism was still developed. |
His resistance to modernism was brought about by the thought that abstraction was a basic, raw ‘language’ of art that was self-explanatory. No meaning, in Grandier’s perception, can be derived by the investigation of visual elements alone or by exploring different visual styles that are not grounded to visual truths. Even so, he finds abstraction attractive in its multi-faceted approach to the study of materials and techniques.
As a professional painter, Grandier loves to paint from life in his studio at home. Even if he utilizes a camera for reference photographs and his laptop for image manipulation, he still makes it a point to have the object or model within his reach. While his works have been a derivative of long planning and preparation, Grandier’s works show careful attention to detail and deft in succulent color blending. Grandier's distinctive inclination for conflicting light sources and his fondness for combining warm and cold hues is a subtle way of hinting his critique at life’s duality and unpredictability. He regards his next painting as his next great masterpiece and takes pride in the fact that all his works are unique and original in design and composition. His pieces reflect and express his passion and dedication for his art. According to him, “Realism is a representation of how you perceive and draw meaning from your world. The art of painting is how you visually articulate that reality.” Grandier resides in Quezon City, Philippines with his wife and daughter. |
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© Copyright 2008 Grandier Gil C. Bella. All rights reserved.
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