The inspiring, the whimsical, and the ones that make you think at ManilART 2015

"A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art," so said 19th-century French artist Paul Cezanne.

If that is so, then the Philippine art scene is vibrant and thriving, a quick look at this year's crop of artworks on exhibit at ManilART at SMX Convention Center at SM Aura showed.

There was a whole range of emotions portrayed in the artworks, from the serious to the whimsical, the inspiring, and the ones that make you question life and the world around you.

There was newness, and the charm of the old; freshness, and the purity of the constant.

Take Gemo Tapales' black and white painting of coffee and dessert. The concept is not new—cappuccino and chocolate cake no doubt have been depicted in artful photographs and paintings before. But the artist showed his skill and emotion—and gift—in the way the light was reflected in the curve of the spoon, the froth of the cappuccino, the plate's roundness.

That Tapales is painting again is a welcome development. He was with the Salingpusa art group in Antipolo back in the 90s alongside Elmer Borlongan and Tony Leano.

The bold colors of the paintings of the late Federico Aguilar Alcuaz were hard to miss, though the paintings were small. In a work dubbed "Untitled," the artist used the bluest blue for what could be a lake, and one could make out a figure of a man on a mountain on the upper left, silhouetted in the moonlight. I looked at the painting and I was enthralled; it quieted me, yet at the same time it stirred up happy feelings.

Speaking of happy, there was a lot of that on the floor. Roel Obemio fattened up the screamer in "Homage to Edvard Munch 'The Scream'". Brian Teves did a Dali, moustache and all. And Adrian Jay Manuel's sculptures of little boys playing brought smiles to people's faces as they walked by.

Some artworks made me think—Azor Pazcoguin's monochromatic painting of a dirty Starbucks apron, for one. It was simple yet it stood out for me. In a simple image, it conveyed there is dignity in labor, even in making coffee. I stared at the artist's other painting of a typewriter, so like the old typewriter I used back in college to write articles for the school paper, yet it was more than that. It made me wonder, how many more stories have been left untold such that the paper remained blank?

Karen Picadizo's acrylic painting of three pear-shaped prim-and-proper women was titled "Faithful Eves." Saintly women, all in a row. Virtue on display. On the other side of the floor was Dominic Rubio's painting of three stick figure women vendors, with baskets on their heads. They looked saintly and virtuous as well.

The strength of women was depicted in many wonderful ways, from Ferdinand Cacnio's sculptures of graceful dancers, Lydia Velasco-Cruz's diwata-like paintings, to Aleah Angeles' realistic artworks of young teenage girls.

The men need not fret, since their Adam-like glory was seen in the works of Ronald Ventura and Reynard Borillo.

And to remind us of the depth of giftedness the established artists have, there was the beautiful glass sculpture "Tree of Life (Champagne Fountain)" by Ramon Orlina, the colorful sarimanok painting of Abdulmari Imao, and the gold and pastel abstract work of Raul Isidro, among others.

These were just some of the artworks at this year's ManilART. Can't wait to see what next year will bring. — BM, GMA News

This year's ManilART ran from October 8 to 11 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura Premier in Bonifacio Global City.