ON the wall of the Fundacion Sansó lobby in San Juan reads the words of the late critic Leo Benesa. “I realize that [Juvenal] Sansó’s subject matter is the ‘inner eye,’” the text goes, “the artist looking into himself.”
While the iconic landscapes of the Spanish-born, Filipino-at-heart artist are as much a portal as they are paintings, the transporting sceneries, of course, are not simply of captured sights but also projected hopes. It is said that Sansó’s famous Brittany Series has been a crucial part of expunging his trauma from the Second World War, wherein he created worlds on canvas that presented no chaos, just color.
Similarly, there is much more that goes inside the dramatic chiaroscuro of Kenneth Montegrande. The stunning cloudscapes and seascapes comprise a picture of hope, a reminder that light will find its way through the darkness. Indeed, Montegrande, like the master before him, is an artist looking into himself.
This is just one of the layered similarities between the two artists, who now share the stage in the two-man exhibition, titled The Blissful Expanse of Sea and Sky: Sanso x Montegrande.
“Both use the landscape as a way of dealing with harsh realities, and to escape into it as a moment of calm,” said Fundacion Sansó director Ricky Francisco. “What you see is not really a scenery, but rather their hopes and desires.”
Montegrande, acrylic on canvas, 18”x24”
Francisco reached out to Montegrande at the end of last year. But aside from the pace by which they were able to put the show together, what surprised him was the amount and degree of similarities between the two artists, which transcends their artistic style and messaging.
Francisco discovered that both Sansó and Montegrande were once members of the media and penned columns for newspapers. Montegrande also worked for the government as a spokesman for the DENR Parks Development Committee, while Sansó was a former spokesman for the Philippine Retirement Agency.
“Both of them are helping people privately as well, sending students to school,” Francisco said. “I wanted to show that here also.”
For his part, Montegrande quickly embraced the opportunity of working with a prominent figure of Philippine arts in Sansó.
“This one is one of the highlights of my career,” said Montegrande, who quickly rose in the local arts scene in recent years. He is the first Southeast Asian artist whose works are housed in the prestigious collection of Japanese mega art collector Yusaku Maezawa. He is also the youngest artist whose work forms part of the Malacañan collection.
Ground-breaking interaction
Presented in the exhibition are eight works by Sansó and 16 by Montegrande. One of the main pieces is Montegrande’s expansive abstract artwork, titled Symphony of Peace, which measures 6 ft x 12 ft. Another is a one-of-one interaction work by Sansó and Montegrande, unveiled at the reception.
The piece, titled El Profundo, is an unfinished Sanso that Montegrande worked on. Francisco said that while interaction pieces are quite common in the local arts scene, and that Sansó has indeed engaged in such collaborations in his personal capacity, the one created for the ongoing show is the first of its kind for the Fundacion Sansó group.
“Interaction pieces for Mr. Sansó is nothing new, and we’re not breaking his tradition, his canon,” Francisco said. “[But since this is the first one for the group,] we had a lot of discussions. ‘Are we allowed?’ ‘Should we even consider it?’ But it worked out.”
Montegrande was presented with three unfinished Sansó pieces to work with and selected the one where he thought he can apply his style without taking that of Sansó’s.
“Pero pagdating ng second day, third day, fourth day, bumibigay ako,” Montegrande said. “Parang ’di ko pala kaya.”
The artist then called the curator, who supplied him with words of encouragement. Montegrande was infused with renewed hope, but something still felt amiss. He then called on God and prayed that he be able to exhibit his style in the piece.
It just happened that Montegrande was also supposed to meet with a collector. He drove to her house, and while waiting inside, he chanced upon an artwork from afar. Montegrande felt a connection.
He saw the strokes as his own, but he didn’t know the artist. He saw another work of the same artist that featured bricks. It was then that he knew: it was Sansó, an early work. It was the inspiration he was looking for, and all that he needed to work on their interaction.
The result is El Profundo, which features Sanso’s signature flowers on the lower-thirds of the canvas, and Montegrande’s distinct clouds above.
“Sansó was known for his flora, organic growth but are imaginary. Montegrande was able to interact with it in such a way that it looked burning but not being burnt. Like the burning bush in the bible,” Francisco said. “It has a very profound message at this time.”
“Inspiration natin dito, ’yung hope, ’yung faith,” said Montegrande, who is now preparing for an upcoming solo in July at Art Lounge Manila.
Sansó Art Student Stipends Fund
THE sold-out two-man show between Sanso and Montegrande stands to help the cause of Fundacion Sansó in supporting the continued education of students, especially at this time of global pandemic. Part of the proceeds of the exhibition will fund the Sansó Art Student Stipends Fund.
“We ramped up our scholarship program during the ECQ,” Francisco said. “It became hard for many students to continue because their parents were laid off. We continued during the ECQ to support some of our scholars and we were able to graduate seven. Now we have four.”
“With this,” he added, “we think that we might be able to accept two to four more.”
The Blissful Expanse of Sea and Sky: Sanso x Montegrande is presented by Fundacion Sansó and Galerie Joaquin. The show opened on Friday and is on view at Fundacion Sansó in San Juan until April 17.
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