Juanito Torres

Wani ng Kasaysayan 

Immortality & the Spiral Ascent of  One Juanito Torres

About

I met the painter and sculptor Juanito Torres in the mid 1990's, a dynamic figurative artist student then. Marveling at his outspoken personality,  talent in figurations, observant singularity, unique character, and pragmatic existentilism. 

And as a fellow artist student in daily struggle, we sought not only those in in the academic institutions but the immensity and proportion of the applied in the real. We went to most leading galleries around and immersed ourselves to the aesthetics and patriotic debates amongst the norm in the Philippine art scene and the contrasting conceptual half of dissenting norms. He had a wider introduction than most to materials and theories in art early on as he belongs to the elite Makiling HS Visual Arts prior to his taking on a more formal painting course at the University. This earned him the foundation to be independent from any chartered route. Making his own path steadily and being unswayed through personal choices grinded him further on to the real life's dynamics.

Pursuing being learned, he discovered and needed to be unlearned. Gaining the land and inherent people's conciousness- looking at one's hindsight opens up one's direction and foresight in terms of our motherland. These precepts and ideas guided him through to this day to make his decisions and plans for his art. 

Juanito Torres has a lot of influences, mentorship, and guidance through the years. To speak about potentials he personally built his own niche. Coupled with a character to be passionate about our historical awakening, to our independence, suffragate of the people, courageousness of the Filipinos, and an ambitious, yet indomitable spirit to break from our dependence on super power, modern day conquistadors. A righteousness to own our lands, propagate better Filipino traits, pass on our legacy, and patriotic conciousness. 

Relying much through accounts in our rich history, patriotism, one's own daily commune, nuclear familial challeges, and acumen to grandeur pursuits perhaps shaped a unique modern day artist Filipino painter. He shaped his lyrical imagery of contrast, outspoken, stoicism, dicisiveness and ironic insights on a preference to muralesque painting formats and realistic charaterisations. 

He is not afraid about the readily identifiable and highly contestable personalities abounding in his visual stories on canvas and lifesize resin sculptures nor does he veers away from the challenges of opening up landmark perspectives and newer grounds.

We are a land so historically young and vibrant that we have so much for our next generation. We have so much potential for our development as Filipinos. The recent Paris Olympics of 2024 brought us more pride and newer conciousness of our capabilities- a Filipino direction amidst and amongst our neighboring countries. A set of new great Filinos marked themselves, brought us patriotism and pride and helped play our anthem to the whole world repeatedly.

Juanito Torres' pallete of earthly colors, dynamic figurations, surging patriotism literally are what represent his repretoire, and distinguishes him from the ordinary. He silently overwhelms all our landmarks with his traditional works. Steadily being collected and discovered around. His pride shows when these works are seen as contrasts to different historical events happening and viewed on social media and news. Most provincial municipalities and collectors abound with his large mural paintings on canvas. Soon his public life size sculptures would follow on different artistic landscapes, perhaps abroad, too. A norm we can anticipate. He is highly visible and leads in auction preferences so his many painting works are readily identifiable and sought by most. A Juanito Torres work stands.

He gleaned his imagery from historical context, daily politics, passed on traditions, and accurate contexts play on his symbolisms, both contrasted and complemented through dynamic figurations.

Reasoning, application, replications, and learnings are always constantly balancing like a modern day gyroscopes abounded on his canvases.

When Juanto Torres immortalized his paintings he has grander thoughts,  utopian direction, and larger binding ties that he anchors through his family. As a father of three, he seeks better for all. He steadily built his humble abode and studio to what it is today and will be tomorrow. "Ang Sining ni Juan2" museum and projects is what he intends and envisions for this day. The last mortar will be placed next year. A repository of his grander talents and thoughts in the midst of Pulilan, Bulacan. A legacy for his young to manage- one who was “not of an age but for all time,” he dreams and imagined the shapes, forms, and local habitations his work would take on through the years. 

Juanito Torres is in his late 40s. He is a dreamer with an exquisite talent leading a studio of family artisans, a community of artists, on his own expansive land in Bulacan, Philippines. He will investigate, play with some of those shapes and forms, historical contexts, elements of the mundane, and will continue an overview of some of the modes of existence for contemporary Philipine Art.  A newer brand of historical and contemporary Philippines in the coming Manila Bang Show 2024 art fair. 

Maybe shaping up as a young, solid, cultural icon led him to his passion and imagery. These will always distinguish him among his Philippine artist peers.

While looking at how Juanito Torres has reimagined  contextually placed, and reinvented through his various media, the art landscape has epitomed one of the stalwart young pillar for Philippine art. His works are never purely aesthetic or merely formalistic but also subject to future complex mediations of cultures, and maybe soon to the expanse of the art world. 

Written by Amiel Gerald Roldan as curator, critic and art writer