MARIVIC Rufino mounts her 15th solo art exhibit at the Manila Peninsula on Feb. 23.
It consists of new works done in the last two years as well as earlier works, which should give art connoisseurs an idea how she has evolved?from the earlier classical and impressionist mold of her ?Dreamscapes? to their current abstraction.
Of the new works, Marivic said they were done over a ?period of loss, pain and healing? over her husband, Central Bank governor Rafael Buenaventura, who died of cancer.
?The loss of Paeng, who was my most avid art supporter, affected my creative output,? she said. ?I had an artist?s block for a long, long time. But I had to transform this pain into something positive.?
She immersed herself in Red Cross work and assisting the St. Mary?s House for Girls in Tagaytay and Serra?s Center for Girls in Pasay.
She also forged an artistic collaboration with poet Rio Alma (National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario). Together, they did ?Romanza,? which marries poetry and painting.
Almario?s poetry is translated into evocative English by award-winning poet Marne Kilates. The book will be launched during the exhibit?s inaugural.
In the book?s introduction, curator Ruben D.F. Defeo said each ?of the 76-38 poems and 38 paintings is empowered to conjure an image, reflect on nature, portray emotions, or, at its most audacious, meander into the unknown, what Horace admits as ?the equal right of painters and poets to liberty of imagination.??
Marivic?s loss is shown in her ?Autumn Symphony? and distilled in Almario?s short poem, ?Ngayon? (Now):
Maragsa kung bumuhus
Ang ulan ng talulot
At ang mga dahong tuyot
Na may samyo ng upos
Kilates? translation:
The sound of rain is rough
When it is petals pouring
And dry leaves carry
The scent of ash
Equally evocative is Rio?s ?Sa Panahon ng Tagtuyot,? matched by Rufino?s ?Tuscan Dream? 1:
Pagkabilog ng buwan,
Umuurong ang bundok;
Nagpipilat sa unan
Ang gunita ng hamog
As translated by Kilates:
As the moon waxes
The mountain wanes;
The pillow is scarred
By its memory of dew
Visual poetry
?I?ve always loved poetry, haiku in particular,? she said. ?I used to write poetry but got focused on painting. Of course, it is plain to see that painting is visual poetry. I paint poems and write paintings, too. That?s what many of my friends say.?
She is happy with the modest highlights of her artistic life, such as the exhibitions held at the Unesco House in Paris (one of her Chinese horse paintings is part of the arts collection) and in San Francisco; the 15 outdoor murals she painted for her late husband; and the 2005 exhibit at the Peninsula in which her grandson Bryan, 8 years old at the time, interacted with her.
? I am at that stage of unfolding and evolving as an individual and as an artist,? she said. ?I like to think I am becoming more spontaneous with my brushstrokes and my colors. On the other hand, I have simplified my life and my paintings are distillations of my romance with nature. It?s a new life, my renaissance. After all the turmoil and grief, there is a new spring.?
?Romanza? opens Feb. 23, 6 p.m., at Nielsen?s Patio of the Manila Peninsula. Guests of honor are National Artists Arturo Luz and Napoleon V. Abueva. Call 8179574 or 8184878 or e-mail romanzaexhibit@gmail.com.
