Intimate times with Arturo Luz

IT'S HARD not to associate the works of National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz (1926-2021) with grandeur, but an exhibit called Streamlined II at the Renaissance Art Gallery in SM Megamall shows more intimacy from the late artist.

- Joseph L. Garcia

Mr. Luz is best known for his grand works displayed in the grandest venues and offices in the land, but this selling exhibit which is ongoing until June 16 features the private collection of Edd and Malou Gaerlan.

Mr. Gaerlan befriended Mr. Luz in the 1970s, and they formed a close bond, so much so that Mr. Luz and his wife stood as principal sponsors for the couple's 25th wedding anniversary.

The exhibit features 62 pieces. While there are some sketches and drawings of Mr. Luz's work in the 1960s, the collection largely consists of his work from the 1990s to the early 2000s. According to Renaissance Art Gallery's Managing Owner, Manuel Romero, Jr., in an interview during the exhibit's June 3 opening, these consist of what the National Artist captured during his travels around Southeast Asia during that period.