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Fundacion Sansó

<div><strong>Raul Lebajo&#x27;s internal landscapes</strong></div><p>Dubbed as the country&#x27;s leading proponent of Environmental Surrealism, Raul H. Lebajo‘s (b. 1941) ongoing exhibition (ends October 29) at the Fundacion Sanso simply titled, “Raul Lebajo: Filipino Surrealist,” is a collection of 24 paintings and pen and inks  continues  to showcase the artist’s meticulous dexterity in incredible detail -- testament to his five decades of art practice.</p><p>Lebajo once again releases his dreamlike imagination as he deeply internalizes to tap into his unconscious, a style which he began pursuing in the 1980s. His work combines  his earlier abstract forms with figurative elements such as plants, animals, birds and merging these with human forms and still-life objects, bringing about a surreal effect which would be identified with him from then on.</p><p>Lebajo is one of the important artists of his generation. Though his work took a different path from the more social-realist or abstract tendencies of his contemporaries such as Ang Kiukok, J. Elizalde Navarro, Romulo Olazo, Onib Olmedo, Angelito Antonio, Jaime de Guzman, and Justin Nuyda -- artists who became prominent during a period of great social, political, and artistic upheaval -- these group of modernists forever changed the course of Philippine art.</p><p>A distinct voice within the modernist movement, Lebajo explored internal landscapes and environmental themes, helping popularize a “Filipino” brand of surrealism by integrating local natural motifs that show Philippine flora and fauna, landscapes and experiences in his works.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:300px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761561559453e2bf291c-e07d-468c-ba34-fd9de8d4547f.jpeg" style="width:300px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Yellow Bell&#x27;, oil on canvas"/><span class="fr-inner">&#x27;Yellow Bell&#x27;, oil on canvas</span></span></span></div><p>His &quot;Yellow Bell&quot; (2006, oil on canvas) utilizes a common plant locally called &quot;kampanilya&quot; as subject. The botanical work shows trumpet-like yellow flowers and ochre leaves and pods planted on a terracotta vase against a teal ground. The work has the impression of an underwater current rendering the flora to gently sway and dance under a golden crescent moon surrounded by bubbly forms. The introduction of the crescent moon and water into the composition are symbols of renewal and rebirth or the cyclical nature of life.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:300px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761561539932edea9892-e1c6-46ac-8dd9-0b88677e637a.jpeg" style="width:300px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Self-portrait&#x27;, oil on canvas"/><span class="fr-inner">&#x27;Self-portrait&#x27;, oil on canvas</span></span></span></div><p>Lebajo’s 1996 &quot;Self-portrait&quot; (oil on canvas) which was used as the poster for this show portrays the artist with a bunch of green and browning leaves peeking from his shirt (furthering the concept of life’s cycle) -- his head centered on an outward bluish swirl with specks of white dots conveying the mind’s centeredness and awareness as it expands into the macrocosm.</p><p>The concept of Environmental Surrealism in art initially appeared  in German-born Max Ernst, a pioneer in Surrealism and the Dadaism movements. His painting series &quot;Jardin Gobe Avions&quot; (1935–1936) was a psychic reaction to World War 1 where he expressed a visual language that conveyed a world out of balance. Ernst mined his unconscious for dreamlike imagery that mocked social conventions –- one of the first artists to apply Sigmund Freud&#x27;s dream theories as he explored his deep psyche in order to tap his own creativity in an attempt to reach a pre-verbal state of being. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Mary Lei&#x27;s eternal landscapes</strong></div><p>Young artist, Mary Florence Nobleza holds her second solo in a smaller space at the Fundacion Sanso titled &quot;Yutori,&quot; a Japanese concept often referring to a state of calm and relaxed living. The exhibition (part of its proceeds go to the Fundacion Sanso scholarship program) ends on November 29.</p><p>The collection of nine works, mostly done in acrylic on canvas, portrays tranquility through quiet landscapes, serene waterfalls enhanced by soft sunlight, mists, and the flow of gentle water.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:300px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761561433671eca1ace4-e46c-4a1b-90af-3cba2f83a0c1.jpeg" style="width:300px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Midsummer Night&#x27;s Dream&#x27;, acrylic on canvas"/><span class="fr-inner">&#x27;Midsummer Night&#x27;s Dream&#x27;, acrylic on canvas</span></span></span></div><p>The artist, a faculty member of De La Salle-College of St. Benilde’s Industrial Design Program, took up painting as a way to cope with the pandemic. Idyllic landscapes and lush vegetation including birds, highlight the artist’s adeptness with her medium and recalls the 19th-century impressionist art movement that, when viewed up close, utilized visible, broken brushstrokes as it captures the fleeting effects of light and color, in shade of blues and greens -- a refreshing experience that truly evokes the tranquil spirit of nature.</p>

<p>At Fundacion Sansó, two generations of Filipino artists explore nature and the subconscious in distinct yet harmonious ways. Together, their works invite viewers to see nature not just as subject, but as a mirror of the human spirit.</p>

At Fundacion Sansó, two generations of Filipino artists explore nature and the subconscious in distinct yet harmonious ways. Together, their works invite viewers to see nature not just as subject, but as a mirror of the human spirit.

Art review: Raul Lebajo, Mary Lei explore internal, eternal landscapes at Fundacion Sansó

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Art review: Raul Lebajo, Mary Lei explore internal, eternal landscapes at Fundacion Sansó

Rachel Mayo

Published Oct 27, 2025 06:42 PM PHT

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