Elmer Borlongan

            Elmer Misa Borlongan (Born January 7, 1967) is a prominent contemporary Filipino painter. He is known for his distinctive use of figurative expressionism. Borlongan rose to prominence as a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Thirteen Artist Awards in 1994, and his artworks have since become one of the most widely exhibited and most sought-after at auctions among Southeast Asian artists. 

            When asked about his visual approach, Borlongan describes his style as figurative expressionism. Art curator Ditas Samson expounds on this, describing a typical Borlongan canvas as “dominated by the human figure – often distorted in shape, in unreal hues.” He used figures in urban settings in his early work, in stark contrast to the idyllic rural settings of the earlier generation of Filipino artists, such as Fernando Amorsolo.  Elmer Borlongan has been drawing and painting since childhood and his chemist father was his first teacher, but he formally began art lessons at the age of 11 under artist Fernando Sena, at the urging of his aunt. Later on, he successfully obtains a degree at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, majoring in Painting. Fernando Sena has a great influence on Elmer borlongan as who he is now. 

            The first style he learned is to copy subjects realistically. He focused on techniques until high school then got into theoretical and conceptual aspects at the UP. He continued to develop his own style as he was exposed to other artists and artworks. With his distinctive style, he has represented the country in various international art festivals and has had several solo exhibitions. Using his distinctive style, he was recognized, and later on, he represented the Philippines in different international art festivals and also he had several solo exhibitions. He was an Artist-in-Residence in ARCUS Ibaraki Japan in 1996 and has worked in the collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the Singapore Art Museum. Furthermore, borlongan received a number of awards, including 2nd Prize in the Oil Painting Category of the Metrobank National Painting Competition in 1988 and 1992, the Thirteen Artist Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1994, Artist of the Month at the GSIS Museum of Art in 1997, and the Award for Continuing Excellence and Service from the Metrobank Foundation in 2004.


Rehimen, Oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm, 1988

Tampuhan, Oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm, 1992

Pamilyang Menthol, Oil on canvas, 168 x 244 cm, 1994


Reference:
https://filipinoachievers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/elmer-borlongan-artist-who-brought-filipino-cultures-alive/

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