Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

Annie Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div><strong>Ed&#x27;s note: English translation available after the story.</strong></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179049480IMG_8710.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>CEBU -- Gipasundayag ang naa sa dul-an usa ka libo nga artwork sa labing dako nga art fest sa Sugbo.</p><p>Nahimutang ang art fest sa usa sa mga sikat nga tourist attraction sa Dakbayan sa Sugbo -- ang Tops.</p><p>Matod sa art fest director na si Enzo Dino, mensahe nila ang paghalad ngadto sa mga pintor nga mao’y nangunay nga mabuhi ang fine arts sa Cebu niadtong dekada &#x27;70.</p><p>Kini silang Martino Abellana ug Julian Jumalon nga mga kanhi tinun-an sa bantugang pintor nga si Fernando Amorsolo.</p><p>“This year the angle we are taking is looking back. Time travelling back how it all began. How did it all start,” ani Dino.</p><p>Gibida sa art festival ang “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” ni Jumalon ug ang mga hulagway sa kinaiyahin ni Martino Abellana sama sa “Barrio Scene” nga ginama pa sa tuig 1967, ingon man ang uban pa nilang mga obra.</p><p>“We just wanted to pay tribute to the pioneers especially for fine arts here, the one who officially institutionalized it here in Cebu,” dugang pa ni Dino.</p><p>Ang mga tinun-an ni Abellana ug Jumalon sab sa ilang bahin, nga kasagaran nila mga magtutudlo sa fine arts ug mga arist, nibida sab sa ilang mga ginama.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179149762IMG_8708.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>Kini silang Raymund Fernandez, Sonia Yrastorza, Celso Pepito, Lida Aguillar ug daghan pa.</p><p>“We are so happy that these things are going on because for a long number of years, he was like forgotten, he was not talked about anymore. Now that these exhibits are going on….it is as if he has come to life again,” matod ni Gemma Abellana, anak ni Martino Abellana.</p><p>Dugang pa sa pamilya, dakong garbo sa ilaha sab kon mapilian sab isip National Artist si Abellana.</p><p>“It would be an honor. We know him and we know his worth,” dugang ni Sr. Gemma Abellana.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Panulondon ang paglambo sa art scene<br/></strong></div><p>Gisiip sab nilang Dino nga panulondon kon “legacy” nilang Abellana ug Jumalon ang pagdaghan sa mga pintor sa Cebu.</p><p>Kini tungod nga diha sa ilang mga kamot nibansay ang mga iladong mga pintor karon nga sagad sab nila, duna’y mga gipangtudluan nga mga batan-ong pintor.</p><p>“They’ve given our artist today the capacity to express their artistry, to be free with how they create that is one we enjoy such as vibrant scene today,” matod ni Dino.</p><p>Duna’y 200 ka mga pintor ang nisalmot sa art festival nga lakip sa 30 ka mga gallery.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179166123IMG_8758.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>Gawas sa mga taga-Cebu, niapil sab ang mga pintor gikan sa lain-laing bahin sa nasud sama sa National Capital Region ug uban pa.</p><p>“As we go over the spaces you will get an inkling of that, things that they left behind in terms of how they approach their art authentically,” dugang pa ni Dino.</p><p>Duna sa’y art auction diin ang sobra sa halin, ibutang sa usa ka foundation ug itabang ngadto sa mga nalinogan sa Amihanang Bahin sa Sugbo.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>*****<br/></strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>Art fest in Cebu, a tribute to Abellana and Jumalon</strong></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179179460IMG_8714.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>Around a thousand artworks were showcased recently at Cebu’s biggest art festival held at one of Cebu City’s most popular tourist attractions — Tops.</p><p>According to art fest director Enzo Dino, their message this year is a tribute to the painters who pioneered and kept fine arts alive in Cebu during the 1970s. These artists are Martino Abellana and Julian Jumalon, both former students of the renowned painter Fernando Amorsolo.</p><p>“This year, the angle we are taking is looking back — time traveling to how it all began, how did it all start,” said Dino.</p><p>The festival highlights “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” by Jumalon and Abellana’s nature-inspired works such as “Barrio Scene” painted in 1967, along with many of their other masterpieces.</p><p>“We just wanted to pay tribute to the pioneers, especially those in fine arts here… the ones who officially institutionalized it in Cebu,” Dino added.</p><p>The students of Abellana and Jumalon, many of whom are now fine arts teachers and artists themselves, also showcased their works. Among them were Raymund Fernandez, Sonia Yrastorza, Celso Pepito, Lida Aguillar, and many others.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179194203IMG_8709.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>“We are so happy that these things are going on because for a long number of years, he was forgotten. He was not talked about anymore. Now that these exhibits are happening, it’s as if he has come to life again,” said Sr. Gemma Abellana, daughter of Martino Abellana.</p><p>The family also expressed that it would be a great honor if Abellana would be chosen as the next National Artist for visual art.</p><p>“It would be an honor. We know him and we know his worth,” Gemma Abellana added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Growth of Cebu’s art scene</strong></div><p>Dino also said that the growth of Cebu’s art scene is the legacy of Abellana and Jumalon.</p><p>It was through their hands that many of today’s well-known Cebuano painters were trained. Most of them are artists who, in turn, are now mentoring young painters themselves.</p><p>“They’ve given our artists today the capacity to express their artistry, to be free with how they create. That’s one reason we enjoy such a vibrant scene today,” said Dino.</p><p>A total of 200 painters participated in the art festival which are part of over 30 galleries.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763179211222IMG_8752.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><p>Aside from Cebuano artists, participants also came from different parts of the country, including the National Capital Region and beyond.</p><p>“As you go through the spaces, you’ll get an inkling of what they left behind. How they approached their art authentically,” Dino added.</p><p>The festival also includes an art auction, where a portion of the proceeds will go to a foundation to help typhoon victims in Northern Cebu.</p>

<p>Libo-libong likhang sining, tampok sa pinakamalaking art festival sa Cebu.</p>

Art fest sa Cebu, halad kang Abellana ug Jumalon

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Art fest sa Cebu, halad kang Abellana ug Jumalon

Annie Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 16, 2025 02:00 PM PHT

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Cebu art fest

Martino Abellana

Julian Jumalon

exhibit

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Tops

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