The obra that is Angel Cacnio

Angel C. Cacnio ranks among the country’s most esteemed visual artists being one of the few touted as having mastered both in oil and watercolor.

His oil paintings, as observed by some art critics, are teeming with life and overwhelming with emotions. The seemingly spontaneous brush strokes, the vibrant harmony of colors and the way he maximized—and he believes this is his strength—the interplay of light and shadow to generate illusions of movement, depth and clarity, are enthralling even for the viewer not exposed to the arts.

In his hands, watercolor transcends conventional subjects of landscapes and still-lives to capture what he calls as the folk genre of festivities and traditions (i.e. cockfighting, carabao racing, dances, vendors, or a family having a modest meal). It has been said that these subjects are rarely executed properly, let alone superbly, via the watercolor medium, because watercolor is too fluid to render human forms and figures. But he has taken up the challenge and obviously succeeded. According to him, he merely directs the pigment to run on its own course, employing only gentle but painstaking control. He tones down brush strokes so as to underscore the fluid nature of the watercolour. In this way, he said, he is able to realize the desired effect of luminosity needed to bring to the surface the full potential of the watercolour medium.

According to his admirers, however, it is not only his expertise in handling both media that makes him a remarkable artist, but also his keen sensitivity to his environment. His compositions, after all, reflect what he deems as the unchanging template of national identity.

Cacnio was born in the fishing community of Malabon in 1931. He still lives there, in a house cum art gallery that is oft-visited by tourists in the area, with his wife. He proudly noted that he is not the only artist in the family, as two of his four children—Michael and Ferdinand—are established sculptors. Despite going into a discipline divergent from their father’s, Michael, who was Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee in 2006, and Ferdinand, who particularly rose to national attention in 2006 with his 10-ft metal piece of public art, “Pasasalamat,” installed in Taguig, have acknowledged in media interviews their father as their inspiration and influence since they were children.

After finishing a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, wherein due to academic excellence he became a member of the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Angel Cacnio travelled around the world doing over 50 solo and group exhibits, and amassed awards and achievements.

His last one-man show was the Artist of the Nation at SM Megamall in 2003. Among his latest group exhibits was the Art Link, which was successfully mounted recently at the Cebu Country Club by the Kaalyado Ng Sining, a not-for-profit group of very low-key but important patrons of the arts.

He won his first award as a student in 1953, copping the top prize in the prestigious Shell National Student’s Art Competition for his artwork dubbed as Tatlong Sabungero. He has since been bestowed with other major distinctions in his enduring career such as the Gintong Parangal ng Malabon; Gintong Ama Awardee for Arts and Culture; and Centennial Gintong Ama Awardee for Arts and Culture.

Even as he was busy perfecting his craft, he was active in organizations that worked for the improvement of the local art scene. He had once served president of the Philippine Association of Figure Artists and director of the National Commission on Visual Arts, among others. He also co-founded the Visual Artist Creative Group.

Other accomplishments of his include being commissioned to design our 100 and 20 peso bills, as well as the 50 and 25 centavo coins.

His name and works are listed and showcased in international publications such as the Who’s Who in International Art (1993-1994 Edition, Switzerland); The Selected Collection of Fine Arts by International Watercolorist (South Korea); Collection of International Watercolor (Taiwan), among others. 

So, it was indeed an honor to meet the artist himself for the first time during the Art Link exhibit, as he mingled with Cebu’s leading artists and worked side-by-side with younger ones as they jointly took on the Artist Interaction activity, producing a collaborative, large-scale work of art. Despite his consummate stature, Cacnio proved to be one very unassuming fellow, as he eagerly and kindly showed us samples of his works and described some inspirations behind them like as if we’ve never remotely heard about him.

An art patron called Cacnio as the next National Artist (the highest title given to an artist in the country) having nominated already in the past. But going by Cacnio’s contributions, which he said were his way of making the most of his God-given talent, any true fan and supporter of the Philippine arts will certainly look forward to that kind of acclaim to be finally given to him.