The color of genius

This remarkable young lady is the reason I’m adding two more wishes this season: First, that we have more of her exceptional kind because, heaven knows, we could use uplifting news every so often, and second, that we have less of those bungling politicians whom we read about in the papers every day.

The discovery of prodigy in art, especially as she is born of well-respected Filipino parents, is like a soothing breath of fresh air. Joanna de Asis Benitez, or Jana, as the 17-year-old artiste is called, is such a find. She gives hope, elicits our admiration, and fills all of us with pride.

Jana is the eldest daughter of former ambassador Jolly Benitez and Joanne de Asis Benitez, New York-based financial wiz – and if I may add, her parents’ very own masterpiece.

In her third solo outing at Soho’s Walter Wickiser Gallery, Jana amazingly continued to awe the hard-to-please NY art scene with her inherent talent.

Jana’s glowing colors are reminiscent of the works of Rufino Tamayo, and early Jasper Johns. Her charcoal portraits, dubbed "Expressions in Olives," echo the textured lines of Francesco Clemente.

The elegant lines and the feelings conveyed, though, are entirely her own: They are insightful reflections of a girl-woman, bursts of whimsy and exhilaration, using celebratory colors and charming melancholia. A self-portrait, substituting the blazoned colors with introspective blues, reveals a passionate soul’s musings on life, as seen through the eyes of a blossoming girl.

She has already been declared a genuine talent by eminent art critic and columnist Gerrit Henry. On this, her latest solo exhibit, she drew 300 of New York’s veritable sophisticates, discerning culturati, premier families and collectors from as far as Geneva, Stuttgart, Paris, California, and Boston, who raced to acquire 40 of her latest oeuvre.

Jana’s mom Joanne was beaming proudly while Gaia de Asis Benitez, acting as the artist’s agent/manager, was as proud of her sister as she busied herself seeing to the needs of the crowd who packed the Wickiser. And what a crowd it was!

Consider such towering figures as Paul Volker, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank; Christian Frost, chairman of Forbers, Inc.; Allen Wheat, chairman/CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston; Samm Simmons, ITT board member and EVP-corporate planning; Bill Harris, president of Hoerst USA, and Sam Babecoff, who flew in from Geneva.

Filipinos were not to be outdone, as collectors such as Dr. Listerio Baquiran (who bought a sizable work), Dr. Pol Tiongson, Raul and Rose Lopez de Asis, Augusto Jr. and wife Marilen Echeverria came to support the prodigy.

Formidable CEO Loida Lewis was also there, sighing to world-class Filipina designer Josie Natori about a piece she missed by a nip. Also spotted were Mildred Yao, Rocio Urquijo, George Ortol, Bill and Lili O’Boyle, Lorrie Reynoso, Bing de Guzman, Vincent and Anne Madrigal, Philip and Ada Mabilangan, among others.

More exciting things are expected from this prodigy, and her coming shows are eagerly awaited already. I share Jolly and Joanne’s continuing pride in Jana, as she completes yet another smashing oeuvre. Bravo, belle-artiste, Jana!