Gathered: When ‘still’ leaps to life
Felix Catarata’s still lifes refuse to sit still because the vivid subjects—mostly fruits and vegetables—virtually leap off their canvas.
Take for example his ensemble of plump eggplants nestled on a bilao, surrounded by a solitary pumpkin, a small bitter melon, and a cluster of siling labuyo. They look as though they are poised to leap into a wok for a hearty pinakbet.
Catarata was born 57 years ago in Mandaue City, Cebu and was two years old when his parents relocated the family up north to Bogo City, also in Cebu. He describes Bogo City as having a distinctly bukid character—and this idyllic setting informed his paintings later on.
“Fruits and vegetables are part of our local daily diet sa bukid. Fruits and vegetables have simple and complex forms, are both colorful and neutral, and possess a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures, which I never get bored of appreciating. They are as challenging as any subject to arrange and paint,” he says.
Catarata’s works, which use acrylic on canvas, are clear and well-defined. It’s hard to imagine they were painted by someone who is largely self-taught. Though he had no formal art education, he had an early passion for drawing and painting. Even as a child, he drew on any material that he could get his hands on. But when the time came to choose a college course, his parents gently steered him away from Fine Arts.
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“Di kaya ng parents ko,” recalls Catarata, the second child and eldest son in a family of seven. His parents worried about the uncertainty of a career in art.
Instead, Catarata became a teacher. While waiting for the board examinations, however, he found himself working at Maitland-Smith, a furniture factory in Cebu.
It was at Maitland-Smith where Catarata first developed an affinity for still life. With Europe a strong market for the company at the time, much of the furniture was hand-painted.
Though he taught practical arts after that factory stint, he never stopped painting. Catarata continued to teach himself, steadily developing his skills through observation, experimentation, and persistent practice.
This teacher was actually once bullied because he had no Fine Arts degree.
“There were a few questions about my not having a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree and prestigious art awards. I felt the unspoken discrimination of some groups. But these criticisms and bullying energized me further to study more to understand what art is. It was much later, after a Paris visit, did I understand and come into terms with myself and my art,” Catarata, seeing clearly now, says.
Along the way, he found artists whose work resonated deeply with him, particularly American painters Scott Burdick and Daniel Gerhatz. Both artists’ grounding in classical techniques appealed to Catarata, who admired their use of color and the expressiveness of their brushwork.
In the earlier part of his career, Catarata explored the human condition, particularly through paintings of children. Eventually, he returned to still life, reconnecting with the genre he had first encountered at Maitland-Smith.
This time, though, Catarata wanted to make them his own.
“I wanted to paint a local version. A Bogo version,” he says. As they say, you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy.
Vibrant colors, energetic brushwork and familiar elements give his still life a sense of place. Objects are gathered not simply to compose a picture, but to evoke a particular atmosphere—the bukid atmosphere.
“For years, I struggled to balance finances trying to survive and support my family while allotting some money for much-needed art materials, frames and exhibit fees,” he recalls his salad, or shall I say, pinakbet days. He had a hard time procuring expensive art materials and found that art mats (also known as matboards) were not available in Cebu art shops and stores.
Thus, Gathered, Catarata’s first solo show in the Philippines, is a milestone for the Bogo artist. It runs till Oct. 31 at Vetted in Makati City.
“Having my first solo exhibition in the Big City is a meaningful milestone in my artistic journey. Since starting in 1998, my practice has evolved through years of exploration, learning, and perseverance. This exhibition marks both a culmination of that journey and the beginning of new possibilities. It is an opportunity to share my work with a wider audience and to continue exploring the artistic potential of subjects I have long engaged with.”
Why did Vetted’s Jonathan Matti bet on Catarata? The latter’s paintings were sold out on the first day of the exhibit.
“I’ve been buying his paintings for over 20 years now and have seen his evolution and maturity as an artist. The still lifes are so alive and vivid,” Matti says.
Catarata’s still-life paintings are moving, indeed.
Gathered runs until Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Vetted, Unit 126, G/F, Mile Long Bldg., Amorsolo corner V. Rufino streets, Makati City. For more information, please call 0917-5262339.
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