Lot description
Diaphanous B-VIII signed and dated 1979 (lower left) oil on canvas 60" x 48" (152 cm x 122 cm) PROVENANCE Estate of the artist EXHIBITED The Luz Gallery, Romulo Olazo: Recent Paintings - Diaphanous (Fourth One-Man Exhibition), Makati, 1979 Diaphanous B-VIII was exhibited in Romulo Olazo’s 1979 solo show, “Recent Paintings – Diaphanous,” held at the Luz Gallery. This was Olazo’s fourth one-man exhibition and signaled a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution—his deepening exploration of abstraction through light, translucence, and layered form. Only five years earlier, Olazo had made the bold decision to leave a successful career in advertising, where he rose to the position of creative director. The risk allowed him to fully commit to the visual language he was beginning to shape—one that would soon distinguish him in Philippine contemporary art. His early engagement with printmaking, particularly serigraphy and collagraphy, profoundly influenced his painterly approach. These techniques informed the emergence of what would later be known as the Diaphanous, a concept that began to take form in the early 1970s. By the time of the 1979 exhibition, Diaphanous B-VIII belonged to the formative or “childhood” stage of this body of work—an abstract language still unfolding. Over time, this exploration would mature into The Diaphanous Series, now recognized as one of Olazo’s most significant artistic achievements. (Simone Vicencio)
