An old English proverb states that “God is in the details.” It means that if we look hard enough, we will be rewarded with insight. And surely, this is true for the works of Herbert Pajarito, whose meticulously hand-drawn pen and ink works, as well as his acrylics on canvas, can attest. “Divine Presence”, the sixth solo exhibition of the 2013 Metrobank Grand Prize winner expresses a timely message of the divine’s hidden hand in creation and at all times. An opus of profuse details and layered images, the works appear like Indonesian batik from afar, but reveal their intricate details up close. These details can be related to the the images on prehistoric cave walls drawn by early humans – seemingly unplanned at first, until the grand narrative discloses itself to the wandering eye. To really look into them, is to be enrapt in them. To be immersed in them, is to find great meaning.
The 4 x 6 feet pen and ink on watercolor paper “Ethereal” show a scattering of winged, angelic beings, interspersed in a copious human figures and natural elements. Tying them together are winding, barely noticeable, blue curlicues forming menorahs, turtles, and other images in themselves, like constellations in the glistening night sky. Looking closely, you’d see human figures interlocked with each other, and with plants and flowers, butterflies and stars. Humanity is immersed in the natural world and the supernatural world at the same time. The work, which took Pajarito four months of 16 to 18-hour work days to create, was also a meditation for the artist. “I have always loved drawing. I barely get to do it for exhibition, but I felt this was the time. When I start drawing, I only take breaks when I am called to eat, but I would like to continue if it were possible. I am absorbed in it. Time does not seem to exist while I am drawing them.”
Another major work on paper, Devotion, shows angelic beings interlocked with each other and with human beings. Cropped in between them are different types of swords and symbols laden with existential meaning, like the hourglass, the menorah, the cross, the all-seeing eye, the outstretched hand. In its entirety, we sense a transcendent meaning; one that hearkens to the biblical – the battle between good and evil, that is waged in both the seen and unseen. “Angels for me are both warriors and messengers. They defend us from evil, and they bring messages from God to us. As an artist, I also endeavor to bring out a message. This is what I do through my work,” say Pajarito.
There are fourteen works on paper, comprising his “Guardian Angel” series, that are all meticulously detailed, and which carry over the layering of the three worlds- of the unseen angles, the natural world, and of man. And there are six works on canvas, five of which are from he “Sky Guardian” series, where angels appear with the stars of the night sky. This series seems to be a continuation of his 4th solo exhibition, Sky Lights, also with Galerie Francesca; where his marvel for the cosmos, and the hand of God in it, is expressed. From all 20 works that comprise “Divine Presence” we see a consistency in both symbols and message. One that entices us to see connections in the seemingly disparate. One that points to an inherent order amidst the chaos. One that asks us to look in, and see the Divine Presence in our lives. This exhibition is on the one hand, the work of an artist sharing his message. Perhaps the adage is true, that God is in the details.
“Divine Presence” by Herbart Pajarito will be on view from October 17 to November 9, 2020. Galerie Francesca is located on the Untin 3319 2nd Level Expansion Wing, Civic Drive, Festival Supermall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. For inquiries, contact
+639190821718 Art Lounge Manila/
+639778398971 Mitch Barasan/
+639989937968 Chat Pones
or email us at
artloungemanila@gmail.com
