ON CASTRILLO

THE PIONEERING STYLE CREATING IMPACT ON SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS

Described in the 60s and 70s as “avant garde”, Castrillo was known as the country’s forerunner in all-metal (bronze and brass) sculpture mixed with non-traditional media such as plexiglass, neon lights, ivory and wood. He experimented and produced works in various art modes he called the hammer-out reliefs, movables, environmental works, religious monuments and ritual functional pieces, gallery pieces, functional pieces, sculpture couture, commemorative medallions all done in dazzling ranges of metal finishes: oxidized bronze, polished brass, chrome-plated steel, rusty iron, polymer coat etc. The wide variety, materials, modes of techniques, attest to the Filipino artistic genius of Castrillo.

His sculptural redirection is both technical and a matter of vision: at a time when local sculptures were content with the exploitation of readily available materials, Castrillo has had the courage and tenacity to explore new materials such as plastics, plexiglass, and worked with less pliable materials such as welded smithed metal.

The choice of medium and the impact of his works, opened a new dimension to sculptural works in the country. In his works, Philippine sculpture stepped into the contemporary technology, opening possibilities in outdoor monuments heretofore considered impossible in the country.

After Guillermo Tolentino and Napoleon Abueva, both National Artists, Castrillo ranks as a giant in the Philippine sculptural scene. No other sculptor in the succeeding generations will be able to match the versatility, depth and genius of this man.

WIDE VARIETY OF FORMS AND MATERIALS

Aside from historical monuments and socio-political works, Castrillo’s works include religious monuments, environmental figurative and abstract outdoor sculptures, functional art, sculptured art jewelry, gallery pieces, site specific installations.

MAJOR INNOVATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO ART DEVELOPMENT

• Technique of cutting, forming, welding and constructing metal sheets for monumental and mural sculptures (where such sculptures have been sent to Europe for casting)
• His movability concept of abstract sculpture
• His elevation of jewelry craft to the stature of serious art
• His introduction and mastery of the copper hammer-out or repousse series as a medium of contemporary art
• His practice of functional art such as sculptured doors, trophies, medals, medallions, sculpture-couture, and architectural sculpture
• His creations of abstract sculptures of monumental proportions
• His practice of donating his art for public monuments for provincial communities, and coming up with his Cultural Heritage Series