In 1964, a European Swiss designer and jewellery
store owner of Estrella del Norte (a shop for the
illustrious and wealthy whose main branch was in
Paris) in the Philippines invited a young juvenile
delinquent to design jewellery on the spot. In twenty
minutes, the young man finished seven designs in
full color. The European was astounded by the output,
signed the young man in to work at his shop with
the instruction to create anything he wanted and
never to follow the trend.
This fateful meeting begun the career of
one of Asia's most progressive and original sculptors,
Eduardo Castrillo. One instant, he was a youth
unsure of what to do with himself; the next, he
was a celebrated sculptor. Castrillo never formally
studied sculpture. His formal art schooling was
limited to commercial advertising art. (When in
later years he chose to further his studies after
gaining recognition as a sculptor, he took up
architectural subjects rather than art courses).
In 1966, Castrillo broke into the contemporary
art scene in an exhibition that caused a stir
as critics had difficulty categorizing the range
of his works. That year also marked the beginning
of the trail of collectors to his atelier and
international opportunities. Five years later,
at the age of twenty-nine he would be receive
the city's highest art award The Araw ng Maynila
Centennial Award, the Jaycees Ten Outstanding
Young Men (TOYM) Award, and the outstanding Makati
Resident Award as well as the nation's top award,
the Republic Cultural Heritage Award bestowed
on artists of national prominence. Then too he
was sent as the countries representative to the
Paris Beinnale and following thereafter to the
Venice Biennale. Castrillo was awed by seeing
European refinement in traditional and modern
art and was convinced that some of his techniques
were not being used in Europe, particularly embossed
copper and constructed and welded brass.
From his entry into art through the metier
of the intricacies of jewellery design, Castrillo
moved from strength to strength creating monuments,
reliefs, gallery pieces, objects d'art and theatre
sets. But always he would return to creating his
jewellery, the roots and wellspring of his larger
works in welded brass.
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