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A Critical Analysis of Local Artworks

The Local Artist

Marte "Smart" G. Garbo is one of the Filipino promising artists in the province
of Capiz. He is a local artist in the Municipality of Tapaz– the place where I was raised
and grew up. He is commonly known as Smart Garbo, a visual artist and a muralist.
Throughout his years as an artist, he painted a lot of paintings such as abstract and
landscapes, exhibited them locally and internationally and sold them eventually. The
few exhibits that he was featured in and his artworks are the Panublion Museum in
Roxas City, Iloilo Museum in Iloilo City, and in Landmark Mall at Doha, Qatar.
Additionally, he is a member of the Art Association of Capiz and Artist Routine and
Technique International.

Oil Abstract Paintings

By Marte “Smart” G. Garbo

Figure 1. Golden Harvest on

24”x30” Canvas
Figure 2. Hope and Dreams on
30”x24” Canvas
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Into the Local Painter’s Mind: The Beauty of Colorful Abstracts

(The Analysis of Marte “Smart” Garbo’s Paintings)

Abstract art is one of the art forms that emerge throughout the history of art.
This form of art started from the art form Cubism and later emerged and kept growing
as different artists continued to experiment with it. Additionally, it is an art form that
uses geometric shapes, lines, and color to portray a certain message rather than
painting the actual image that it wants to portray (Tate, n.d). It does not restrict the
viewer's imagination in reading the art but rather lets the viewer’s think critically about
what the flat shapes and colors actually mean.
Mr. Garbo's abstract paintings are also more than just a combination of shapes,
lines, and colors. Not minding the title of the artwork, the painting alone has its own
message it wants to convey. With the use of different art elements, it slowly builds the
story that it wants to tell and by analyzing these various elements, one can easily
understand what the painting could actually mean. Thus, this paper will evaluate Mr.
Garbo's two paintings and reveal their hidden meanings through the various art
elements he used.
The first abstract painting, “Golden Harvest” (shown in Figure 1) depicts farmers
harvesting or planting rice in the field, painted on a 24" × 30" canvas. The painting
shows how several types of shapes are employed to paint the figures of the people.
The shapes used in the painting are organic shapes that create the illusion of
movement in the piece. The application of lines, mainly curved and diagonal that
convey movement and energy in the painting. It also create this implied movements
that could point to the direction of the wind in the field. Also, the colors are vibrant. The
painter utilized complementary hues that contrast and complement one another, which
are yellow, blue, red, green, and orange that gives off warmth, harmony and joy to the
viewer’s eyes. Since the colors used are generally vivid, the use of darker tones is
limited and seen only in the corners of the shapes, highlighting the lines. While the
texture of this artwork suggests that the entire piece is grainy. Then, the painting's
space is almost completely occupied, with only a little fraction left to paint the
background, which comprises a yellow field, blue mountains, and a blue sky.
Furthermore, the painter blends the colors beautifully, resulting in a smooth
finish. The focal point of the artwork is two females harvesting or planting rice in the
center of the piece. Additionally, if the viewer looks closely at the artwork, he or she
will notice that almost all of the figures drawn in the painting are women, which is pretty
intriguing. Farmers are always depicted by males in paintings, abstract or not. Thus,
this feature in the art piece makes it more interesting.
With all of the details of the paintings' descriptions laid out, one can conclude
that this painting not only depicts the life of the farmers and how much effort they put
into their jobs to provide food for their families and the community. Instead, this also
demonstrates the care and love those women farmers have, not only for their jobs but
also for the people around them. The love exhibited in the artwork for the farmers
indicates the amount of care, patience, and love a mother has for her family. Thus,
this artwork is not just a tribute to the farmers, but also to all the mothers out there.
The second abstract portrait, “Hope and Dreams” (shown in Figure 2) shows a
woman holding a white flower, painted on a 30"x24" canvas. The use of various free-
form shapes, similar to the first painting, is also prominent in this painting, covering the
entire canvas. In contrast to the first, the lines in the second painting are mainly
diagonals, horizontals, and verticals that also creates movement in the painting. The
motions in the artwork appear to be directed where the painted woman is facing and
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guiding the viewer’s eyes to look at the center of the piece. Also, just like the first
painting, the colors in this are quite vivid. The painter employs the same color scheme
as in the first, but the hues of blue, yellow, green, and orange are more prominent in
this second one. Furthermore, using blue as the dominant color of the background
makes the woman stand out because blue and orange contrast beautifully. Not only
that, but blue signifies inspiration and hope, therefore it gives off a sense of inspiration
and hope. Another thing to notice about this artwork is how the painter employs darker
shades of blue and green to make the colors like yellow and orange pop. In this
approach, the painting's optimistic mood is enhanced.
Moreover, the woman's face is the focal point of this painting, with her skin
painted differently on her forehead, neck, and hand, which is quite interesting. Also,
take note of how the painter portrayed her hair, which may represent additional
significance to this piece. While the woman's pose in the painting—her eyes closed
and her head tilted slightly upward—may suggest that she is hoping for something or
praying.
Considering the most frequently known symbolism of the artwork's aspects,
where the lady represents love and care and the white flower represents purity and
innocence, and adding up what the colors imply, this painting may show the beauty of
femininity. Moreover, despite the diverse shapes formed in the background, the
artwork gives off a sense of optimism. Thus, the second abstract painting
demonstrates the strong attributes of women, such as their ability to remain optimistic
in the face of misfortune. A painting that truly portrays hope and dreams just like its
title name.
The two featured abstract paintings of Mr. Marte “Smart” Garbo are just two
examples of his beautiful creations as an artist. In those two artworks, it shows how
he utilizes different art elements to convey the message he wants to tell, his art style
and how he uses art to give inspiration to other people. Additionally, upon looking at
his Facebook profile, I notice how most of his abstract painting’s subjects are about
women and the beauty of motherhood. This may indicate how good the relationship of
the artist is to all the women in his life and how much he appreciates them.
Art truly plays with one's viewpoints, on how people think and how they link
reality to those various lines, forms, and so on. In his paintings, he demonstrates the
role of several art elements in deciphering the language of an art piece. That is, one
should not take conclusions about what the painting truly portrays based just on the
title of the artwork. That is not reading the genuine meaning of art, because the art title
might already impact one's thoughts when reading it. As a result, while assessing an
artwork, one should disregard the title and instead analyze it via its composition.
There, one could never understand art wrongly.
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References:

McNee, L. (2009, August 17). How to Use The Hidden Meaning of Color In Your Art.
Lori McNee. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://lorimcnee.com/use-the-hidden-
meaning-of-color-in-your-art-2/
Phoenix Art Museum. (2014, February 15). How to Look at an Artwork [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZoKElBwKCs
Tate. (n.d.). Abstract art. Tate. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/abstract-art
The Getty. (n.d.). The Elements of Art (Education at the Getty). Getty Center.
Retrieved April 19, 2022, from
https://www.getty.edu/education/for_teachers/building_lessons/elements.html

Photos and Infromation about Marte “Smart” Garbo and his Paintings are from
https://www.facebook.com/tapaztourism/posts/d41d8cd9/638240660224824/
https://www.facebook.com/smart.garbo