Guernica*? Bako, Gueta. Gueta Garbo.

[Guernica*? No, Gueta. Gueta Garbo.]

Usip-usip Ninda Niño Manaog sagkod Cesar Gueta 

[Interview with Cesar Gueta]

Ano an pagpinta segun ki Cesar Gueta? What is art for Cesar Gueta?

Art is my lifelong engagement. Making an artwork for me is beyond the visual. I consider other aspects like metaphors and complexities of life—love, tragedy, etc.

Ta’no ta nagpipinta si Cesar Gueta? What motivates Cesar Gueta to paint?

What’s important to me is my feeling. I actualize it with the use of my mind and hands. My heart dominates the rest of my senses.

Kun igwang ibang pagkakaabalahan si Gueta apwera sa pagpinta, ano ini? Ta’no? What would Cesar Gueta do if he wouldn’t paint? Elaborate.

I could engage myself in product designing, architectural works or academe.

Kun dai naimbento an pagpinta, ano kuta an ginigibo ngonyan ni Cesar Gueta? If art were not invented, what would Cesar Gueta be doing?

I would have been a priest.

Sairisay an mga impluwensya ni Cesar Gueta? Siisay an saimong hinahangaann, kinokopya, o gusting malapawan sa kinaban nin pagpinta? Nata’ man sinda? Name the painters whom you idolize, copy or desire to dethrone. Why?

Cezanne was a forerunner of impressionist art. Scott Burdick is a modern impressionist (who uses) purely brush strokes.

"Manobo," Oil on Canvas, 2" x 2"

Ano na an nahaman ni Gueta sa pagpinta? Karapatdapat ka man daw? Cite your highest achievements in visual arts. Do you deserve them?

In my 3 decades in art in which I had my ups and down—I could say engaging in art has made me a better person.

Ano an dai pa nahaman ni Gueta sa pagpinta? Maaabot mo an mga ini? Pa’no? What have you not yet achieved in visual arts? Will you achieve them? How?

Destiny leads me wherever my heart goes. I believe in myself and family’s support for this endeavor—this is a journey that is never ending.

Igwa na daw nahaman na Guernica si Gueta? Kun dai pa, nuarin daw ni? Have you made your obra maestra? If not yet, when will this be?

In some art competitions, I made original entries that people consider remarkable.

Ano an grand plan ni Gueta sa pagpinta? What do you want to achieve as a painter? (Being a painter is one ambition, though.)

I never have a grand ambition in life. In my career as a painter, my fulfillment is when my artworks touch the lives of many. 

Para sa mga bohemio sana man daa an (pag-in)arte. Nagtutubod ka digdi? Pakipaliwanag.

Art is for bohemians—elites, etc.—only. Do you believe so? Please explain.

Art foretells history. If historians are considered elite, so is art. But that is not the case; art is a statement of time. 

Pa’no magiging kapakipakinabang sa sociedad an parapinta? How does a painter become socially relevant?

He does when his artwork touches many lives.

Ta’no ta kaipuhan ta’wan nin atensyon si Cesar Gueta, kun iyo man nanggad baga? Why (do people have to) pay attention to Cesar Gueta, if at all?

If the writer writes, it’s the painter that paints.

*A painting by Pablo Picasso, Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. 

Cesar Gueta, "Subliminal," 2010

Cesar T. Gueta is a Legazpi-City based painter specializing in the use of water color as medium. He is currently an associate professor in Fine Arts at the Aquinas University College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA). He is also a product design consultant for export for the Department of Trade and Industry. The 36-year old artist honed his natural talent in the arts during his formative years in childhood, making arts as a child’s play. His artistic talent was further enhanced during his time in college at the Aquinas University CAFA. He joined various national art competions, making it to the finals of the Shell and Metrobank National Arts Competition in Manila sponsored by the Spanish Embassy for his painting entitled “Domestic Helper”. Gueta sees his combined knowledge in Architecture and Fine Arts as an advantage, seeing things in a different perspective, and knowing that “art is a living inscription of time, visual statement of recent history and a reference for future use.” Gueta hails from Monreal, Masbate. (Bionote from dagospo.com)

Check out Cesar Gueta's watercolorworld. Visit http://www.dagospo.com/ or http://cesargueta.webs.com/.