Norman Dreo (b. 1970) Horses of Poseidon signed and dated 2016 (lower right) oil on canvas 48” x 36” (122 cm x 91 cm) Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot Filipino contemporary artist Norman Dreo is no stranger to the masters and masterpieces of yore. His current artistic practice has the artist mixing, layering, and juxtaposing iconic works of art with modern and even everyday elements. His monumental works, such as Journey to the Louvre and Behind the Shadows capture his unique approach to art that seemingly revitalizes and even recontextualizes classics for today’s audiences and themes. But Dreo’s work also reaches into the themes and psyches within the worlds that produced these masterpieces. In this 2016 piece titled Horses of Poseidon, we see the titular Ruler of the Seven Seas; the Greek god Poseidon, surrounded by horses rendered in different hues. Though he is mostly attributed to the ocean, Poseidon was also revered as the god of Horses; with the myth of Poseidon’s act of creation rooted in the fact that when the Hellenes spread the belief in Poseidon into the Greek city states, they had also introduced the use of horses into everyday greek life. In this work, Dreo seemingly recaptures the wonder and might that the ancient Greeks experienced with the introduction of Poseidon and his powerful creations. (J.D.)
Norman Dreo (b. 1970) Behind the Shadows dated 2021 mixed media on canvas overall: 84" x 240" (213 cm x 610 cm) PROVENANCE: J Studio, Makati City EXHIBITED: The Gallery at Greenbelt 5, Perspectives (Joint Exhibition with Juanito Torres for Art Fair Philippines' 10 Days of Art), Makati City, March 23 - April 1, 2022 SAVING THE WORLD THROUGH ART Norman Dreo's Vision of Hope Norman Dreo is inarguably one of the biggest names in Philippine art today, whose works are characterized by their compelling narratives and diligent attention to minute details. The work at hand, the monumental Behind the Shadows, follows in the footsteps of his works revolving around the masters of yore, such as the titanic My Little Museum (2019), presented at the 2019 Art Fair Philippines and the 2019 Art Central in Hong Kong. Behind the Shadows was Dreo’s centerpiece in his joint exhibition with fellow contemporary artist Juanito Torres titled Perspectives during the 2022 edition of Art Fair Philippines' 10 Days of Art. Created in 2021, when the pandemic was at its apex, Dreo's Behind the Shadows is an evocative and personal work encapsulating his struggles and triumphs in this age of distress and disturbance. During that period of bleakness and despondency when lockdowns were imposed and galleries and museums had been closed to help curb the spread of the virus, artists like Dreo had been engulfed by anxiety about the future of the art world and the seemingly downward trajectory of living and being, especially since their lives are intertwined with their art and its showcasing to the people for them to see, appreciate, and in a way, be roused and inspired. Behind the Shadows is Dreo's story within the confines of his studio amid the grim shadows of the global pandemic. Divided into five panels, the sweeping extent of Behind the Shadows takes the viewer on a breathtaking view of a miniature museum, effectively engendering a new way of seeing. Dreo's renditions of the paintings of Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640) are interspersed across the canvas. Rubens, famous for his distinct take on Flemish Baroque, was among the foremost artists of his time. Churches commissioned him for their imposing altarpieces, and the nobility conferred him the honor of creating their portraits. The work serves as Dreo's fitting homage to the eminent Rubens, whose religious art inspired him to continue living and striving amid the personal and collective tribulations of the pandemic. Dreo's use of wooden panels as support evokes Rubens' old practice, of which the latter was one of the last major artists to do so. In Dreo's artist statement for the exhibition Perspectives, he writes: "Inspired by the works of Peter Paul Rubens, the most commissioned artist for altarpieces, I would like to show how faith played a big role in my life and how it gave me, a devout Catholic, hope to conquer my own shadows. His mastery of his craft reflects well in his detailed figures of the church and Christianity. His works filled my soul with the light it needed during these difficult times." The majestic work is in itself, an altar of prayer, where Dreo's pleas and invocation to Divine Providence resounds. The five panels, which resemble an altarpiece, depict some of the most famous of Rubens' works, which are now kept in the collections of prestigious museums and galleries in the Western Hemisphere. The first panel shows Henri IV Receiving the Portrait of Marie de' Medici (1622 – 1625), one of the 24 paintings commissioned in 1621 by Marie de' Medici, Queen of France and Henri IV of France's second wife, that immortalizes her life. The 24 paintings, which formerly adorned the walls of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, now form part of the collection of the Louvre in a special section of the museum known as the Galerie Médicis. The second panel depicts three oil sketches/modelli created by Rubens for an altarpiece for St. Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, which Bishop Karel Maes commissioned in 1611. From the left are the following: Three Female Witnesses, Saint Bavo Is Received by Saints Amand and Floribert, and Kings Clothar and Dagobert Dispute with a Herald, all of which depict scenes from the life of the cathedral's titular saint. The three modellis are now in London's The National Gallery. The top corner of the panel shows The Holy Family Surrounded by Saints (ca. 1630), now in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. A depiction of The Great Last Judgment (1614 – 1617) occupies the central panel. The original work, commissioned by the German prince Wolfgang William for the Jesuit church at Neuburg an der Donau in Bavaria, is now in the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich. The fourth panel depicts the Coronation of the Virgin (1609 – 1611), an oil sketch proposed for a side chapel in Antwerp Cathedral but was rejected. The work is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The fifth and final panel presents a rendition of The potheosis of Henri IV and the Proclamation of the Regency, another painting from the Marie de' Medici Cycle in the Louvre. Also depicted is the Miracle of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1617/1618), now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Some of Rubens' other significant works, such as Daniel in the Lion's Den (1614/1616, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.) and Ecce Homo (ca. 1612, now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg), are rendered in old, dismantled canvases. Since this work represents how the pandemic affected the world, particularly the art industry, Dreo depicts a group of art experts and restorers dressed in PPEs and armed with the necessary equipment to conserve these irreplaceable treasures. Beyond being evoked as an altarpiece to show devotion to God and pay homage to Ruben's art, Dreo offers an immersive experience, demonstrating the unsung heroes who share the same commitment toward preserving art at a time when museums and galleries fell into dismal conditions when the pandemic struck. The restorers also represent bits and pieces of Dreo himself, how he managed to "restore" and "revitalize" himself in the face of the insanities of the pandemic through his art and faith in his Creator. Behind the shadows—represented by the old piles of canvases symbolizing the anguish ans affliction borne from the pandemic—is Dreo's Creator, who is his guiding light, and the glory of art itself, which is the artist's beacon of hope. One may ponder why The Great Last Judgement is at the very center of this work. With this pandemic, everyone has poignantly asked, "Is this the last judgment?" But artists still strived to create, not only as a form of catharsis but as a genuine commitment to rekindle hope in lost souls. All in all, this work sees a sublime convergence of art, spirituality, and an artist's social responsibility. Dreo says in his artist statement: "This pandemic cast a shadow and stretched it further to spread darkness, affecting every aspect of our lives. In a span of two years, all galleries and museums became empty and silent spaces; art exhibitions were brought to a halt. These piles of old canvasses reflect how we've become hopeless, uninspired, and lost. These symbolize all those feelings of emptiness and disarray, where our heads just seem to linger in the dark. "But I would like to believe that this is not a sad story. It is true that there may still be darkness lurking about, and we may still be immersed in our own shadows; but it gives me comfort believing that behind these shadows there is light, faith, and hope. "After all, Art is very much alive in our hearts. Art is here to stay, Art always stays. That is why despite difficulties, we, artists, keep creating. We make every day count. We keep on moving forward, challenging ourselves to be better humans, not only for us but for others as well. We keep stretching that blank roll of canvas, sand it, prime it, prepare it for our first strokes. We finish what we started. We dream, we take action, we inspire, and we help others. "Have faith. If there is darkness, there is light behind the shadows." (A.M.)
Norman Dreo (b. 1970) - Journey to Louvre I and II (Diptych) signed and dated 2020 (lower right) oil on canvas Accompanied by a certificate issued by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot Estimate USD : $16000-$20800 Estimate Euros : €13333.33-€17333.33
Is it a black-and-white photograph? Norman Dreo’s topdown view of youths, probably students, cramped in an oblong space, and with some reading perfunctorily, is a commentary of the production-line education system, as suggested by the apparently computerized circuit-board below. It is a mash-up of science and society and also reflects the attitudes of the youths today, whether they are the ‘X’ or ‘Y’ Generation.Norman is regarded as a digital-art whizkid in the Philippines. Trained at the University of the Philippines, he first made his mark when he won 1st Prize at the Metrobank national art competition in 1995. In 2001, he was accepted for an artist’s residency at the Vermont Studio Centre in the United States, where he also held a solo at the Red Mill Gallery. On his return, he held a solo at the Red Dot Café Gallery in Manila in 2002.
Making his debut at Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers, Norman Dreo is a Filipino artist and a pioneer in the use of computer motherboards in paintings of technological cities, incorporating computer chips and circuitry in the frantic daily activity of a group of people. Illustrated here is an eagle-eye view of people swarmed in a computer RAM with a motto on the foreground, which faintly reads “Scale To Fit Media”, a print setting option in Adobe Photoshop software. Norman Dreo attended the University of the Philippines, College of Fine Arts. He was the recipient of several awards namely Juror’s choice, Asean Art Awards Singapore and Juror’s choice, Asean Art Awards Philippines “Technological Society” for the Philip Morris Art Competition (2011), Finalist “Ipinako sa Krus” at the Philip Morris Art Competition (1999), First Place at the Metrobank National Art Competition “Taginting ng Barya: Sa Ipon Ko Kinita” (1995), among others. In 2001, he received a Full Grant Studio Residency at the Vermont Studio Center, USA. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally namely Sasaran International Arts Workshop, Kuala Lumpur (2008), Europe Exhibits in Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands and France (2004), and more. He has held more than 10 solo exhibitions namely Street Bytes, Utterly Art Gallery, Singapore (2013), Kapit-Kapitbahay, Red Dot Café Gallery, Manila (2002) and Male Figures, Red Mill Gallery, Vermont Studio Center, USA (2002).
