Abstract
signed and dated 1974 (lower left)
oil on canvas
25” x 35” (60 cm x 89 cm)




With over five decades of experience in art, Justin Nuyda has often been regarded as one of Philippine Modernism’s foundations. A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas’ Fine Arts Program, Nuyda was one of the first recipients of the CCP Thirteen Artists Award in 1972. Though he is now known for his abstract works, Nuyda’s early exhibits often featured portraits and nudes, showing his seemingly universal aptitude for the arts. Painting for more than 40 years, he is best known for abstract works that depict the soft undulating motions of clouds, mists, butterfly wings, and seafoam and waves hovering over nether horizons. These paintings induce calm meditation and introspection through Nuyda’s signature use of wide and solid brushstrokes. While one can argue that Nuyda’s works fall under the aforementioned umbrella term with its impressionistic and gestural visual cues that are undoubtedly hallmarks of the age-old artistic movement, a closer look reveals that his works seem to occupy an unusual and otherworldly divide between the purely abstract and sensuous and the distinctly representational and realistic. Although his works are heavily populated with a brilliantly curated array of colors and shades that seem to glow under the luminosity of an inviting yet unnerving radiance, his subjects are unmistakably taken from the material beauty of nature and everyday life. Far from the purely impressionistic stance of the abstract and too uncanny for the likes of realism, one can only describe Nuyda’s style as a pioneering venture that is incredibly distinct and uniquely his.