GALERIE Raphael presented 18 of Dominic Rubio?s large oil on canvas works in a show entitled ?Asia 1900s? at the Serendra Mall. The exhibit highlighted Rubio?s great interest in the trade and culture of the colonial period and his mastery of stylized historical painting.

Drawing inspiration from Filipino artists Damian Domingo, Simon Flores, Miguel Zaragoza and Bencab, Rubio spent two years configuring the style that is identifiably his. In the new artworks, he superimposed his trademark long-necked figures over a diminutive amalgamation of towns and port cities from a hundred years ago.

Rubio?s subjects ranged from vistas populated by afternoon strollers and miniature calesa to portraits of common folk in poses simulating anthropological illustrations, as in the tipos of the Spanish era.

The artist?s familiarity with the period was evident in the architectural details such as shuttered windows, terraced dwellings and tiered roofs. Enamored by the structures, Rubio lamented the loss of these buildings by restoring them on canvas for future generations to view.

The overlap between colonial rule and rich cultural traditions was tempered with Rubio?s fine brushwork and the simplicity of his elements. Water as a source of livelihood and a conduit for commerce often appeared in his compositions.

In this imagining of Old Asia, vessels such as junks, fishing boats, steamships and triple-mast ships roamed the blue canals and seas. The low horizons broken by distant islands and mountains gave way to taupe, deep yellow or scarlet skies.

Major works the show were ?Promenade in Old Asia? and ?Loading & Unloading Cargo (Pasig River).?

Set in Singapore, ?Promenade in Old Asia? outlined its distinct Chinese, Malay, Indian and British cultures through representative figures and structures: a pagoda, dome and spire, each marking the separate places of worship. Here, Rubio celebrated coexistence despite differing beliefs.

In ?Loading & Unloading Cargo (Pasig River),? he pointed out the role of Chinese traders as the businessmen of Asia, a theme further explored in the pieces ?Shipment,? ?To Market? and ?Fishermen.?

In ?Duyan,? a señora and her young son are shown on the way to Antipolo by hammock?less of a pilgrimage than an excursion.

Politics of dress

The politics of dress were central to ?Ilustrado Couple,? where the central figures were clearly members of the aristocracy, their status indicated by their clothes and headgear.

Although Rubio?s signature blue-and-black striped tapis over a red skirt is the usual costume for his Filipinas, here, the woman?s traditional pañuelo (kerchief) and kimona (blouse) and the man?s black jacket and bowler hat signify hybrids of local and European dress.

A home to diverse races and cultures, early 20th-century Southeast Asia was less a homogenizing melting pot than a site where social hierarchies were closely guarded by norms and etiquette.

Tolerance and the pursuit of the common good were weapons against discontent in the region. However, Rubio treated the underlying cultural tensions as unavoidable circumstances that need not dominate the scene.

Conflicts apparent in everyday dealings were not externalized. The simmering uneasiness that were part of multicultural exchanges was latent.

This omission was rooted in the artist?s travels around the country as a young man. His trips to Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro and South Cotabato allowed him to stay with the indigenous peoples in the south, experiences that greatly informed his work until the present.

Living in a house where different languages were spoken made him realize that despite the difficulties in living together, we are all the same at heart. Thus, the artist depicted the otherwise heavy subjects with nostalgia and lightness both in mood and in stroke.

Rubio majored in Commercial Arts at the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts and became a visualizer at the multinational advertising agency Puris Lintas. There, the Paete native continued painting and joining competitions before a stint as an in-house artist at the luxury resort Pearl Farm kept him in Mindanao for a year and a half.

Rubio?s characteristic figures have proved popular in his previous solo shows and various portrait commissions. His piece ?River Cruise? was sold for HK$100,000 (P620,000) at a recent charity auction in Hong Kong.

His works have likewise met great success in Borobudur and Masterpiece auctions, cementing his status as an artist of critical and commercial acclaim. With Rubio acquiring a very big following, his show ?Asia 1900s? has been extended to Dec. 10.