Paradiso D' Oro

William Alvarez Jr.’s “Paradiso D'oro” captures the unique personalities of birds in his latest series of oil and gold leaf paintings. Alvarez uses a variety of brushstrokes and textures to portray their whimsical and enigmatic characters.

For centuries, birds have provided endless inspirations for artists, exuding the kind of grace, mystery, and spontaneity that can only be found in the natural world. Alvarez imbues each subject with kinetic life by paying special attention to their unique colors—most importantly—the feathers.

Primarily working in oils, Alvarez has created detailed paintings with metal leaf detail. The artist instills his fauna work with personal symbolic meaning, representative of emotions experienced by the artist. His use of gold metal leaf is associated with notions of divinity, referring back to spiritual enlightenment experienced by audiences of High Renaissance art.

The artist firmly believes that an ecosystem is not just a composition of numerous individual lives and species, but a living entity itself; an interconnected and interdependent web of life.

The fundamental goal of “Paradiso D'oro” is for the viewer to come away with a greater respect and appreciation for these majestic creatures, their toughness behind the beauty, and the imminent threat they experience in the wild.

William Alvarez Jr.’s oeuvre is intended to create narrative compositions out of abstract sonic and visual impressions inspired by his native Morong and its people and environment. He has the ability to impart large and provocative themes with the audience through his abstract works. His aim is for the viewers to see beyond their current perception, creating a multi-layered experience that extends into their impression of reality. His major achievements include winning the grand prize for the Non-Representational Category of the 2017 GSIS National Art Competition and being awarded the LIKAS Morong Gawad Kabataan Award for 2017.

Alvarez currently resides in Morong, Rizal and is an active member of the community-based artist group MUSTRA (Morong Young Artists). He has exhibited, along with other MUSTRA artists, at the Philippine Heart Center Art Gallery. The group has also exhibited and donated artworks for the Museong Pambayan ng Morong.

“Paradiso D'oro” by William Alvarez Jr. will be on view from October 29 to November 8, 2020. Galleria Nicolas is located on the 3/F Art Space, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City. For inquiries, contact +63 2 8 625 0273, +63 917 534 3942 or email info@gallerianicolas.com.