Abstract Art Speaks Volumes: “Mood Songs” by Fitz Herrera at Art Elaan

We often use the expression that some things just cannot be put into words, or that there is no name or shape to describe what is going on inside us. Is it any wonder then music without lyrics can move us all the same? Or taking it a step further, is it any wonder that we have abstract art to express the same experiences and emotions without being translated into images that represent something tangible? These forms of expression are not void of stories or meaning, instead, they describe universal emotions that are made personal through the internalization of the interpreter. Put another way, abstract art speaks volumes.

Music to the abstract expressionist painter and band drummer Fitz Herrera is what natural light is to the impressionist painters. “I can’t paint without music”, he says. In fact, he arrived at his trademark style as he was working for a record company. On a usual day, he would try to squeeze in time for art, drawing in the figurative style in which he was trained to be a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the East. But as his work limited his time for drawing, he decided to experiment with a small canvas. The result was a much more loose and spontaneous process which he found liberating. By creating compositions consisting only of color, lines, and texture, he brings life to raw emotions.

Fitz Herrera’s work has been exhibited in galleries and hotels in Metro Manila. In 2004, he won third place from Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) for his figurative works, but it was through abstraction that he was able to express freedom. Fitz Herrera cites Bernardo Pacquing, Cy Twombly, and national artist Jose Joya as his influences and his personal experiences as his inspiration. He had success in his personal art style and has since participated in several exhibits locally.