Antonio Maria Blanco (15 September 1912 – 10 December 1999) was a painter of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and

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descent.

Biography

Antonio Maria Blanco was born in the

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city g ...

district of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

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. He initially lived and worked in

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and

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in the United States, until he became interested in exploring the islands of the

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that had been a source of inspiration for painters such as

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, José Miguel Covarrubias and others before him. He planned to go to

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, but fate brought him to

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and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

, where he was a guest of honor of Prince

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...

. From Cambodia he went to Bali in 1952 and married a traditional

Balinese dance Balinese dance ( id, Tarian Bali; ban, ᬇᬕᬾᬮᬦ᭄ᬩᬮᬶ) is an ancient dance tradition that is part of the religious and artistic expression among the Balinese people of Bali island, Indonesia. Balinese dance is dynamic, angula ...

r named Ni Ronji in 1953. Bali gave Blanco important elements that he needed to develop his artistic gifts: the beautiful scenery, the dreamlike atmosphere of the environment and the pervasive art and great love. Settled in Bali, Blanco began to realize his dreams in life and work. He built a house and museum in Ubud which contains many of his paintings. The land on which the construction was erected was given to Blanco by the King of Ubud Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati. Women are the focal point of his paintings and one could say that Blanco was a painter of the

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and his style is romantic-expressive and dreamy. Blanco received numerous awards, including the Tiffany Fellowship (special award from The Society of Honolulu Artists), Chevalier du Sahametrai of Cambodia, the Society of Painters of Fine Art Quality of President Sukarno and the Prize of the Art Critique in Spain. Blanco was also awarded the order of Cruz de Caballero from the King of Spain

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, giving him the title of "Don" in front of his name. Many collectors have appreciated his paintings, including the actress

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, Mexican telenovela queen

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(Ariadna Thalia Sodi Miranda),

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...

(the first President of Indonesia),

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

(the second president of Indonesia), the former Indonesian Vice President

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, Prince Norodom Sihanouk,

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and many more. The Blanco Renaissance Museum, Blanco's lifetime dream, was opened on December 28, 1998 at his residence in a beautiful environment, where more than 300 works of Blanco are exposed in chronological order to show his artistic development. The sumptuous and impressive building offers a glimpse of the theatrical character of the artist. He emulated the flamboyance of Dali, to whom he has been compared. Don Antonio Maria Blanco died on December 10, 1999 in

Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ) is the capital of Bali and the main gateway to the island. The city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands. With the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali ...

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

, from heart and kidney disease, survived by his wife and four children: Cempaka, Mario, Orchid and Mahadewi. Since Blanco converted to

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, he had a cremation ceremony Balinese style in Ubud, finished on 28 December 1999.

Gallery

His house on a hill in

Ubud Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. Promoted as an arts and culture centre, it has developed a large tourism industry. ...

is now a museum devoted to him. File:Antonio Blanco le musée.JPG, The house and museum of Antonio Blanco in

File:Antonio Blanco Atelier.JPG, Antonio Blanco's workshop in his museum in

References

External links

Don Antonio Blanco - In Memoriam

The Antonio Blanco museum official web site
* * (Russian)
Documentary about Bali art and Antonio Blanco influence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Antonio 1912 births 1999 deaths Indonesian painters People from Ermita Indo people Converts to Hinduism Indonesian former Christians Indonesian Hindus Indonesian people of American descent Indonesian people of Spanish descent Filipino emigrants to Indonesia Deaths from kidney disease Filipino expatriates in the United States