Eduardo Castrillo

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Eduardo De Los Santos Castrillo (1942 - ) Is a Multi Awarded Filipino Sculptor. He was born on October 31,1942 in Santa Ana, Manila. He is the Youngest of Five Children of Santiago Silva Castrillo, a Jeweler, and Magdalena De Los Santos, a leading Actress of Zarzuelas and Holy Week Pageants in Makati.

[edit] INTRODUCTION

In 1964, a European Swiss designer and jewellery store owner of Estrella del Norte (a shop for the illustrious and wealthy whose main branch was in Paris) in the Philippines invited a young juvenile delinquent to design jewellery on the spot. In twenty minutes, the young man finished seven designs in full color. The European was astounded by the output, signed the young man in to work at his shop with the instruction to create anything he wanted and never to follow the trend.

This fateful meeting begun the career of one of Asia's most progressive and original sculptors, Eduardo Castrillo. One instant, he was a youth unsure of what to do with himself; the next, he was a celebrated sculptor. Castrillo never formally studied sculpture. His formal art schooling was limited to commercial advertising art. (When in later years he chose to further his studies after gaining recognition as a sculptor, he took up architectural subjects rather than art courses).

In 1966, Castrillo broke into the contemporary art scene in an exhibition that caused a stir as critics had difficulty categorizing the range of his works. That year also marked the beginning of the trail of collectors to his atelier and international opportunities. Five years later, at the age of twenty-nine he would be receive the city's highest art award The Araw ng Maynila Centennial Award, the Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award, and the outstanding Makati Resident Award as well as the nation's top award, the Republic Cultural Heritage Award bestowed on artists of national prominence. Then too he was sent as the countries representative to the Paris Beinnale and following thereafter to the Venice Biennale. Castrillo was awed by seeing European refinement in traditional and modern art and was convinced that some of his techniques were not being used in Europe, particularly embossed copper and constructed and welded brass.

From his entry into art through the metier of the intricacies of jewellery design, Castrillo moved from strength to strength creating monuments, reliefs, gallery pieces, objects d'art and theatre sets. But always he would return to creating his jewellery, the roots and wellspring of his larger works in welded brass.

[edit] Awards

Thirteenth Artist Award of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1970 Republic Cultural Heritage Award, 1971 Araw ng Maynila Centennial Award, 1971 Ten Outstanding Young Men Award, 1971 Outstanding Makati Resident Award, 1971 Outstanding Sta. Ana Resident Award, 1974 Outstanding Son of Binan Award, Maduro Club, 1980 Outstanding Son of Laguna Award, Laguna Lion's Club, 1981 Adopted Son of Cebu, Charter Day of Cebu, 1996 Green and Gold Artist Award, Far Eastern University, 1998 Most Outsdtanding Citizen Award of Quezon City, Quezon City Foundation Day 2003