Dante Hipolito
Dante Hipolito or "The Smile Painter" is a hyper-realist Filipino painter and visual artist. He was born in San Andres, Manila in 1959.[1] During the papal visit in the Philippines, Hipolito was commissioned by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines to create a painting titled Salubong as a gift for the Pope.[2]
Education[edit]
- Araullo High School
- Philippine Women's University (Fine Arts)
Career[edit]
During the mid-1980s, Hipolito worked at Kalaro Publishing as an illustrator for a children magazine. After he became a seaman in Singapore, he went back to work as an artist and worked at Adformatrix Agency and then FCB International. In 1993, Hipolito worked as an art director for a Saudi Arabian advertising firm and was an active member of the Pinta Pipino Art Group.
Papal visit controversy[edit]
During the papal visit in the Philippines in early January 2015, Hipolito dedicated an artwork to Pope Francis titled Salubong, it was viewed at the ArtLeadoff 2015 show at Galeria de las Islas at the Silahis Center in Intramuros.[3] The painting became controversial as Pope Francis refused to accept the gift. Critics stated that the artwork was satirical. The models used in the artwork were Philippine celebrities both in politics and the movie industry. Pope Francis declined the painting and said that it would be better if the artwork depicted "real ordinary people", such as victims of typhoon Yolanda, instead of political and celebrity figures.[2] Hipolito claims that the painting was inspired by his faith, his fondness for the Pope, and that he respects people's opinions regarding the artwork.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^ Art Circle Gallery. (n.d.). "Dante Hipolito". Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://www.artcircle-gallery.com/default.php?consume=41&resource=f6122c971aeb03476bf01623b09ddfd4 Archived 2015-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Adobo Chronicles. (2015, January 11). "Pope Francis politely refuses to accept gift painting with Filipino celebrities". Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://adobochronicles.com/2015/01/11/pope-francis-politely-refuses-to-accept-gift-painting-with-filipino-celebrities/
- ^ Boy, P. (2015, January 13). "That Dante Hipolito Painting and the papal visit". Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/01/13/that-dante-hipolito-painting-and-the-papal-visit/
- ^ Marfori, MJ. (2015, January 12). "Artist defends painting of Pope France with PH celebs". Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/artist-defends-painting-of-pope-francis-with-ph-celebs/ Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dabu, B. (2015, January 13). "Why artist painted Pope France with Vi, Marian, Dingdong and other Pinoy celebs". Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/popefrancis/story/402675/why-artist-painted-pope-francis-with-vi-marian-dingdong-other-pinoy-celebs