If a picture is worth a thousand words, then is an animation worth a thousand more?
Talents are meant to be shared. And this is exactly what Mark Cañega did as Facebook netizens were delighted to witness an animated version of Fernando Amorsolo’s painting.
This local animator showed how a traditional artwork can be exquisitely transformed into a modern animation.
Who is Mark Cañega?
Mark Cañega is a 26-year old motion graphic designer from Antipolo City. Having a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Animation from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, he continued his career as a part-time professor and a freelance motion graphic designer.
In an interview with GMA Network, he stated that drawing was just his hobby until it eventually became his passion, and now his profession. His viral Facebook post in 2021 featured Fernando Amorsolo’s painting entitled “Couple Riding a Carabao during Sunset”, where he also incorporated a 90s OPM song throughout the 49-second video.
With a caption, “An attempt to animate my favorite artwork of Philippine’s National Artist for Visual Arts Sir Fernando Amorsolo. My original plan was to create a series of animation based on his oil paintings but with my occupied schedule right now, I think that’s far from possible 🤣 So this attempt should be fine for now haha,” Cañega proved how traditional local paintings could emanate nostalgic feels even in the heart of the millennials.
The Grand Old Man of Philippine Art Lives On
When asked why he was drawn to animating Amorsolo’s paintings, he admitted that this first National Artist had a huge influence in his art journey ever since he was young. “Naisip ko na gumawa ng series ng animation niya nitong pandemic.”
He added that a lot of people are messaging him, especially the senior citizens saying that his artwork made them remember their childhood days on the farm. Someone even thanked him personally as they were completely moved by his work.
