Ed Lantin turns restaurant scenes into luminescent paintings

These works were captured and painted when the public was required to follow health protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic, making these painted historical references of the global health emergency.

Well-known for his mastery of light, Lantin skillfully captures the streak, spread and focus of luminescence in a particular moment.

The natural light and interior illuminations, be it from electric bulbs, candles, or fire from stoves, are presented and executed harmoniously.

Lantin’s works depict a tableau of real-life images with subjects that are dynamic, alive and soulful. The connection between him and his subjects is evident, bringing into his pieces the artist’s personality, peculiarities, and exhibited emotions.

In this series, random interior scenes such as chefs preparing food, lobby guests, and diners are expressed in their true realist forms. Every detail is likewise captured, from architectural features, table set-up, to even the effect of light on the floor.

Lantin belongs to the traditional, classically inclined visual artists for whom form and proportion are important. Apart from being an expert in capturing light, he is a master portraitist with works in reputable collections and institutions in Canada and the Philippines. These include the portraits of Philippine presidents Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III at the Malacañang Palace and that of Whitford Van Dusen, inventor of the first automatic surgical torniquet system, at the entrance hall of the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, Canada.

A multi-awarded visual artist, Lantin completed his Fine Arts degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1976 and moved to Canada five years after.

It was in Canada that he trained under the tutelage of the legendary Sofronio Y. Mendoza.

In 1986, he studied at New York’s Art Student League and took up a sculptural anatomy class at the New York Academy of Art.

The Filipino Canadian is both a painter and sculptor. He spends the first five months of the year in the Philippines and the rest in Canada, where he is the founding member of the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists and the Dimasalang III International Artist Group.

Since the early 1990s, Lantin has won awards and received recognition for his works. In 2023, he was one of the awardees of the “1st Outstanding UST Atelier Alumni Honours” for his life-long work and contribution as an artist.