Fatima Ronquillo

Fatima Ronquillo (1976 – ) is a self-taught artist from the Philippines, who moved to the USA as a child. Her classically inspired imagery evokes a world of serenity and charm. Her paintings, often set against pastoral and idyllic landscapes, are accented with an underlying sense of drama and playfulness. Ronquillo’s art style is deeply influenced by the European Old Masters, coupled with a Magical Realism rooted in folk and colonial South American traditions. This unique blend results in intimate works that transport viewers to a realm where art history meets with nostalgia and imagined characters from literature, theatre, and opera. Her technique involves developing a strong visual narrative through the use of symbols and metaphors, and her painted surfaces sparkle with thin delicate glazes over thick impastos and scattered scumbles of semi-transparent colours.