Eduardo Castrillo was born in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines on October 31, 1942, the youngest of five children to Santiago Silva Castrillo and Magdalena De los Santos. His father worked as a jeweler, while his mother was a leading actress in zarzuelas and Holy Week pageants. Castrillo’s early years were marked by adversity and challenges. His mother died when he was not yet two, he changed schools several times and he was depressed as a teenager to the point of being suicidal. He found his place however after he entered the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where he earned a degree in Fine Arts. Looking for work following his graduation, he approached Levy Hermanos, the owner of the well-known La Estrella del Norte studio in Manila. Hermanos challenged him to design a piece of jewelry then and there. Castrillo responded by producing seven studies, in full color, within twenty minutes. Needless to say, he was hired on the spot as a jewelry designer. The year was 1964.
Professional career
Castrillo broke onto the Filipino arts scene in 1966, when he held his first one-man show at the Northern Motors showroom in Makati. That same year, his first major public sculptures were unveiled – “The Virgin” at La Loma Cemetery and “Youth’s Cry of Defiance” in Fort Santiago, both in Metro Manila. During the 1970s, the height of Martial Law under the Marcos dictatorship, Castrillo was considered to be the most avant-garde sculptor in the Philippines. By the 1980s, Castrillo’s reputation as a leading artist in his country was beyond dispute. He traveled extensively abroad on cultural visits, giving lectures and conducting research into the origins of early Filipino art. Castrillo’s main medium was metal, especially brass, bronze and steel, from which he created sculptures by hammering, cutting and welding, with the help of a group of assistants. He also incorporated other materials into his works, including wood, plastic, plexiglass, ivory and even neon lights. His oeuvre included free-standing abstract pieces, functional art pieces, art jewelry, body sculptures and liturgical art. As well as being avant-garde, he was known as a nationalist and for his commitment to the Filipino people. As he told an interviewer from the American news agency, the Associated Press: Several of Castrillo’s most important works are monumental sculptures commemorating Filipino historical events or personalities, including Rajah Sulayman, the People Power Monument, The Battle of Zapote Bridge and the Andres Bonifacio Shrine. Outside of the Philippines, his sculptures can be found in France, Singapore, Malaysia and Guam, among other places. Castrillo served at one time as the head of the Art Association of the Philippines.
Death
Eduardo Castrillo died of cancer on May 18, 2016, at the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila.
Most Outstanding Citizen Award of Quezon City, Quezon City Foundation Day, 2003
Helping Citizen Award of Imus City, Imus Recognition Day, 2005
Despite his importance to the Philippine art world and the visibility of his major works, Eduardo Castrillo was never named a National Artist of the Philippines – a fact that one arts observer proclaimed was “nothing short of a scandal”.
