Raul G. Isidro (b. 1943) is a native of Calbayog in Samar. He is a product of the Fine Arts program of the University of Santo Tomas, where he finished with a degree in Advertising Arts. National Artist Victorio Edades, one of the leading advocates of Modernism in the country, was at UST during that period. It is not surprising that among Isidro were other stalwarts of the Late Modernist period, including sculptors Ramon Orlina and Eduardo Castrillo.
Isidro first exhibited at Solidaridad Bookstore’s Gallery in 1969, at the invitation of National Artist for Literature and Solidaridad owner F. Sionil Jose, since then Raul had over fifty solo shows. From this first exhibit, the foundations of Isidro’s practice were laid, and he soon became known as a formidable abstractionist, eventually garnering multiple awards such as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in 1979, and the Outstanding Thomasian Award in 2006, an honor he shares with Ramon Orlina. He also won the Cultural Grant Award from the Australian Government in 1981 and was a First Prize Awardee at the Printmakers Association of the Philippines Annual competition in 1972.
SELECTED AWARDS
- Second Prize, UST Painting Competition / 1963, 1965, 1967
- Shell Annual Painting Competition / 1965, 1967
- First National Sculpture Exhibition & Competition/1969
- University of the Philippines Baguio On-The-Spot Art Competition / 1968, 1969
- PWU Art Competition / 1967
- Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Art Competition/ 1969
- Philippine Association of Printmakers (PAP) Annual Art Competition / 1970, 1972
- Abbott Lighter and Miladay Art Competition / 1979
- Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) for Fine Arts / 1979
- Australian Government Cultural Grant Awardee / 1981
- “Patnubay ng Sining at Kaliningan” Araw ng Maynila Award / 1997
- Outstanding Samareño Awardee / 2011
- Outstanding Thomasian/ 2006
- Outstanding Parañaqueno / 2014
