Collection: Daniel Yu

At seven, Daniel Yu’s curiosities in art prompted him to practice drawing all through high school. His aspirations to enter Aroma Art Atelier entailed two attempts and it was only on his third --when he further refined his self-taught skills-- that he was finally considered a scholar. Painting in the atelier was a conscious choice the 20-year-old artist made in 2018 without his family’s knowing, all with the exception of his grandfather who has always supported his passions. As a budding realist, the artist’s main influences aside from Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and the historical masters in representational art were local talents like, Juan Luna and Orley Ypon, his mentor. Yu’s paintings, usually of landscapes and ordinary life scenes have been displayed in alternative spaces across Cebu and Manila. The ongoing journey towards professional painting has cultivated the artist’s philosophies and views towards art —of a practice that’s motivated with hard work, focus, and optimism.