Considered as one the most hardworking and innovative artists of today, Cris Villanueva Jr.’s works draw ideas from commonplace objects, classical and popular culture, literature, art, history and his own life.

He disregards the non-objective representation of subjects but concentrates instead in creating works of iconic power. In the early stage of his artistic career, he began to introduce a signature style of painting bubble wrap over his finished painting as a layer effect.

Cris Villanueva also goes beyond the limits of paintings and can paint “any style and subject I find challenging and interesting.” While his works in the last five years are less serious in tone, many of his exhibited works and those found in private collections reveal his knowledge of art theory and his talent in painterly details. In this interview,

Cris Villanueva tells his stint as an art director, his student years as a Political Science major at the Philippine Christian University then as a Fine Arts student at the University of the Philippines, his early years as a member of the Salingpusa and the Madruguada, the two winning works he received from the Philip Morris Art Competition and how these two works have pushed him to go on.