Eufemio Rasco IV

Eufemio 'Tupac' Rasco IV is well known for his stark alabaster nudes draped in striking red, blue, deep green or black. The women in his works never look directly at the viewer. With faces averted or head bent down, the figures direct the eye to take in the entire scene then zero in on the palpable tension in the subject's pose vis-a'-vis the sensuous way the drapery falls.

Rasco's fascination with the nude started early in his career. Quiet and highly introspective, Tupac as he is called in art circles says that his works is his way of allowing the viewer to peer into his soul. And he is quick to add that his women figures reveal a higher purpose: The painter's solid artistic expression from the moment he picks up his brush to the end product of his endeavor. "I become more expressive in painting. Tahimik ako pero sumisigaw ako sa mga painting ko [I am quiet but I give vent to what I feel through my work]," he says.

The youngest among 13 siblings, Rasco was free to explore his artistic gift. His parents Eufemio Rasco Sr. and Priscilla Abad Rasco supported him completely when he chose a career in the arts. Already an achiever in his grade school years, he bagged a silver medal for submitting an entry on the traditional Filipino way of life in the Asian’s Children Art Contest in Japan. Back then, his little pleasures were sketching quick portraits of his father’s friends during gatherings, for which they would reward him with a small amount.

After high school, he went to the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts to major in studio arts (painting) before moving on to Philippine Women’s University Institute of Fine Arts and Design, also to study Painting.

His works have done well in auctions houses such as Borobudur, Larasati, and Sotheby’s.