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Monday, October 27, 2008

NATIONAL ARTIST: FRANCISCA REYES-AQUINO

Popularly known as the Mother of Philippine Folk Dancing, Francisca Aquino-Reyes was born in Lolomboy, Bocaue, in the province of Bulacan, on March 9, 1899. She was the eldest of three children of Felipe Reyes and Juliana Santos Reyes of Manila.

Although born in Bulacan, she received her early education in Manila: the Meisic Elementary School, Tondo Intermediate School and Manila High School in Tondo, Manila. She obtained her High School Teacher's Certificate (H.S.T.C.) in 1923 and her Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1924 from the University of the Philippines (U.P.). The Master of Arts in Education degree was soon to follow from the same state university.

She worked as instructor of physical education in UP wherein her great interest in folk songs and dances were noted by the university president Jorge Bocobo, who sent her throughout the Philippines to undertake research on folk songs and dances. And together with Antonino Buenaventura, and Ramon Tolentino (her first husband who died in 1939), she was tasked to collect and record native songs, dances, music and costumes.

It has become a tradition for the three to travel to the remotest barrios every summer to gather materials from various indigenous groups. As she took notes of the dance steps and movements, Buenaventura recorded the music, while Tolentino took still and moving pictures.

She had documented about 50 basic steps and 200 folk dances of various modes and colors. Her research indicated interesting patterns: people near the sea danced about fishing and rowing; those in the coconut regions made use of coconut shells in their dances; and those in the rice-producing provinces depicted various steps in planting and harvesting. She also observed that people from economically self-sufficient regions produced lively dances and music, while those in the provinces were livelihood was a constant struggle created slow, melancholy and mournful dances and music.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino also took graduate studies in physical education in the college of Physical Education at Boston University. She also attended a summer session at Harvard University.

When Jorge Bocobo became Secretary of Public Instruction, he appointed Aquino to the Bureau of Education. In her new post, she actively promoted the revival of of folk dances through the public schools. She organized the bureau's Folk Song and Dance Club. The other organizations she founded were the Philippine Folk Dance Society and the Filipiniana Dance Troupe (as part of the US Special Service during the liberation). She also served as consultant to the Bayanihan Dance Company.

As a prolific writer, she authored 15 books and many articles on folk dances. In 1959, she was elected as representative to the World Conference of Teaching Profession in Washington, DC. And in 1962, she received the much coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award for her valuable role in recording and preserving Philippine folk dances.

When she died at age 84 on November 21, 1983, she was honored with a state funeral. She was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

Labels: art matters, national artist

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:36 AM | 13 comments

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A MORE SOLEMN TRIBUTE, PLEASE

The marker is all that's left on this site that only two months ago used to be a memorial intended to preserve the memory of more than 1,000 women -- comfort women -- who were continually raped by the Japanese occupation forces during the Second World War.

As stated on my previous post, Remembering the Victims of Military Sexual Slavery, the original memorial's entire presentation and setting (located on Plaza Lawton facing the Manila Post Office) seemed capriciously smarmy; an outrageous disrespect for the victims.

Hence, kudos to Mayor Lim and his officials for the expeditious removal of the offensive statues.

As replacement, may I suggest a more solemn image and appropriate location. The mayor may want to send a couple of officials from his Historical & Heritage Commission to the Annual Invitational Sculpture Exhibition, currently going on, so as to select the ideal artist or artists to be commissioned to create the new image or set of images for this tribute.

The exhibition, ANYO, a gathering of contemporary Filipino sculptors, is presented by Art Informal. It features the works of Augusto Albor, Salvador Joel Alonday, Noell EL Farrol, Riel Hilario, Renato Ong, Uly Veloso, Jo Gerlado, Leeroy New, Raymar Gacutan Pablo Capati III, Pete Cortes, Joey de Castro, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Mervy Pueblo, Stephanie Lopez, Anna Varona, Alex Tee, Angel Inocentes, Clinton Anniversario, to name a few.

The exhibit opened last Thursday and will run until November 8.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

Labels: art matters, Manila history

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:22 AM | 14 comments

Sunday, October 05, 2008

ON HIDALGO, BUSTAMANTE AND AMBETH OCAMPO

This painting, Assassination of Governor Bustamante by Felix R. Hidalgo, is currently undergoing restoration at the National Art Gallery. It was the main focus of Ambeth Ocampo's lecture -- Hidalgo, Bustamante and the Big Black Wolf -- held yesterday at the museum's Ablaza Hall.

It was a riveting two-hour lecture in which from the painting, Ocampo traced the history of the story of Governor Bustamante who was assassinated by the friars during the 18th century and how it spawned the novel La Loba Negra (The Black Wolf) previously believed to have been written by Fr. Jose Burgos, but now proven to be a forgery.

This was the first time I had attended a lecture conducted by Ambeth Ocampo, and I must admit I was spellbound, and now eagerly await the next, which I hope should be in the very near future. I have read many of his books -- sources of numerous blog articles -- and although I am one of those who never asked for autographs (from any of the many film and music artists I had met or run into in my life), yesterday I deemed an exception -- an altogether different situation. Compared to other artists, I think authors loved it most when knowing about or meeting those who actually appreciate their writings.

Hence, there wasn't any trace of trepidation on my part yesterday when I approached Ambeth Ocampo prior to the start of his lecture -- to introduce myself as a big fan while deftly whipping out two books from my bag for him to sign. He was indeed delighted to oblige.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

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Visit: MANILA PHOTOJOURNALISM
a work in progress

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Labels: Ambeth Ocampo, art matters, Featured artist, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:00 AM | 38 comments

Saturday, October 04, 2008

ARTISTS' FLEA MARKET AT CUBAO EXPO

In case you haven't any thing special planned for this weekend, you may want to check out the Cubao Expo Artists' Flea Market -- going on since Friday, October 3 until tomorrow, Sunday -- from 2 pm until midnight. Evening live music performances are provided as well for everyone's enjoyment.

Our fellow blogger, artist Palma Tayona, is participating in this event to sell some of his old drawings -- ranging in price from 200 to 3,500 pesos -- as well as children's books he had designed, including canvas tote bags and wallets that bear images of his old study priced from 100 to 315 pesos.

For refreshments and delectable treats, this bohemian enclave boasts of a few funky bistros, including the Italian restaurant Bellini's.

For more information and to see a map of Cubao X, visit Visual Viscera.



* Refresh screen to replay slide show!

Related link:

An Artist in Libertad

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

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Visit: MANILA PHOTOJOURNALISM


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Labels: art matters, events, Featured artist

posted by Señor Enrique at 5:22 AM | 28 comments

Sunday, August 10, 2008

TWO TONS OF CHROME

"M201: In God We Trust" is the title that refers to the model of jeep and the aphorism chosen by many drivers to inscribe on their jeepneys. This jeep was first presented to the Zone of Urgency exhibition in the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. It was acquired by the Singapore Art Museum which has lent it to the National Art Gallery of the Philippines for a limited trip, or pasada.









The jeepney in the photo below was the once ubiquitous all stainless, 'for-family-use' version. Although I have many fond childhood memories of which -- and learned how to drive in one, in fact -- the most remarkable image of it ingrained in my memory was that owned by a wonderful physician in Subic, Dr. Novales.

Every afternoon around four, people in our barrio with ailing family members would wait by the roadside, and as soon as they see Dr. Novales' owner jeepney, they would wave for him to pull over.

Dr. Novales attended to those afflicted with various illnesses regardless of whether they could afford to pay him or not. But oftentimes, by twilight time, on his way back to the main town of Subic where he lives, you could see various vegetables and a chicken or two at the back seat. Payments, I'm sure for his kind and diligent attention.

My personal interaction with Dr. Novales composed of a series of visits to his office when I was bitten by a dog. The little plastic toys and candies that he gave me after I had one of those anti-rabies shots were of no use to assuage my tears. The sight of that frightening long needle was enough to make me cry.

Through the ensuing years, Dr. Novales continued to make his regular trips in his jeep to the many barrios along the main roads and out in the hinterlands. When I returned to Manila a few years ago, an aunt told me that Dr. Novales had just received a special award for his tireless service to the indigent people of Subic and its neighboring regions. He is now retired.

Labels: art matters, Growing up memoirs, jeep, Museums

posted by Señor Enrique at 9:40 AM | 13 comments

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

VYING FOR A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

The Philippines is vying to become the new record holder for the world’s longest painting on continuous canvas. Their theme is marine life.

The current Guinness World record holder is the United Arab Emirates whose artwork was done in Abu Dhabi on March 21, 2005 and set a record of 2,978.4 meters (9,771.6 feet).

At last count, the Philippine entry has only 1,700 plus meters of canvas painted; the goal is 5,000 meters. Iran, from what I was recently told, is a fierce competitor aiming for a 10,000 meter goal. And with a deadline of September 7th, the current record alone is looking mighty tough to beat for the Philippines. An extension is being requested by all participating countries.



Those who wish to participate may still do so and register in one of two ways:

One is to sign up for free and for doing so will be given a Certificate of Participation.

The other involves a 1,000 peso fee, but comes with certain benefits such as Certificate of Participation from OTSAA, Guinness World Records, World Art Heritage from UNESCO; souvenir items (t-shirts, pins, and etc.); lifetime membership I OTSAA’s longest painting club and considered qualified for special awards; inclusion of name in the Guinness coffee table book; and 50% discount on all commemorative items on sale.


The official venue where this monumental endeavor is being executed is on the 4th floor of SM North (or West) Mall.

You may also call the following for additional information:

Telephone: 417-5785 or 796-0954
Mobile: 0918-473-1321
Email: artexperience@yahoo.com

Labels: art matters, Guiness Book Record, life in Manila

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:30 AM | 21 comments

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

FROM GRAFFITI TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Last January, I posted an entry about New York’s street art scene — temporary public exhibitions of artworks done by graffiti artists in good taste. I had also mentioned that corporate America — mostly soft drinks and sports shoe manufacturers — had taken notice of their works and have been commissioning some of these young people to create murals for their visual merchandising and advertising campaigns.

Jase, a fellow Pinoy blogger living in Australia, photographed and blogged about what he was noticing as an increasing amount of graffiti-like artworks in his neighborhood in Melbourne. I told him that in New York City, those would be defined as street art.

Meanwhile, as I was walking along Ayala and Makati avenues last week, what greeted me in one of the underground passageways was a series of advertising murals by Nike, which could have been designed and executed by the Tats Cru group from the Bronx — a once New York City graffiti gang that had gone on to accept lucrative commissions from America’s advertising industry.

So now, legitimate versions of street art have finally reached the shores of Metro Manila courtesy of Nike.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!


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Labels: art matters

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:39 AM | 18 comments

Saturday, August 19, 2006

ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK

I had once mentioned -- in one of the memes I had done -- that while in New York, I joined the Art Students League of New York and took many of its classes just for the heck of it. Most of my friends then were more into art history books while I preferred to know about art by actually delving into some of its creative process.

The school was only a couple of blocks from where I lived and there was nothing more exhilirating to do on a Saturday morning than attend one of its art workshops — be it basic drawing, painting, printmaking, or sculpting. I didn’t turn out a fine artist as our friend Rey Villegas, but those classes expanded my appreciation for anything art. Also, I met a lot of other interesting people who wanted to fulfill a longing to immerse in it despite their lack of talent for it. It was the actual participation in art that we sought and for which we were rewarded with expanded horizons.

The school, by the way, has a very interesting history.

During the 1870s, New York was becoming the artistic capital of America with National Academy of Design as its major art institution. The Academy was founded in 1825 and one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the country. For an artist to have his works selected as part of its annual exhibitions was a significant accomplishment in itself. Thus, gaining full membership at the Academy had become a major goal for many.

However, by the mid-1870s, the Academy was finding itself unable to meet the needs of the growing number of artists joining this profession. There were also many young artists fresh from their studies abroad who were dismayed to find the established members of the Academy too conservative and unable to understand their relatively radical ideas and more sophisticated attitudes toward art. This led to the subsequent creation of the Society of American Artists.

In great part, this development reflected the conflict between the "old guard" at the National Academy and the young rebels: conservative versus progressive, insular as opposed to cosmopolitan. Notwithstanding, with a rapidly growing number of artists flocking to the city, the annual exhibitions of the Society of American Artists helped to alleviate the problem of not enough exhibition space at the National Academy. However, it was the Society itself which provided the more progressive artists with their own forum.

As if in lock step, a similar development took place in the spring of 1875, when the National Academy began experiencing financial difficulties and planned to cancel all classes its until December. Students were alarmed because the Academy now required them to devote the first ten weeks of each school session to drawing; whereas, painting from life, their main interest, wouldn’t be until February of the following year. Even more distressing was the possibility that there may not be enough funds to hire any instructor to direct them when classes did resume.

Lacking any viable alternative by which art students could engage in any formal course of study from live models, the students met with teacher Lemuel Wilmarth to discuss the matter. The result of their meeting was the formation of the Art Students League. The students of the League soon aligned themselves with, those artists who would soon form the Society of American Artists (and who would later become the chief instructors at the League). Like the National Academy, the Art Students League was established as a membership, but offered membership to any candidate with acceptable moral character and the means to pay his dues. The informal nature of the League's organization was also very different from that of the Academy.

The major reason for the Art Students League's continuous success is mainly attributed to its long line of dedicated teachers and loyal and appreciative students, many of whom subsequently returned to the League to teach. To date, the Art Students of New York remains a cooperative society based on mutual help among all its members. There have never been any degrees or diplomas, no set curriculum; one must be there solely for the love and pursuit of art, the yearning for the exchange of artistic ideas and techniques. It is an institution founded by students for students, and these are the major reasons the school has continued to flourish.

Read the complete history.

Labels: art matters, Life in New York

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:39 PM | 8 comments

Monday, April 10, 2006

A CROSS TO BEAR

As far back as I can remember many of my mother’s friends, relatives and godchildren sought her counsel. They were usually about domestic disputes, marital infidelities, or recalcitrant siblings. For those with a seemingly insoluble dilemma, my mother would often suggest it may be their proverbial cross to bear; a test of faith, so to speak.

There came a time when I would say in jest that technically, Jesus carried his no more than three hours. And that there are people out there who enjoy wallowing in their troubles in perpetuity; thriving in the attention they receive, as well as justifying their martyr-like threshold for suffering as a trade-off for a glorious afterlife. Invariably, my mother would just wave me off as if I should know better.

However, as I got older, I became cognizant of the healing effects of this adage. Just like my mother, I would sometimes find myself consoling my friends with these same words; even adding that carrying such cross builds a stronger spirit and emotional resolve.

Perhaps, then, pain and suffering may be integral parts of the human experience, which lead us to higher realms of spiritual evolvement as we explore the many paths of our life's journey.



Art Credit:
Title: Crucifixion (Hypercubic Body) 1955
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1980

Labels: art matters, Growing up memoirs, Words of wisdom

posted by Señor Enrique at 10:16 AM | 6 comments

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

GRAFFITI

I like street art. Every summer, in Manhattan, you’ll see artists with color chalks sketching wonderful copies of masterpieces right on the pavement. The next day, you’d find scant traces of which; erased by the pedestrians having walked on them or washed away by the rain. Other street artists choose the temporary plywood walls that obscure construction sites as their preferred medium. That’s all it is — a temporary public exhibition done in good taste.

What I find disturbing are those spray-painted graffiti that assault the senses; done more to defile someone’s property or cry out a personal hate agenda. The New York subway system used to be severely affected by this dilemma. Currently, no train from the yard is allowed to run if it has been vandalized. New measures are always being developed to secure the train yards and discourage night time spray painters.

According to a New York Daily News report, arrests of graffiti artists in the city were up 90 percent. The success was credited to the NYPD’s anti-graffiti program. It handed out about 150 digital cameras to each precinct and other commands as a means to monitor vandalism and identify patterns. The NYPD has so far made 700 arrests and examples of their work have been stored in a database - so when their tags, or signatures, are found, they can be busted for the latest paint job.

Ironically, New York City has become the center of street art pioneered by Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat; former graffiti artists who were nurtured by the legendary Andy Warhol. Although still regarded by Mayor Bloomberg as the scourge of the city, some street artists have been gaining the attention of trendy downtown gallery curators, as well as the advertising industry.

The corporate America in which these street artists used to disdain is now supporting their work. The Tats Cru group from the Bronx uses advertising style of the 1950s to promote multinational soft drink and sports shoe manufacturers. However, they deny having sold out; referring to their lucrative commissions as a natural progression to another level.

There will be ongoing debates over the legitimacy of graffiti as an art form. Nonetheless, see more of it all over New York for years to come.


Photo Credit: The Dark

Labels: art matters

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:39 AM | 4 comments

Monday, January 16, 2006

Meaty Art of VICTORIA REYNOLDS

Slices of pork as art? Why not? Los Angeles artist Victoria Reynolds is quite candid to admit that meat has been her muse these past eight years. It’s her way of expressing raw sensuality?

In her interview with Noche Kandora of Lust Magazine, Ms. Reynolds revealed her purpose in using images of uncooked meat in her artwork. She claims, “Living in the flesh is great—though we might disparage it, thanks to the Biblical Paul, who was probably a gay male living in a drastically homophobic society. In Dutch Protestant paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, meat often referred to ‘the weak flesh.’ In my paintings, the beauty of the flesh is shown, and the ornate frames emphasize the non-Puritanical content. People call the frames "over the top” or excessive. They’re often painted to match the meat. When viewing the paintings, some say they have a gag reflex while thinking at the same time they're beautiful.

Before she got involved with meat, her oil paintings were about “lots of deteriorating soft-serve ice cream cones. Messy, sticky. Things got more and more ornate—frothing and curdling banana splits, dark glistening cherries atop whipped cream. Cream and meat come from animals. The whipped cream looked like the lacy tripe paintings I do now. There's a type of tripe called Bible tripe—because of its wafer-thin sheets that fan out. Some might say that the televangelists spew forth Bible tripe.”


To view more work by Victoria Reynolds, visit: Richard Heller Gallery

Labels: art matters

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:34 AM | 1 comments

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Featured Quote by OSCAR WILDE

Labels: art matters, Words of wisdom

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:17 AM | 3 comments

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Featured Quote by SOCRATES

I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled [poets] to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.

Socrates, In Apology, sct. 21, by Plato.Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)

Labels: art matters, Words of wisdom

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:58 AM | 0 comments

Monday, January 02, 2006

A WRITER’S CUBICLE FOR RENT

During one of those holiday season get-togethers with balikbayan friends, I was asked what enterprise already at work in New York could be developed here in Manila. Instantaneously, I thought of the New York Times article I read about communal work spaces. Creating one in Metro Manila will definitely provide our local talent with an ideal environment to hone their craft — similar to The Village Quill in Manhattan or the Writers Junction in Venice Beach, California.

In this New York Times article, A Cubicle For You And Your Muse, its author, Liesl Schillinger, claimed the idea of a communal work space is not new, that “the tradition began in Lower Manhattan nearly 30 years ago, when a group of writers, including the biographer Nancy Milford, banded together to rent an office. In 1978 the group incorporated as the nonprofit organization the Writers Room, which has fostered the creation of more than a thousand books and screenplays, said Donna Brodie, the executive director since 1994. Today it has a roster of 400 writers who take turns at 40 desks on the top floor of a building on Broadway at Astor Place. Members include Lawrence Block, the best-selling mystery writer, and Michael Berg, a writer of the screenplay for Ice Age, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003.”

The author also quoted a writer of short stories, Ms. Manghnani, who explained: "If I'm at home working, people don't respect you that much; they call or text or e-mail, or make arrangements to have coffee. But if I'm at a place that sounds legitimate to other people - a library or a writers' room - they don't disturb me as much. No one calls you at the gym and says, 'Let’s go have a burger.' "

For Metro Manila, such work spaces should also welcome graphic and Web artists. Other than English-proficient call center agents, our country has an abundance of talent that is good enough for overseas outsourced creative projects. Better we provide them now with the optional ideal space where they could further develop their skills.


Photo credit: Ruby Washington/The New York Times

Labels: art matters

posted by Señor Enrique at 4:14 PM | 3 comments

Sunday, January 01, 2006

FIVE THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. – George Bernard Shaw


The ancestor of every action is thought. – Ralph Waldo Emerson


It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the television and treat life as if it goes on forever. - Philip Adams


The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. – William James


There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself, 'It all depends on me.' – Andre Gide

Labels: art matters, Words of wisdom

posted by Señor Enrique at 12:03 PM | 3 comments

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.

 

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