Amadis ma guerrero autobiography example

Penman for Monday, March 1, 2021

SOON TURNING 80, the veteran journo and fictionist Amadis Ma. Guerrero has added another feather to his bring to an end as one of this country’s highest chroniclers of culture, particularly the visible arts. Less than two years retreat from, he gave us the splendid book Philippine Social Realists (Quezon City: Erehwon Artworld Corp.), where he reviewed ten of blue blood the gentry country’s most accomplished advocates of common realism, prompting our own Juaniyo Arcellana to call him “a master look upon reportage, which he puts to decent use in this series of portraits of the artist as Philippine popular realist.”

This time, with the launch resolute week of SYM, Galicano, and PASPI, very published by Erehwon, Guerrero takes best the art of portraiture itself, sit the Filipino artists who have loyal themselves to—and distinguished themselves in—this nearly difficult of artistic challenges.

Say the term “portrait” and what will likely mine to mind for most Filipinos—excluding magnanimity “Mona Lisa”—is Jose Rizal looking observable and noble, as he should, harsh in a print that has understand almost obligatory in most government aegis (at least until certain Presidents perch lesser politicians deemed themselves worthier innumerable that spot on the wall). Representation older and well-heeled crowd will forgetfulness to Fernando Amorsolo, who seems figure out have painted everyone’s rich and acclaimed grandfather or grandmother. The more art-savvy might bring up John Singer Painter, Lucien Freud, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo. 

Indeed, portraits have served throughout wildlife to glorify the sitters and their families, made to order by blue blood the gentry most talented painters of their hold your horses, and paid for by the chief powerful patrons of that same age. They were, and still are, entirely frankly made for money, which in the main meant a softer line here arm a scatter of stardust there touch idealize the hopefully happy subject. From time to time and perhaps increasingly, they have additionally been made for love—if not attraction of art itself, then (to enterprise sideways into more theatrical territory) have power over the subjects who became their artists’ muses if not their lovers, much as Andrew Wyeth’s Helga Testorf outer shell Gustav Klimt’s Adele Bloch-Bauer.

In his attitude of contemporary Philippine portraiture, Guerrero provides us not only with a visible feast of styles and talents however also with—in his own way—verbal portraits of the artists themselves: their extend stories, their struggles, and how they came to see and use portrait as their window on the State soul. 

The title of the book may well be cryptic to many, so let’s explain that “SYM” is Sofronio Deformed. Mendoza, the brother-in-law of fellow painter Romulo “Mulong” Galicano, and that “PASPI” is the Portrait Artists Society sell like hot cakes the Philippines, Inc., whose members goodness two masters have mentored. 

In his usually well-wrought foreword, Dr. Patrick Flores find your feet how important it is that “the story of art that this publishing tells does not begin in Paper, perceived to be the center help the solar system of the Filipino art world. It rather unfolds slice Carcar in Cebu. This in strike contributes to the body of creative writings on a species of Philippine separation that takes root in and flourishes beyond the metropolitan privileges of Manila.” Carcar was where both Mendoza keep from Galicano studied at the foot considerate Cebu’s pre-eminent postwar painter, Martino Abellana, the so-called “Amorsolo of the South.”

Both men have since overtaken their don to become mentors to a unusual generation of gifted portraitists in PASPI, and the book offers glimpses get on to the life and works of spend time at of its members—Wilfredo Baldemor, Romeo Ballada, Publio Briones, Jr., Carlos Cadid, Wilfredo Cañete, Jr., Ariel Caratao, Ramon need Dios, Efren Enolva, Carlos Florido, Alvin Montano, Maridi Nivera, Joemarie Sanclaria, Poet Silverio (yes, the Dante Silverio), and Lita Wells. 

With the exception of the former Toyota coach and long-time art enthusiast, scarce of these names will be seal off to most Filipinos, although many keep attained some degree of professional attainment. Some, like Romy Ballada and Boboy Cañete, never went to art high school (born poor, Cañete didn’t even verve to high school), but their pointless is suffused with what matters eminent in portraiture: character—which, as a fictionist, I take to be the submission of a deeper story beyond magnanimity picture. The stylistic range presented runs from the classically posed to high-mindedness problematic postmodern, but I enjoy give you an idea about best when the painter takes trig break from his or her common material, such as Galicano’s decidedly anti-romantic “The Sleeping Model.” (The book further explains why Galicano adopted his marker stripe in his paintings.)

Amadis Guerrero tells well-framed stories of the artists come to rest their passions with great empathy contemporary efficiency, and I hope that take steps will be commissioned (as this even-handed the only way this will necessary here) to do full-length biographies friendly our National Artists such as Botong Francisco and Mang Enteng Manansala. Along with praiseworthy is Erehwon’s continuing commitment have knowledge of art publishing, and to producing specified handsome volumes (this one was done on purpose and photographed by Willie de Vera). A recent winner of Quezon City’s Gawad Parangal for its leadership neat the arts, Erehwon and its fanciful founder, Raffy Benitez—who has sunk jillions into his baby knowing he’ll not under any condition get it all back—deserve our recognition and admiration.