Malang, Onglepho and Cruz reprise ‘Birthday’ show at Asia Art Gallery
January 12, 2004 | 12:00am
With the first Birthday Exhibit drawing art lovers and art students alike, artist James Onglepho observed that more than putting up a three-man show, it was also a chance to acknowledge once more the mighty contributions of the late National Artist Vicente Manansala to Philippine art. It wasn’t difficult to invite Malang and Cris Cruz back for an encore. Birthday Exhibit 2 will be on view at the Asia Art Gallery starting Jan. 22.
Over breakfast, longtime friends Malang and Onglepho remember Manansala fondly, both as a disciplined painter, rising from a virtual unknown to becoming one of the most sought after artists of his time, and as a jolly man who knew how to enjoy his time away from the canvas.
Onglepho, who knew Manansala when he was studying painting in UST in 1954, recalls visiting Manansala at his Binangonan residence, where he got a chance to know him better, while Malang looks further back to Manansala’s early years when he barely made ends meet.
Manansala first began painting the slums as subjects because that was then his immediate surroundings. Manansala actually moved to Binangonan to be closer to a fellow painter he greatly admired, Botong Francisco, who lived in Angono. Malang even notes that a few Manansala pieces can be mistaken as Botong’s works at first glance since Botong was one of Manansala’s great influences.
Malang, a prolific painter himself, saw in Manansala how important it was to devote one’s time to perfecting the craft. It is now the kind of discipline that he is trying to pass on to his peers in the Saturday Group, where he is now a senior adviser.
Malang, a prolific painter himself, saw in Manansala how important it was to devote one’s time to perfecting the craft. It is now the kind of discipline that he is trying to pass on to his peers in the Saturday Group, where he is now a senior adviser.
Malang, who was fortunate to see Manansala at work, recalls that the late National Artist would sometimes improvise with a discarded windshield as a palette for mixing colors, only to discover later that his maid went to clean it up. Still, Manansala went on with his business as an artist who reveled in color.
Malang remembers Manansala both as a friend and a mentor who taught by example. He knew from Manansala the fruits of devoting sufficient time to paint and to continuously find new ways of rendering what was interesting about the Filipino culture.
Onglepho, then a budding artist and a staff member of the Taipei-based Artist Magazine, remembers interviewing Manansala in 1979 about doing smaller sketches in preparation for his paintings. Manansala then said he had no time, as collectors rushed to reserve his blank canvases, which were then enough to keep him working straight for two years.
That was a far cry from Manansala’s first one-man show, where no one was willing to shell out P20 for any of his works. In fact, Malang even asked for an unfinished work that Manansala – whom Malang considers as a world-class watercolorist – wanted to discard in exchange for a new canvas.
A few of Malang’s Manansalas are also part of the exhibit.
Onglepho, on the other hand, saw how Manansala enjoyed the company of his colleagues. Painting can be such an individual endeavor, but Manansala around his friends seemed a different man because he was normally quiet and reserved. Even Manansala’s wife, Hilda, once noted that he was very much alive with his friends.
Birthday Exhibit 2 features a number of Manansala’s works from Malang’s collection, as a fitting tribute to one of the greats who has left such an indelible mark in the Philippine art scene. Malang, Onglepho, and Cruz also showcase their own styles.
Onglepho believes that Malang’s success can be attributed to the way he vividly expressed the Filipino culture in his works, often featuring a joyous company of vendors: "Paint like a beginner, and eventually you will find your own style."
Onglepho discusses the example of Malang: "Si Malang... maraming nagku-collect ng paintings niya ’di dahil sa pangalan niya, o kaya dahil sa technique niya... Dahil ’yung mga paintings niya ay nag-i-express ng pagka-Filipino. Ang painter maaaring makuha ang kanyang style sa iba’t-ibang influences, pero lumalabas ’yung sarili niyang gawa, ayon sa kanyang damdamin."
Onglepho likewise captures the same feelings in his landscapes, wherein he masterfully blends both Eastern and Western influences. He adds that he and Malang have contrasting routines, as Malang can start working with as many canvases around him while Onglepho prefers to work on one piece at a time. Malang also keeps a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed by 8 p.m., while Onglepho can stay up until 2 a.m. if he is up to the task.
Their styles may be poles apart but the two have become regular breakfast buddies – trying nearly every restaurant chain that serves breakfast or coffee.
Cris Cruz, for his part, infuses life and color into his still life works, recalling how Manansala magnificently rendered his subject in full color. Cruz had the opportunity to assist Manansala on a mural he was working on at the National Press Club way back in 1980. Then an advertising apprentice, Cruz was especially encouraged by Manansala to go on painting.
To this day, Cruz, who has since left the advertising world to pursue painting full-time, perseveres.
"Sige-sige lang. Di naman lahat ng trabaho mo, magugustuhan mo," says Cruz, on why it is important to keep painting everyday, ideally from 9 a.m. in the morning, and continuing again after a brief lunch break through the rest of the evening.
Cruz, now the chairman of the Saturday Group, adds that a daily painting schedule also keeps one’s skills very sharp, a lesson he learned when he temporarily stopped painting when he stayed in Guam.
Perhaps an annual Birthday Exhibit might just be the perfect start for Malang and the gang.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
