Glimpses of the Master

Vicente Silva Manansala would have been 96 years old today. Undoubtably one of the most significant and influential Philippine artists to have emerged in the 20th century, looking back at his prolific career helps us appreciate the roots of Philippine modernism and the directions it has taken since first exploding upon the scene in the 1920s.

Born on January 22, 1910 in Macabebe, Pampanga, his parents relocated the family to Intramuros, Manila when he was a very young boy. His father had a barbershop patronized by prominent clients such as Elpidio Quirino and Claro M. Recto, but this was hardly enough to sustain a brood of eight children. Thus, making ends meet was an art that Manansala perfected early on. Since toys were expensive, Manansala resourcefully made his own.

At this early stage, his propensity for art was already making itself felt. Among his earliest models were the numerous cockroaches, grass-hoppers, flies and other insects which populated the environs of Intramuros, which he pinned down so that he could draw them.

After dropping out of high school in 1926 after a falling out with his Algebra teacher, Manan-sala enrolled in the UP School of Fine Arts and began his formal training as an artist. He finished four years later, the youngest in his class, and eventually did graphic and illustration work for various periodicals. It was within the context of working for papers such as the Philippine Herald that he met and established friendships with other artists like Carlos "Botong" Francisco and H. R. Ocampo–who also became giants in the local art scene.

Between the years 1949 and 1951, Manansala earned scholarships to Canada and France. These experiences were pivotal to the artist, allowing him to gain new experiences and insights, prompting him to further experiment with media and techniques, thus creating fresh and distinctive images. Among the foreign movements which became firmly embedded in his visual vocabulary was Cubism.

The constant search for a unique expression reached its fruition with the emergence of Manan-sala’s trademark style known as Transparent Cubism by the early 1960s. His images were broken down into fragments and planes, creating multiple perspectives for the viewer. In addition, these planes were overlapped in transparent layers that diffused portions of the subject while granting greater definition to other areas within the picture.

Nevertheless, Manansala never progressed to the point of total abstraction. He believed that the retention of realistic elements in a painting or artwork humanized it. Perhaps this is also one of the reasons for the great appeal of his art.

The last two decades of his life bore witness to his full blossoming as an artist and marked the height of his popularity. His discipline, commitment, and passion for art are attested to by the overwhelming number of works he produced over a period of 50 years.

Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the Manansala’s death. Yet, his art remains vibrant–a wellspring of inspiration for succeeding generations of artists, and a source of pride for the Filipino.