Tag: June 10, 2012

THE COUNTRY mourns the loss of the last of Victorio Edades’ “Thirteen Moderns.”

The only woman in the list, Anita Magsaysay-Ho was not only a forerunner of Philippine modern art, but also a highly original artist who was able to define in lines and colors the Filipina’s distinct mystique.

Rural scenes and female characters depicted as busy with household work while clad in traditional Filipiniana costumes were staple subjects of Magsaysay-Ho.

Dubbed the “female Amorsolo,” she was one of the few who had the privilege of being under the tutelage of Victorio Edades, the founder of the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts, outside of UST’s walls.

UNORTHODOX artworks were given mainstream treatment by four Thomasian members of the graffiti group Pilipinas Street Plan in an exhibit titled Altar at the Secret Fresh Gallery of the Ronac Art Center from May 11 to 24.

Street artists Agustin Fontanilla III (Okto), Mark Salvatus (Boy Agimat), Joven Mayor III (Ungga), and Mark Barreto (Deform) arranged their respective works to resemble venues of worship, hence the exhibit’s title.

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP) celebrated National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s 100th birthday through a photography exhibit titled CCP Collection Preview: Carlos “Botong” Francisco and the Angono Environs at the Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo from May 14 to June 3.

The pictures were taken by Dick Baldovino, a prominent photographer known for his portraits of National Artists.

The photographs framed excerpts from Botong’s life and work, as well as the humble life of those who reside in the fishing village of Angono, where Francisco grew up.

Raul “Iggy” Rodriguez’s third solo show, Genuflect, a social commentary on corporate greed and abuse of power, ran at the Kanto Artists-Run Space at The Collective in Makati City from May 5 to 29.

Contrary to how Catholics voluntarily kneel before the cross in utmost reverence, Rodriguez deconstructs the act of genuflection. He shows how such a ritual act of humility could be misused when powerful people force it upon subordinates.

“I see that those in power not only control those beneath them, but they also drown them with promises of development,” said Rodriguez, a graduate of the former UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

HE HACKED her to death, chopped her body up, and buried it to oblivion.

Dolores Macasaet was the only daughter of Hacienda Maria’s caretaker, Mang Lauro. When she turned 19, Mang Lauro decided that she was to marry Antonio, who was older by five years, had ample wealth, and had been eyeing her for quite some time. The bachelor was quite attractive, had a medium build, a high arch on his nose and had salt and pepper hair. Dolores saw their marriage as an opportunity to help her father, who lives in destitution. It was common mentality that an educated man is a good provider.

My beloved, it has come to this.

Though it is fortunate

that our paths crossed

and we let time

flow with our existence,

a different future beckons.

Even the expectations

of whatever it may be

serve no justification

for listless arms

to stay tethered

With reluctance , I say farewell.

Because like winter

that gives way to spring,

the threads of our tapestry

stopped to unravel

and my trade winds

now blow away

From your shores.

We are over.

I am free

but encumbered.

You are furious

but listless.

THE BARRIER between readers and writers are getting thin and with the advent of fan fiction, readers can finally relive their wildest dream—to have their own perspective on the author’s world.

By definition, fan fiction is a fictional account written by a fan of a book (or any other medium) to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium. Since its introduction in mainstream media, it has become a melting pot of different perspectives among writers and readers. Readers could enter the intangible world of literature and paint a world on their own while writers get in touch with their readers and receive feedback from them.

The grassroots of fan fiction

TIME can’t even tell

when the last drop of sound was heard

in this dingy cobweb dwelling.

Been buried beneath

layers of dust and soot

when the noise consumed the

emptiness

of this room filled with forgotten entities.

As he picked me up

to wipe the dirt off of me,

he freed me from this wooden frame

that housed me for all those forlorn years.

His mahogany eyes

pierced through my innocence.

He scrutinized every part of me:

the smile I wore,

the cowlick on my head,

and every baby tooth hollowed with cavity.

All these revealed my juvenile chastity.

We take so much longer to come home

in the cavern of distant voices,

magnified as they echo and bounce

from one wall to another.

Each drop that comes from the folds

of the clouds

—drips from the night sky

and onto the asphalt below.

We lay naked,

for everyone to see.

Yet they close their eyes.

We whisper, bite our lips.

Quiet.

Make sure nothing is heard

but heavy breathing

—and it takes us too long to come

home, where only you and I can

let whispers hum and grow

loud enough to let our voices

be heard.

FOR A nation of 7, 107 islands, bridges are indispensable engineering and architectural marvels that link the country’s many rivers, chasms, and crevasses.

In Puentes de España en las Filipinas (UST Publishing House, 2011), architect and architecture historian Manuel Maximo Lopez del Castillo-Noche archives these various bridges that were constructed during the centuries of Spanish colonization.

According to the book, bridges present a historical panorama of how a necessity grown out of nature and ingenuity have developed a community.