The Perspective of an Exceptional View

By Jason Serato and Jericil de Omania

Photo: Jericil de Omania

Layout: Lorie Ann Gloria

Elmer Borlongan: An Extraordinary Eye for the Ordinary billboard outside

Metropolitan Museum of Manila

"The eyes are a distinct trademark of my works. The people in my paintings don't show so much emotion, but you can see it in their eyes." – Elmer Borlongan

In music, they write songs about people like you. In art, Borlongan create artworks about Filipinos like us. As well as some of us are into candid moments and realistic sceneries, Borlongan’s approach using art describes the circumstances in his sorroundings. An Extraordinary Eye for the Ordinary represents the Filipino's everyday life—more than 200 of his works are based on what he sees and observes in his surroundings. The paintings, drawings and murals that fill the whole museum tell Borlongan's undying passion to his art and perspective. Most of the paintings depict living and street life of typical Filipinos doing day-to-day chores, also in religion and their love for music. The Metropolitan Museum of Manila unlocks 2018 with the extreme exhibition of Elmer Borlongan entitled Elmer Borlongan: An Extraordinary Eye for the Ordinary conducted by a Filipino Historian Ambeth R. Ocampo. Just to give brief details, it was started last January 28 which remains on view until March 28 featuring Borlongan’s masterpieces from the year 1979 to 2015. The exhibit features his masterpieces of celebration of his 25 years of colorful career.

The event is free so there's no need for the visitors to buy tickets nor look for passes, all they have to do is register their name in the registration area. Also, visitors do not have to struggle bringing their own food for there are roaming caterers around the area to serve them free meals. The whole museum was filled with numbers of visitors not to mention some well-known painters, prestigious artists and personalities, and huge media networks that invaded every corner of the exhibit. Even ordinary people, families, students, in formal or casual attire, didn’t go out of place in the event.

The program started with a short speech of Mr. Elmer Borlongan and his welcoming message for those who supported him during the event. He ended it with a toast of wine with everyone. And luckily, we had the chance to interview him in the middle of the crowd who also wants to get his attention, too. Here are the video: 

     AB students with Mr. Elmer Borlongan      

Visitors of exhibit

Brushes  used in Borlongan’s paintings

Room containing Borlongan’s mediums and family picture

Borlongan family pictures displayed in exhibit

Acrylics used in Borlongan’s works

The set-up of Borlongan’s materials

Borlongan’s medium in paintings

He started doing Botong-inspired works in 1982. Botong or more known as Carlos V. Francisco’s was best known for his murals that featured portions of life of Philippine history. He was shifting from realistic and impressionist representation of subject matter he learned from Sena School. Edades was the one who influences his art-making in terms of form and content in a modern approach. As you can see in the pictures below, there were mixtures of modern and traditional approach. In his own backyard in Angono, Borlongan drew his early view from the backstreets of Nueve de Febrero in Mandaluyong and maturity in life and art that is built by the political chaos in the beginning of Marcos dictatorship in 1972 and its end in 1986. Started from Edsa I, II and III to the Duterte government, Borlongan carried his art from urban, rural and back to the urban, such that he returned to the place where he restarted.

‘Hindi Lang Pangpamilya, Pangtowing Pa’ oil on canvas (2005)

‘Pamilyang Menthol’ oil on canvas (1994)

As we wander around the museum and indulge our imagination, images made us felt different emotions. It made us feel like we are more likely part of it-- having the fact that most of the sceneries are real-life situations which can be seen as we passed along the streets at night shift security guard sneaking out some sleep inside a guard house, teenagers puffing cigarettes beside lamp post, laborers at the back of delivery truck, rushing passengers in a bus like sardines packed in a can. Filipinos might not found those scenarios unique, but the hope conveyed by Barlongan through his art works was too strong that it brought too much impact on us.

“Gusto ko kahit ang karaniwang tao, nakakarating sa kanila ang ipininta ko. [Mayroong] passion sa pangkaraniwang tao, na kahit maliit sila, malaki ang kontribusyon nila sa society at gusto ko ding ipakita na kahit mahirap, nandoon pa din ang hope (I want my paintings to reach even regular folk. I have a passion for the ordinary Filipino, that they, too, make big contributions to society. I want to show that they may be poor, but there is still hope),” he told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of his exhibition opening last January 20 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

‘Larga vista’ oil on canvas (2014)

‘Istasyon ng bus’ oil on canvas (2007)

‘Pag-ahon’ oil on canvas (2011)

At the end of the day, you will not remember the person with the beautiful face, but the person with the most beautiful heart and soul. With an ordinary people like us, Borlongan opened our eyes into an exceptional view where we cannot only see in the outer part of life and artworks—the design, mediums, and the magic of his palms that will feed our eyes but, the inner beauty within the realness of his masterpiece.

WORDS AND LETTERS: Exploring the world of Arts

By Theresa Bobis, Rian Simon Magtaan and Lorie Ann Gloria
Photo: Jericil de Omania and Lorie Ann Gloria
Layout: Lorie Ann Gloria
Video Editor: Rian Simon Magtaan

 

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. 
-Scott Adams

Jericil de Omania, Lorie Ann Gloria and Theresa Bobis

Early history of National Bookstore

The history of National Book Store can be traced back to the 1930s. Before the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, José Ramos and Socorro Cáncio-Ramos, rented a small-corner space of a Haberdashery situated at the foot of Escolta Bridge in Santa Cruz, Manila. With a starting capital of ₱211 (equivalent to ₱15,047 in 2015), the Ramoses set up their first retail bookstore selling GI novels, text books and supplies. During World War II, the store shifted to selling sold candies, soap, and slippers due to stringent book censorship. The store experienced success but was burned down during the 1945 Battle of Manila, rebuilt again and reverted to selling textbooks and stationery, the opening of the rebuilt National Book Store at the corner of Soler Street and Avenida Rizal, coincided with the first academic schoolyear after the war. In 1948, the store was destroyed by a Typhoon Gene but a new two storey building with a mezzanine was built to host National Book Store.

National Book Store began selling greeting cards in the 1950s depicting Philippine subjects to showcase local culture and traditions. The book store also launched a publishing program with international publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hal, Lippincott, Addison-Wesley. In 1955, the Ramoses were able to acquire a lot owned by the Guerrero family, where they erected the nine-storey Albercer Building in 1963 which was named after Alfredo, Benjamin, and Cecilia, where a National Book Store was hosted.

National Book Store accumulated enough capital after some several years to acquire rights to reprint foreign brand greeting cards for the Philippine market. The book store had rights to reprint cards by Gibson for a few years. In 1973, outbid a more established competitor for a Philippine franchise of the greeting card brand, Hallmark.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Book_Store

A two-day event was held at Shangri-la Plaza's Grand Atrium this January 28, 2018 in celebration of National Book Store's with the theme of Words and Letters. The two-day event was filled with variety of activities such as creative workshops, spoken word performances, live poetry reading, and book launch and signing starting 11 o'clock in the morning up until 7 o'clock in the evening.

Mr. Mark Aquino started the event in Day 2 by demonstrating how 3D lettering is done, followed by a journey word demo from Mr. Lexter Victorio, Caran d 'Ache Museum Aquarelle demo by Mr. Ian de Jesus, monogram lettering with Sir Winson and Newton, decorative doodle words by-- once again, Mr. Ian De Jesus, and lastly, faber castel lettering demo by Ms. Abbey Sy. After these big names, some artists claimed their spotlight and took the chance to share their knowledge, skills and experience in art. 

Mr. Paolo Tugano teaching how to do letter design

Different Artist showing their wonderful talent in drawing and sketching.

A gir enjoying this event

Fortunately, we are able to conduct an interview with the managers of products of national bookstore and audience as well. Also, we are able to interview the marketing admin of art line stix, Ms. Nanette Dorado; the coordinator of Sakura Philippines, Ms. Marilyn Liansing and the marketing offcer of fiber-castel, Ms. Majenta Ocampo. 

It can be seen that children are really enjoying the event, and it is so good of the company that they consider their audiences. They even provided tables and chair for the audience to experience their new products. Personally, National Bookstore is one of my favorite places in malls because of the happiness it gives me through coloring materials, notebooks and other art materials. It's like it gives me knowledge on how I am going to use these things to make our world more meaningful.

Free experience to the audience

Artline Stix

According to the Artline Stix, You have important ideas to share with the world.  But not just any message will do.

You need something that will get attention, help others realize your potential and portray the standards you live by. Our mission at Artline is to help you make your world flow better. Through the use of bold markers that demand attention, fine-tipped pens that pay attention to every detail, highlighters to show you mean business and specialty markers that help you create just about anything you can imagine, you can create your space, your message and more. You can create your world.

We carry a complete line of pens and markers. We supply whiteboard markers, everyday pens, permanent markers, specialty markers, fineliners, and even correction options just in case. Our products range from everyday ballpoint and gel pens, to pens that will write on just about any surface you need it to.

We have been helping creatives and businesses like you for nearly 50 years. And we care about quality and standards just as much as you do. No matter the message, idea or occasion, we pride ourselves in helping things flow better.

Artline was originally created by a Japanese organization called Shachihata. Shachihata focuses on the idea that high standards should be commonplace, while the products that get you there should not be. All our products are not only perfect for helping you make a bold statement, but they are also environmentally friendly and manufactured responsibly.

Artline is for powerful, imaginative and forward-thinking dreamers and do-ers.

Things just flow better with Artline.

Source: http://www.artline.com.au/

Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell is one of the world's largest and oldest manufacturers of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers) and art supplies, as well as high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods. It was established in 1761 by the cabinet maker Kaspar Faber (1730-1784†), is one of the oldest industrial companies in the world. The company is the world's leading manufacturer of wood-cased pencils with a varied range of products for writing, drawing and creative design, as well as decorative cosmetics.

Sakura

SAKURA PRODUCTS, In 1982, we launched the world's first water-based gel ink rollerball pen which combined the best features of oil-based and water-based rollerball pens. We continue to offer you quality Products not only for school and office but also for craft and industry on a global basis.

Sharpie

Sharpie is a brand of writing instruments (mainly permanent marker pens) manufactured by Newell Brands, a public company, headquartered in Hoboken, NJ. Originally designating a single permanent marker, the Sharpie brand has been widely expanded and can now be found on a variety of previously unrelated permanent and non-permanent pens and markers formerly marketed under other brands. Sharpie markers are made with a number of tips. The most common and popular is the Fine tip. Other tips include Ultra Fine Point, Extra Fine Point, Brush tip, Chisel tip, and Retractable tip. The Sharpie also became the first pen-style permanent marker. In 1990 Sharpie was acquired by The Newell Companies (later Newell Rubbermaid) as part of Sanford, a leading manufacturer and marketer of writing instruments.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpie_(marker)

Uni

Mitsubishi Pencil Co. was founded in Tokyo in 1887 as Japan’s first manufacturer of pencils. By 1927, Mitsubishi Pencil’s products began export distribution to North America, and soon afterwards, to other regions worldwide. In 1959, Mitsubishi Pencil began the manufacture of ballpoint pens, and the Uni brand was born. Since then Mitsubishi Pencil has achieved global recognition as a producer of quality writing instruments with many pioneering innovations to its credit. Today, the wide range of products produced by Mitsubishi Pencil will fill nearly all writing needs. Innovations in design, quality, and technology are what define the Uni brand.

       Source: http://www.uniball.com.ph/about-us/

M&G

M&G Pens will help you take your note taking to a whole new level! These pens have a 0.35mm ultra fine tip that will allow you to effortlessly glide across the pages without skipping or dragging. Fabriano, Grumbacher, IFEX Paper Bar, Imari, M&G, Modico, Ooly, Paper Mate, Prismacolor,  Simbalion, Winsor and Newton, and Zebra.

Montage of interviews during Arts and Letters event at the Grand Atrium, Shangri-la Plaza

Arte Povera: An idea that changed art

By Meg Brian Lopez and Julius Jessu Espino
Photo: Julius Jessu Espino
Layout: Lorie Ann Gloria

Mr. Danilo Eccher with Meg Brian Lopez

 Mr. Danilo Eccher with Julius Jessu Espino

Have you ever heard about ‘Arte Povera’? Many normal people including us doesn’t have any single idea about that. Well, thanks to De La Salle University St. Benilde’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) to hold a public lecture on the 25th of January, 2018 featuring Mr. Danilo Eccher, a well-known Italian curator art critic and currently, the Director of the Galleria Civia d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin, Italy to discuss what this art is all about.

According to Eccher, Arte Povera is an Italian contemporary art with an English term for ‘poor art’, it’s a contemporary art movement specialized to work with any free materials or scraps or almost worthless things. It could be a wood, a stone or iron as long as it doesn’t have price and members of this group transforms those rubbish into a work of art. Eccher added, “To be poor means to be out of the market so they started build not only relation with the landscape but they started to build some world that was impossible to sell”, unlike painting that represents only pictures, sketches and it’s marketable, Arte Povera connects directly on the reality, life, nature and it’s impossible to make money on it.

“The art situation was tragically stronger because all the years before, it was completely focused on the painting. But after this kind of revolution, they changed completely the idea of the reality, and the first problem is they have decided to do is stop on the painting and go out on the square, go out of the canvas. They started to work directly in the landscape.” –Danilo Eccher

Mr. Danilo Eccher 

Sometime between 1960s and ‘70s, this movement was boomed because of art revolution by European students from different universities. This was completely changed the way of art, the way Italian artists think about their works during that time. Many of them focused in this new language of art and it is impossible to bring back the popularity of painting and other art because this revolting idea spreads quickly not only on Italy but also in whole Europe to American land. This uprising not only changed the idea of art, it also affects social and economic way.

As his lecture goes by, Danilo Eccher presents famous Italian artists that made Arte Povera very well known until now.

A Wooden Igloo by Mario Merz

The Wooden Igloo was the work of very famous Arte Povera artist, Mario Merz. “He was probably one the most radical, the most precise artist who decided to work with the reality, with the trees and the other powers of nature.” This was perfect example of Arte Povera, because he used curved steel tubes inside the Igloo and many pieces of woods as cover of the igloo. Merz made this because Eccher said that “he take this idea throughout the world and at the same time, out of the market to found the new energy inside of the world, inside of the nature.

Eccher interpret this as “it's the same concept of energy to compress and to compress the energy means to found the real power of the nature everywhere, the power of the nature is everywhere and the igloo is the position of the space where the energy points”. The energy that Danilo Eccher is pointing means the impression, effect, meaning of art to its audience. The igloo is a kind habitat, home for people especially in very cold places, whether it varies on materials, this simply means that it construct to live with nature according to our research because this kind of art cannot be simply understand it’s meaning.

Jannis Kounellis, Untitled (12 Horses), 1969

Jannis Kounellis has the same concept as Merz. He thinks that art must connected with nature. So he put 12 horses on a gallery, tethered it facing the wall with glistening floor on the middle of exhibit and he called it an art.

This means that in this work, anything could art since the poor art relies with nature and reality and horses is technically connected with nature and reality thus, this exhibit become famous because of its simple meaning.
Another Italian Arte Povera artists has the same concept as Merz and Kounellis but Michelangelo Pistoletto gives it much more sophisticated matter. One of his known work was the two mirrors reflecting on each other.

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Division and Multiplication of the Mirror, 1975-1978

The mirror from the far seems to be simply attached on the wall but on the time when anyone went in front of it, of course they will saw themselves and that’s what Pistoletto wants to convey. Eccher says that “anybody can become a part of art, the people who went on that exhibit becomes a part of art, you became art and the concept is also fantastic because it means that anybody can be art and in other hand it means that art must be democratic, must be popular, anybody must involve in art. If you became the part of the art of course art must be for everyone”.

Arte Povera could also show extraordinary relationship between soul and nature. 

 Being the River, Repeating the Forest, 2015

This art by one of famous Italian artist Giuseppe Penone, a tree carved and reveal the trunk as skeleton of the tree. The skeleton trunk represents the soul of the tree and the tree represents the nature and reality.

“This means that the need that the nature you can see everything but in the same time inside the nature, you found the reality, the reality is not where you see but where you feel to be inside of nature.” – Mr. Danilo Eccher.

            
Arte Povera could be found on Alchemy too as Gilberto Zorio focus on in. Eccher gives meaning of alchemy “Alchemy is possibility to change the material for this reason use many different chemical material to produce the work of change”. One of his famous work was the battery.

Gilberto Zorio, Piombi, 1968

Zorio just simply placed the battery with a copper that connects and shows the chemical change of two sides of it.

Gino De Dominicis. 2nd solution of immortality (the universe is immobile), 1972

I wonder how this called art but still, Eccher explains it; “you have to be completely open open mind completely to feel the art, it's not only in the museum, but you can see the art everywhere around you, in the trees, in the batteries, everything can be art everything can be potentially can be art, the only problem is in our mind. We decide, we need to be so curious to find art and the very magical power of artist is to say this could be art.”

Gino De Dominicis focus on invisible reality of Arte Povera, he placed a square on the floor with a person with Down syndrome sitting on the corner of the museum. The square is an invisible cube and the man sitting on it was pretending that the square is a cube. “It is very difficult to understand if you think only on the artist” Eccher added. Everyone should go through the art to understand it.

Danilo Eccher ends his lecture on words saying “the only problem not only in contemporary art, where you have to discover the different meaning in each work, each work is like a secret combination and when you found finally the combination, you open it and you found another combination, this is the problem of the art you have to do art and you have to read art without being pretentious to know everything, this is important.”

On our interview with him, “Arte Povera was one of more important movement for contemporary art, not only in Italy but everywhere in the world. I believe it's important to study this language because after this time all it’s changed in the art”. That’s the reason why he discussed it over other types of contemporary art. He also said that he is very excited to know what’s happening on Philippine art.

As for presented artists and their works, Arte Povera varies in different forms it’s also very different on other kind of art in extent that many Italian artist started to work with this because they are tired to work with traditional ideas of art and started to make output out of scraps. It’s not just economically, socially different but also it’s a very complex because those idea of those Italian Contemporary artist is very hard to appreciate because it’s not easy to understand, you have to think critically on those particular art and as Danilo Eccher, “art could be everywhere”, it’s all depends on us how to express our thoughts on it because Arte Povera will appreciate depends on the minds and eyes of its audience or the people who saw those works.

Danilo Eccher’s lecture was the first series of many upcoming public lecture that MCAD will conduct as the museum celebrates their year long 10^th founding anniversary. If you’re interested in contemporary art and to listen on this lectures. Just visit www.mcadmanila.org.ph for inquiries.