Take Me For A Ride!

Vargas Museum, UP Diliman with my Teammates

The class had a trip at UP Diliman and we had a certain activity called the “Amazing Race” in which groups were tasked to go to places and answers some questions. Aside from that, there are special tasks that we need to do like taking our picture with this kind of action. It was really fun and after the activity, we got a chance to go and view the Vargas Museum there. There were many artworks that can be seen from it. Among all the artworks in the Vargas Museum, Daniel Coquilla’s “Drawing on Board” caught my attention the most. This was the first artwork I saw inside the Vargas museum and it really captured my interest.

Drawing on Board by Daniel Coquilla

Aside from the fact that it was big enough to see inside the museum, when I went to look up on it, it was different drawings of different places here in the Philippines. Daniel Coquilla did was to draw them on a ceiling of a jeepney and he all did this while standing. According to the description, he wanted to show to the viewers how populated urban cities here in our country and how does it feel to live in those places. The drawings were top view of the places and it really shows what the places looks like. Basing on Historical Contexts, we can see urban changes from this artwork. Before, the places he drew were not like that, overpopulated for example. There were changes because he based it to our context now. Another thing, he wanted to relate himself to the audience or in public that is why he made his output in a ceiling of a jeepney because he also said that the passengers in our jeepneys sometimes look up that is why he placed it there. He was an expressionist and it is the reason why he drew al of these places. Almost everyone could relate themselves to it because many of us experience commuting and going to these places.

The Outline of Drawing on Board with places labeled

Top View of Quiapo, Espana

Top View of Welcome, Rotonda

Top View of Philcoa

Daniel Coquilla used his artwork to show what Filipinos are.  Like other Filipino artworks, Filipino Aesthetics is all about details, information, and facts. Since the Philippines were colonized by different countries, we tend to incorporate our works with their art and design. We make artworks that Western Art was present. For example, we had an activity around UP Diliman and we were tasked to go to different places. As we look on the different structures and paintings, Western Art is present. One painting in a church has a Cubism style of painting. Some churches there were dome in structure.  

Filipino Art is truly something we’re supposed to be proud of. All of the outputs of our artists should be shown to all because it is worth the watch and it is worth to learn them. The next generation could really learn from the past artworks especially for the aspiring artists. I can’t wait for the next set of artworks of the Filipinos from the next generation because I know it would make us all proud.

Claudio Bravo is Bravo!

Studying the Aesthetics of Art, or nature and beauty of art helps me learn more and appreciate more art as a part of my life. At first, I really thought that art is just colors, beautiful things around, etc. but now, as I learn from it, I feel that art has really deeper meaning and valuable meaning.


    The society uses art as one of the important things in life. Sometimes, they don’t even know how art was involved in their work, even in their lives. When we look inside our houses, some of our living rooms have these portraits posted in the walls. We see portraits as a design in our homes. We place them in our walls because we believe that when there are portraits in our houses, it gives us lively feeling and somehow, it fills the emptiness inside us. Sometimes, when we look at a portrait, we try to understand its meaning and what is it all about. There are stories behind those portraits. Aside from portraits in the living rooms, we use these as a source of income. We sell creative portraits and it helps us to earn money from it. It sells because the buyers see the creativity in those portraits, and sometimes it’s because they want one for their living rooms. Some portraits also are ways of supporting the Arts. By means of galleries, museums, and such presentations of portraits, art is showcased to all of us. But I think, portraits do represent what the artist feels. The bottom line is that a work of art is created simply because artists just want to show to us what they want to express, and what they want us to know, from our history to our own reasons. 

     We went for a trip at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and we were asked to view artworks made by Claudio Bravo, a Chilean painter who went to the Philippines. Looking at his artworks, I was astonished because first, I’m no painter so looking at it, I was like “wow!”. Second, the materials used in the paintings were listed and some of them are just pencils and charcoals. There were famous personalities like Evelyn Forbes, Jaime and Beatrice Zobel de Ayala, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, etc. Some paintings were incomplete but I still appreciate these works because it was still creative and artistic. Looking at the hair of some women painted, they were like painted in an exaggerated way because some have hair that is so high. I asked one of the museum guides on some background on Claudio Bravo, she said that Claudio is a fashion artist which means that when he paints or draws something, what he would do is to give a touch of fashion to it before painting it. Like for some of his models, they were dressed beautifully because he wanted to showcase his talents not only in painting but in fashion as well. Some paintings there were confusing though, like “The Neighbors”. We didn't get what he wanted to say on that painting. It is a painting of two abdomen and that was all it. After looking at the portraits/paintings, I was jealous in a way that I wanted to paint like him but I know that I don’t have that kind of talent so it’s fine with me. 

Metropolitan Museum of Manila

My ticket to the Museum

Welcome to the Claudio Bravo Exhibit

The Tarps outside the Museum

     Giving importance on portraits is one thing we almost care about. Looking at our display pictures on Facebook, Twitter, on Instagram, etc., we always wanted to look good because that’s our portrait, that is the thing that represents us and by these photos, it describes us and symbolizes us from everyone. I think this is one practical reason on how we see portraits. 


My self-portrait is very simple; it is a collage of several pictures of me with my friends. With the use of Photoshop, I was able to do this collage of myself. Seeing it closer, the pictures I have used are my photos of myself with my friends. I don’t know why but I felt like placing them there as a part of my collage. I think at some point, I know that these people were the ones that formed me of who I am. They were one of the people who molded me and help me and pursue an art-related course which is Filmmaking. I was thinking of what is the symbolism behind this collage and come up with simple things. I think that in ways of color, Impressionist way of coloring is present since it was edited in Photoshop, the lighting of the photos was different, and it was not based on real life colors. Value of the photo is one element as well since some photos were light and some were a bit dark. I made most of the pictures lighter so that my self-image would be seen. In the aspect of Composition in space, there is rhythm since there are repetition of different images, and variety as well among the self-portrait. In terms of symbols, the portraits in the Claudio Bravo and my self-portrait have this similarity of own interpretation. Claudio Bravo wanted to show to the viewers his different way of painting his artists and as for me, I wanted to show that through people, I could create an artistic things through making films in the future. Every artwork has its own meaning and explanation and I think it is a way of showing us what we really are. 

Self- Portrait

Taka: Paete paper mache

Paper Mache is an art that is no joke. When you look at it, at first you will just see a plain object but when you experience to touch it and look at it closer, it is a very good art. It was good to see paper Mache in front of your eyes because it is different compared to pictures. Our professor in ESTHETA brought samples of different figures made of paper and placed it on the table. She wanted us to experience the Paper Mache by looking at it closely and touching it. Since a few students only went in front to take pictures and look at it closely, I decided to look at it later during break time. Our professor introduced again to us the figures that are made of paper in front and I was surprise when she banged the Paper Mache horse in the table. Knowing that it didn't break, I was excited to look at it. It was compared to the cat that was brought also because it was made of fiber glass. It looks great as well but compared to paper, it is unbreakable unlike the fiber glass.

Samples (Picutre by Jorell Gonzaga)

In Paete, Laguna, they have this paper mache which they call Taka. When you go there, they say that you will be welcomed by the workers that are laying brown paper or newsprint paper mache pieces on the roadside. They do this for drying. I guess when you go to Paete, you can see so many figures made out of paper and you cannot stop looking at them. It is very Filipino for me because the figures that I saw were like Filipino women and other things related to Philippines.

Taka in Paete, Laguna

Paper was not used as a medium for art but it was used as an art itself. Looking at it personally and looking at the pictures as well, it is very colorful and you can really see how the human's creativity works. I hope that this kind of Filipino folk art would never be forgotten because this is a gift from our Creator.

Sources:

http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/6/paete-s-taka

http://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/taka-of-paete/