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Arts 1 - Y3 Finals - Raf

The questions that I was able to create using from the resurfacing of the “Hymen oh, Hymenee” by Juan Luna are as follows: 

Does the context behind a painting add more to its value?

What is the importance of rich families and businesses in the art industry?

Is there reason to keep the painting privately instead of giving it for public viewing?

The reasoning for the first question is the history of the painting and how it was able to effect the reputation of the painting itself. It begs to question if the context makes a painting a lot more valuable. Just like how “Mi Ultimo Adios” is one of Rizal’s most popular written piece given the context of when it was written. A part of its popularity stems from the fact that it was written before his death. It is quite possible that the same effect happened with Juna Luna’s last painting which was lost after his death and was eventually found. Now it is halied as the holy grail of Filipino art possibly because of the context not just the technical skill, message, and quality of the painting.

For the second question, the reason the painting was brought to the attention of the public in the first place is because of Jaime Ponce de Leon. He is the founder of the Philippine base auction house named Leon Gallery. De Leon was able to acquire the painting and transferred it to the Philippines. A few years later it was displayed for public viewing which was eventually loaned by the Ayala Museum. Without Jaime Ponce de Leon, it is possible that the painting touted as the “holy grail of Filipino art” will not even be known to the public and be hidden forever. It is true that museums and art businesses owned by rich organizations exploit artist but it is impossible to deny the fact that it gives recognition to the art displayed. These commercialized museums that are available to the public allow a painting to be seen and discovered.

For the last question, the painting of Juan Luna was bought by a Spanish aristocratic family which was then passed down to its lineage. After being lost, the painting was found with the aristocratic family around the 1920s. Around 1970s a Philippine collector Eleuterio Pascual tried to purchase the painting but was denied by the family. Eventually, the family agreed to sell the painting and it immediately became a big hit after being displayed to the public. It becomes interesting since the painting suddenly had a lot of value when it was publicly displayed compared to when it was kept in Europe. It now begs the question why would a family keep the art for themselves instead of sharing it with the public?

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Arts 1 - Y3 Finals - Guile

For this, I will be using Alice Guillermo’s “Preface, Art, and Society” as framework and context for the following questions. 1. How does the rediscovery of Juan Luna's "Hymen oh, Hyménée" challenge or reinforce existing narratives in Philippine art history and society? Guillermo states in her work that art can be viewed as some sort of dialogue between artist and its viewer. Art can divulge multiple information, intended or unintended, in the subtle details that formed from the artist’s own background and the situation that played while he worked his art. Considering that this painting, which won the honor of hors concours, which roughly means “distinct work that exists outside of competition”, was made during a time when Philippines was beginning to have an upheaval with the release of Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” and the establishment of “La Solidaridad”, it seems prudent to see if this painting follows the trend, as it were, of artwork that were discovered to be made during that time. 2. In what ways does the preservation and display of this long-lost painting illuminate power structures and hierarchies within the art world, specifically Philippines’? Taking into account Guillermo's exploration of power dynamics in the art field, we examine the implications of the painting's preservation and display. By investigating the institutional choices, such as the Ayala Museum as its new home, we can uncover the underlying power structures and hierarchies that influence the circulation, accessibility, and valuation of artworks within the Philippine art world. One thing to note is that after its mysterious disappearance in 1899, it surfaced once again around the 1970s in the house of some Spanish aristocratic nobility. Jaime Ponce de Leon, the rediscoverer, chose to hide it until an opportune time for his interests. What does that say about the history of art? 3. How does the resurfacing of "Hymen oh, Hyménée" highlight the role of institutions and the public in shaping the collective memory and cultural identity of the Philippines? Guillermo's consideration of art's role in society prompts us to reflect on the significance of the painting's resurfacing in relation to collective memory and cultural identity. It was dubbed as “the holy grail of Philippine art”, which makes me wonder about the effects of such fame and history on the value of the painting in the Philippine culture, as well as the effects of the existence of the painting itself on the fame and history of art.

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Profiling Art Patrons of A Certain Class

Ayala Corporation, one of the oldest conglomerates in the Philippines founded in the year 1834 by Domingo Roxas and Antonio de Ayala and was first named Casa Roxas. Domingo Roxas has three children Jose Bonifacio, Mariano, and Margarita. Antonio de Ayala eventually ran off with Margarita while the second son, Mariano, had a great interest in arts. Mariano is one of the people that established the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura de Manila that saw students such as Juan Luna and Simon Flores.That interest in art remained with the Ayala bloodline. A few generations later, Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo who is the son of Enrique Zobel de Ayala and member of the Ayala Family. In the year 1942, Fernando had a spinal deficiency that made him bedridden for that year. During that time, in order to pass time Fernando spent it sketching. He eventually moved to the United States to study in Harvard where he started making art work without any formal training in the arts. 

Fernando eventually returned from the United States and started working in the Ateneo faculty where he created the Ateneo Art Gallery. It is widely recognized today as the first museum of Philippine modern art. The Ateneo Art Gallery was established in 1960 through Fernando Zóbel's bequest to the Ateneo of his collection of works by key Filipino post war artists. It also includes works by Fernando Amorsolo and Fabian de la Rosa. Enrique Zobel de Ayala had a great interest in arts and was friends with Fernando Amorsolo. Enrique’s interest in art is one of the reasons why his was also interested in it. Fernando Zobel eventually got close to Fernando Amorsolo due to his father’s connection. Besides being a successful businessman, Enrique Zobel was a philanthropist and patron of the arts. He was also a skilled essayist who contributed regularly to the newspapers of the day. For his work, he was awarded the Isabel la Catolica del Merito Civil. In his later years, Zobel established the Premio Zobel, a prestigious literary prize that honors Filipinos who have made contributions to Spanish culture. It is not farfetched to assume that the young Fernando would have been influenced by the artistic leanings of his father.

Aside from the Ateneo Art Gallery, Fernando Zobel de Ayala also founded Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol which was created in Spain. The essay “176 Gifts / 176 Dispossessions” shows the struggles of the artist in the art industry and hardship to earn money. It shows how artists are forcefully making art out of their own will just to get money to buy food on the table. Then the art that they create will be bought by rich people and display them in their galleries. The problem here is that the poor try their hardest to feed themselves and their family just for the rich to exploit them and get the majority of the profit.  Ayala is one of the families that display great art not to exhibit the talent and story but to earn money from it. That is the essence of a museum or art gallery wherein art is displayed for the clout not for the deep story given behind every stroke. This is the sad fate that artists need to deal with whenever they have their backs against the world. The sad part here is that they could not do anything at all.

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Cultural Capital

Capital, what is a capital? Some may say it is the most well-known location of a country, another term for big letters or the root word of capitalized. Some may even say it is the starting money used for a business. Out of all of the given definitions of capital, this blog will be using the last given definition and expand upon it. A capital can be more than just money, since it is defined as the starting point or the foundation. In a way, it is the building blocks of just about anything, not just a business. The word capital can even be used for a person. A question then arises to this claim, how does one acquire, use, exchange, maintain, and reproduce capital?

The flow chart presented above answers the previous question. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and try to get through this step-by-step. First, let us answer how capital is acquired. In the flow chart, capital is acquired or given by the family. The starting point or capital of a person is dictated by what is given by the family. If a family is poor, then the starting point will be lower compared to someone from a rich family. In a way the advantage a person will have compared to others will be given from birth. The capital can be in the form of money, status, connections, skills, and influence. A person born within a family full of actors or government officials will have a lot of connections that they will have access to. Connection can easily be passed down to generations through introductions and familiarity. In another example, a family with a business selling fish will have connections in that field just like how doctors will have connections with medical experts. Along with the connections it is also possible to pass down the wealth, skills, influence, and status of a parent to their children. After acquiring the capital a person can then look to use it for their own.

In the example, the person will be using the capital to create a business that will generate income from art. The success and popularity of the business will fall on the starting capital of the person. The business will then generate money and awareness for the business. This will further increase the amount from the initial capital which will make it possible to maintain and reproduce the capital. Having a successful business will then lead to more connections and wealth. The same connections and wealth can be used to get even more connections and wealth. As time goes on, people will use the capital given to them to further increase it like investing money on stocks.

Capital is something that people obtain and use in order to gain things. It is very essential in a person’s everyday life as it heavily affects the kind of life they will be able to lead. In the art world, it is essential if a person seeks to find progress. Since it is impossible to make any progress without even having a starting point. The presence of the starting point serves as the gateway or foundation for a person to pursue the thing they want, which in this case it will be art. It is impossible to get anywhere without art.

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What about Philippine contemporary arts?

Production

Being a melting pot of various cultures, Philippines would have, in turn, very diverse set of arts that she can call her own. We have Reggae for music, our international singers like Lea Salonga, our sculptures, wall paintings, and much more. It is the country’s colorful history and present leanings that lend to the artists experimentation with new forms of expression.

Sustainability

Sadly, this is a big problem for us. More annoyingly, there are very good reasons why this isn’t easily solvable. While the government and private sector have increased their support for the arts in recent years, many artists still struggle to make a living from their work. Since this is a tropical country, and one who is relatively young in terms of independence, the government understandably focuses more on shoring up necessities like farmlands and managing disasters.

This contributes to a more general problem of ‘brain drain’ – in that artists are forced to go to other countries in order to sustain their art.

Well, at least art from the tribes are easily sustainable due to being both beautiful and practical – which is a common theme among ethnic art in the Philippines.

Accessibility

Art is mostly appreciated, thriving, and seen in major cities such as Manila or Cebu with their galleries and museums. Again, the issue of funding is manifest here.

Still, the penchant for Filipinos to make art that is both beautiful and practical actually boosts the accessibility since their creativity and need would have them take whatever is around and make something nice.

Reception

People seem to be split on the issue, honestly. As a whole, Filipinos love art – it’s just that half thinks the effort can be used on other more immediate concerns while others think it’s a great way to establish and promote our culture.

Creativity

Oh, very. I have repeatedly mentioned before that Filipino art is mostly beautiful and practicality. Before nobilities and civilizations, before modern times and colonialization, tribes thought of making objects that will make their lives easier. Philippines is a tropical archipelago constantly beset by storm after storm and disaster after disaster. It isn’t any surprise that our ancestors would use whatever they have on hand just to survive.

Come the Spanish. As practically the slave population, we thought of ways of improving our lives just a little bit with what we can sneak by. Americans. Japanese occupation.

Through it all, we learned and gathered materials from where others think there is none. And that instinct survives until this day.

Filipinos are very creative when they want to make something.

Criticality

As said before, Philippines is a relatively young country in terms of independence. So, what opinions the common person has can only be copied from the surface opinions of the other countries without much foundation from our own history.

That said, with the newer generations being born in a world where mass media is the norm, this issue can be solved faster. It is my hope that this will deepen our own understanding of the criticality of art before the birth of the next generation.

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One day, a person finds a dropped audio recorder as they were about to leave the Student Union Building. They thought of giving it to the Lost and Found, but curiosity won out and secreted it away.

At their home, they plugged the audio recorder to their PC and saw multiple files. They clicked on the first one, simply titled “3/25/23 - Arts and Perspectives”

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*sounds of a cup hitting a wooden table*

Person 1: That hits the spot. So, what did you want to talk about?

*papers shuffling*

Person 2: I’m trying kasi na intindihin yung mga binigay na readings ni ma’am. Naisip ko naman na baka makatulong ka, Guile.

Guile: Hmm, sige. It’s okay naman with me. So…

*throat being cleared*

Guile: Definition of art diba? So, art in itself has many definitions. There’s no one true way of describing it. In my opinion, it’s kind of like that quote about the “beholder” or something.

Person 2: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?”

Guile: Yeah! Thanks, Rafael. So, famous artists around the world sought to popularize their own definitions of “art”. We can see them here…

*papers shuffling and the thud of a finger meeting paper and wood*

Guile: Well, in the Study Guide provided, we can see the numerous ways in which art could be described. Herbert Read states that “art is an attempt to create pleasing forms”, which is essentially Formalism.

Rafael: *snrk* Formalism.

Guile: *sigh* Yes, formalism. The one perspective that’s very simple but the people who have this perspective try to complicate it very much to the point of vagueness. Well, moreso than the others.

Rafael: It tries to use some colorful description when in essence it just means what you see is what you get. Personally, I’m not a fan of this definition for it ignores so much factors.

*throat being cleared*

Guile: Where was I? Oh yeah, so we have Read’s Formalism perspective. We also have the expressionism perspective from Bernedetto Croce: “Art is an expression; it is not intention or talent.”

*papers softly rustling as they were set down*

Guile: Honestly, I always thought modern expressionism is kind of dumb. Apapap- don’t you raise your eyebrow at me. I’m comparing the modern one to its Golden Age one. Back then, it was novel and people were interested how each portrait was a story in of itself that the artist tried to tell with each stroke of the brush. Nowadays, with mass media, people try to look for deeper meanings or opinions that the artist didn’t intend to show. Due to the vagueness of the medium of communication, scandal upon scandal and misinformation upon misrepresentation keeps heaping on these poor artists.

*a big sigh*

Guile: And for what? Just to make themselves feel good about discerning the “true” meaning behind the art, nevermind if it's true or not, or whether it affects the artist.

*A cup being picked up. Sounds of someone sipping liquid*

Rafael: Oh, man this reminds me of the meme “this curtain is blue because of the emotion of the artist” when in reality its blue just cause. It is pretty ridiculous how people think that everything has a meaning behind it. Sometimes the artist just does things for no reason and that is totally fine. It just makes things more complicated.

Guile: Well, regardless of all that, my most favorite of all of this is Herskovits’ perspective. “Art is any embellishment of ordinary living that is achieved with competence and has describable form.”

Rafael: Bakit mo naman favorite yan?

Guile: Because it’s the inspiration to my own perspective regarding art. “There is effort in art and there is art in effort.” I find that there is beauty with the skill and competency of the artist as they create their product. It is kind of Formalism in the sense that the surface appearance is important, but where that perspective restricts itself to form, this one seeks to enhance that with perceived skill and talent it must’ve taken to do it.

Guile: Regarding the embellishment…eh. I don’t have an opinion on that. It’s on the people if they want realistic or fictional.

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Silence returned after that. Only the scratching of pencil could be heard and background noise of what the observer assumes is the SU building.

5 minutes droned on as they slowly lost their patience. Fortunately for the audio recorder, the silence was broken.

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Rafael: Now that I have a better understanding of what “art” is, I can’t help but have a few questions of my own.

Guile: Yeah? Like what?

Rafael: This was brought up by one of our classmates. When do we give the excuse that a work of art depicts freedom of artistic expression or consider it as exploitation or unethical?

Guile: Oh, what about it?

Rafael: Throughout history, there are a lot of artwork out there that can be considered as unethical but defend it as artistic expression. One example that immediately comes to mind is the artwork made by Richard Gomez.

Guile: You mean the giant d-

Rafael: Yes, that. I mean, it is just so obvious that it is clearly something inappropriate, however people still argue it as showing his freedom of artistic expression. I just feel like if a work of art can offend a lot of people for a valid reason or inexplicably inappropriate then it cannot be defended with that phrase. This question really made me realize where I stand on this topic.

Guile: What do you mean by valid reason?

Rafael: It’s the 21st Century, anyone will try to find any reason to be offended. So anyways what are your thoughts on this?

Guile: My stance on this topic is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It can be abhorrent to the majority of people or it can be wonderful to them. We can’t say that something isn’t art just because it offends people - since we can’t just generalize people. Generalizing art is the same.

Rafael: Ohhh, I see. Ah, look at the time I was too immersed that I didn’t even notice it. Sorry Guile I need to go on ahead. I still have a paper due this midnight. Thanks for your time!

Guile: Maliit na bagay anytime. Just ask if you have any other questions.

Rafael: Thanks man, bye!

Guile: Goodbye!

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“Well…” the person muttered. “That was interesting.”

They looked at the other files.

“I wonder what else this little guy picked up?”