Carlos Botong Francisco, A Nation Imagined

Carlos "Botong" Francisco, FILIPINO STRUGGLES THROUGH HISTORY

Oil on canvas, 1964, (located at Manila City Hall)

A National Cultural Treasure owned by the City of Manila

Carlos Botong Francisco: A Nation Imagined is the latest art installation at the Ayala Museum in Makati to celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of Carlos “Botong” Francisco (1912-1969), a Philippine National Artist. Forty paintings and lithographs were culled from various private collections to form this exhibition. Of the large scale paintings on display, Maria Makiling and Fiesta, both oil on canvas, are representative of the indigenous genre which Botong loved to portray. In Maria Makiling, Botong reveals a relaxed and recumbent woman with her legs dangling in the cool waters of the stream and playing with an exotic deer by her side. Fiesta is about how the Filipino people gather to celebrate an important occasion, be that a religious feast or a wedding. The central figures are dancing the tinikling, a popular Philippine dance imitating the bird, tikling, amidst a rustic landscape. Fiesta is vibrant, colorful and chronicles local mores and culture.

* Filipino Struggles in History is now on permanent display at the National Museum of the Philippines.

Filipino Struggles in History at the National Museum of the Philippines,

Senate Session Hall

The 1969 oil canvas, Camote Diggers, stirs an emotional reaction from the viewer. Hunger and poverty are suggested by the bent and intent figures that are digging with bare hands for their meal. The female digger is skeletal, showing a protruding bone at the nape of her neck. This painting reminds me of Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters.

The Camote Diggers from the Yuchengco Museum*

“Sungkaan” is a portrait of two women with flowers on their hair and seated on the ground in the same way as Gauguin’s Tahitian Women. They are playing with a sungka, a long wooden board with two rows of carved holes and cowrie shells.

The First Mass and Blood Compact are some of the historical works done in watercolor, the latter in sepia. Botong's historical genre paintings tell a story of the Philippines in bold colors from its brush with the Spaniards which lasted 400 years to the sacrifices of its heroes, Andres Bonifacio and Jose Rizal.

Of the watercolor works by Botong, I was thoroughly captivated by The Pilgrimage to Antipolo circa 1960. In this canvas, an elegant woman is carried in a hammock by two men on her way to the pilgrimage site. (There's a lot of implied irony here when the real meaning of a pilgrimage is understood.) In the foreground are two little kids who are carried in separate baskets by their father. Their heads bob from the depths of the basket. This painting arouses a feeling of nostalgia, the age of innocence and happy, carefree days.

There’s so much to discover and love about the chef d’oeuvres of Botong, the Poet of Angono, who shows us through the fine details in his works, his immense love of his craft and country.

“And to live we must go back to a bigger audience. For this it must have the power to communicate and not repel. That is why I love to paint big murals for like a composer, I can create a symphony from a history of our country or our own way of life." Letter of Botong to his daughter, Carmen, March 5, 1968.

Harana
(Image from the Carlos "Botong" Francisco Centennial Facebook page)

The exhibitIon will run through March 31, 2013 at the Ayala Museum on the corner of Makati Avenue and Dela Rosa Streets. http://ayalamuseum.org

Filipino Struggles in History

*Note: Please check out my articles below to learn more about the art of Carlos Botong Francisco.
This Small Museum Packs a Punch written in August 2016
https://travelswithcharie.blogspot.com/search?q=Yuchengco
Filipino Struggles in History
https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2019/05/filipino-struggles-in-history-carlos.html
Progress of Medicine in the Philippines
https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2018/07/the-art-of-carlos-botong-francisco.html

The Evolution of Philippine Culture:

https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2023/06/carlos-botong-francisco-evolution-of.html

Where to go:

Ayala Museum

Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa St.

Greenbelt Park, Makati

Stay connected

* * * * *

Images by Charie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and...

The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina

Church of the Beheading of St. John, Arbore Monastery Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Romania lies the enchanting region of Bucovina, home to a treasure trove of stunning monasteries. The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina, collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a testament to the region's rich history, spirituality and artistic genius. One of the most visited monasteries in Bucovina is Voronet. It was commissioned by Stefan the Great, Voivode of Moldova and one of its most admired rulers. Moldova was a medieval state that once encompassed parts of present-day Romania, Ukraine, and Moldova. Voronet was built in 1488 to commemorate his victory over the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vaslui and it was miraculously completed in three months time. Succeeding princes of Moldova continued the construction of more magnificent monasteries. The exterior walls of these structures were adorned with intricate frescoes, depicting biblical scenes, saints, and...

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