Art Analysis: Formal, Personal, Cultural, and Contemporary Analysis on Bicolnon Visual Art
"I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people."
— Vincent Van Gogh
Art I:
Artist: Jaried
Millare
Art form: Painting
Title of the
Artwork: Bicol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition
A. Formal Analysis
Jarried
Millare’s piece entitled Bicol Beliefs
and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition (2010) was created using acrylic
paint on board 12” x 12”. It represents the beliefs and folkways of the
Bicolnon culture. The composition of the painting is realistic as there is no
beating around the bush in representing the title and the purpose of the
artwork. The characters in the drawing abruptly personifies the subject of the
painting. In its horizontal orientation, the left side of the painting is
dominated by the colors black and white and with morsels of red. It is predominantly dull in color to represent the eerie side of Bicolnon
beliefs and folkways. Ghastly creatures are drawn filling the darkened canvas
meant to emphasize the hideous identity of the artwork. These creatures are
Bicolano horror folklore characters such as the Kapre (upper left corner),
Santelmo (upper side of the canvas next to Kapre), Layog (next to Santelmo),
Tambaloslos (right border under Layog) etc. The latter is coalesced to the
brightly colored scenery depicting the rather prosaic yet festive culture of
Bicol bordered by the warm colors of a lantern which fumes a pillar of smoke to
further divide the two separate moods of the artwork.
The
lines are somewhat distorted accentuating the cartoonish quality of the
characters in the painting. The lines are veered to sharply pattern the shape
of each of the characters just like the half-human-half-serpent character in
the painting whose arms are unrealistically long; the Layog’s wings are bent to
a convex curve; the nipa hut or kubo has bended edges.
The
artwork is two-dimensional in nature and the edges are painted with contrasting
color from the dominant color to outline it. The division of two moods using
two contrasting tones of color created balance within the artwork.
B. Personal
Analysis
Bicol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of
Tradition is my personal favorite artwork of Jarried Millare. The
intriguing figures invited in the painting fed me with a nostalgic vibe as it
was only in childhood that I was made to believe that such creatures certainly
exist. The artist in his erudition seem to be knowledgeable of the ghouls he
painted in the artwork as he is able to illustrate many of them. Though the horrendous
mood of the artwork is overbearing, Millare does not only intend to represent the
horrors of the local culture. As from its title itself, the painting is a
showcase of tradition generalizing the beliefs and folkways of the Bicolnon
culture. He contrasted the predominantly vapid mood with the brightly colored
scenery that is meant to lighten the ambience to represent the festive side of
the Bicolnon culture. The left side is dark and diabolical while the right side
is bright, tranquil and religious. Millare emphasizes the variety of beliefs
and folkways of Bicol. It also seems that the painting is printed on the cover
of a book of the same title thus corresponding to the content of the book.
Perhaps, the content of the book of Eden K. Nasayao talks mostly about the
ghouls of the Bicol folklore and beliefs as the local culture can be very spooky.
C. Cultural
Analysis
Technically,
Bicolano folklore and beliefs lies herein ranging from bad to good. The larger
portion of the canvas which is painted in black accented with white and red is
rooted in the pre-hispanic beliefs of the Bicolanos. These supernatural being
rendered therein exists in another dimension created by the precolonial
Filipinos which (the beliefs) survives until today. Millare’s ghoulish
characters are mythical creatures that is acknowledged in Bicolano folklore
especially in the epic Ibalon which mentions Oryol, a serpent who appears as a
beautiful maiden, who also appears in the painting as a lovely woman whose body
is half serpent. These ferocious beasts are called “asuang” in general. The
cultural representation of the artist that is aforementioned therein is a
pre-Christian belief while on the other hand, foreign influences can be seen on
the littler portion of the canvas. Eventually, the benighted beliefs of the
Bicolanos was finally enlightened by the Spaniards by introducing the Christian
faith to the country. This can be seen by finally contrasting the dark portion
with bright colors that the artist used to present the good side of Bicolano
beliefs and folkways. Town fiestas are Spanish influences that is symbolized by
the array of banderitas are held in honor of the town’s patron saints. The
lower right corner of the canvas shows group of people holding candles. This
represents the oral repertoire of the Bicolano culture through which the
characters in the said portion can be seen opening their mouths – who
definitely are singing. Such ritual is done during religious processions in honor
of the Christian Catholic belief. The concept of marriage was brought forth by
the Spaniards and can be seen in the painting portrayed by the couple in white.
Folkways such as bayanihan exists in the Bicolano culture through which the
artist represents by illustrating a nipa hut hauled by the townspeople.
Jarried
Millare also never fails to include Mayon Volcano in his artworks to represent
the Bicolano culture in his paintings.
D. Contemporary
Analysis
Contemporary
art is enigmatic and consists various symbols that implies different meaning
united in one or two stories depicted in the artwork. Jarried Millare’s
painting is technically a contemporary artwork as it is created in the 21st
century by a contemporary artist. However, since the theme of the artwork is
traditional, the substance that can be inferred from the painting is behind the
contemporary line. Though the subject had survived many a generations and is
still adopted in the contemporary world. The artwork carries a cultural
heritage through which the modern generation can learn from. It seeks to
preserve what is taught by the Filipino forefathers from hundreds of years or
even centuries ago.
Art II:
Artist: Frederick
Maurice S. Lim
Art form: Photography
Title of the
Artwork: Untitled
A. Formal Analysis
This
photography was taken in 2009 with Nokia E63. At first glance, the picture
quite obviously focuses on only one subject which features an old and feeble
woman begging for alms from the passers-by. The woman’s gaze is seemingly fixed
at the recent passer-by whose feet are taken merely in a blur. Such scene arouses woeful emotions from the
viewer. Though taken in color, the ambience is dull and pale; the filter is
warm and vivid diffused with a grainy texture which only amplifies the already
depressing mood of the picture. The woman in her poor condition is clothed in a
casual manner with a bright yellow t-shirt and cerulean blue shorts. She might
also be surviving on whatever is inside the plastic bag; she also persists on a
closed rubber soiled footwear whose other pair is missing though is still
somewhat useful.
The subject of the picture does not take
much of the frame thus creating enough space for distractions such as the
rubbish scattered on the ground; soiled wall of the edifice; the single-letter
vandalism; the moving feet; the green board atop the woman which lists the
prices of the products to which hints the viewer that the photographs setting
is in a marketplace.
B. Personal Analysis
This
untitled photo of Frederick Maurice S. Lim caught my eye as it seems to tell a
miserable yet an excellent story. The simple photography administers a great
deal of back feelings. The piteous situation of the subject in the picture
conjured distress in my spirits which did the same thing to the other audiences
whom I showed the picture to. Her palm stretched out to the air is a cry for
help asking to be fed for the sake of living and defying hunger. Although she
takes up less than half of the frame, her aura is powerful that it stated a
hundred percent of the story in the photograph. Her weary eyes are enough to
tell that she had suffered misery in this world. Her skin is sagged that the
soils of the Earth are inviting her but her palms laid out that to me is a sign
of hope calls out to the divinity in the heavens. This creates an uplifting
mood for me as a thought crossed my mind stating that God too, is looking at
the picture.
As
I have observed from Lim’s photographs, he is fond of capturing scenes that are
dull and gloomy but are blunt in expressing its emotions. This one is an
effortless shot but captivates millions of emotion and a legendary tale. As I
can infer from the artwork I have picked, the artist must have a strong
personality to have the strength to face the cruel reality of the world and he
seems to embrace it.
C. Cultural Analysis
Beggars
along the streets of the country are a common sight. Sadly, the mundaneness of
the situation already numbed the Filipino people’s heart into not succumbing to
the pitiable emotion that alludes them to lend a coin or two to the needy. To
my dismay, compassion to the poor no longer exists in the heart of the
Filipinos. You will rarely ever see charitable strangers who would
wholeheartedly share his or her benevolent help to the poor people in the
streets. At times I would think that when a little bit of your compassion is
ignited, this would be considered as hypocrisy as most of the time you would
just walk past them as if you never saw them cross your path. Perhaps the
stranger who walked past the old lady felt guilt and shame as he or she has
nothing to spare or resisted to lend any extra amount he or she has. Apathy can
also be inferred from the story the photograph tries to narrate when it captured
the hastily walking feet keeping its distance from the distressing situation.
It is honestly mentally tormenting to have beggars stretch their arms to you so
just like what the second character did in the photo; he or she hurried on by.
But beggars will always be there; they are inevitable even the richest country
in the world have them.
Though
it is not a Filipino trait to abandon their parents or give them up to nursing
homes, an assumption prevails in my mind that this old lady is forsaken by her
children if she ever has one. My assumption as a viewer is contrary to the
Filipino culture to what the photography depicts.
D. Contemporary Analysis
Considering
that the photo was taken in a contemporary situation and in a contemporary
time, the aesthetic value of the photography can be seen in its message and
what it wants to tell the contemporary world. The picture that Lim took is not
the kind of beauty that can be seen on desktop or cellphone wallpaper.
Looking into its frame, it is just simply a scenario of a woman sitting on her
legs begging for alms. But sometimes art need not to be physically beautiful.
When my gaze caught the photograph, I felt an interpersonal connection with it
as it longs to tell me something.
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