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 21^st 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.