48. Review: PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Category: Books 
Genre: Arts & Photography 
Author: Christiane L. de la Paz 
Hardbound, 364 pp. Arte de las Islas © 2009 , Limited Edition of 1,000 Copies,with a companion interactive CD

Before I write a review about this book, let me recount how I found it, lost it and finally tracked it down in Greenhills.

I have seen this book in an uppity bookstore in Rockwell, and actually became interested in it upon leafing through a few pages.

When I made a decision to get it, it was gone. The Customer Care guy with a fake, affected English accent checked out other other branches and a copy of the book was confirmed to be available at the Greenhills branch—a long way off from Makati.

When I asked him if it could be delivered to their Makati branch, he answered in the negative, which I found really strange. (I miss the friendliness and efficiency of National Bookstore) . Anyway, he said, there might be a volume available at their EDSA Shangrila branch, which, at least is nearer. He got my contact number, promised to give me a ring, but he never did. A few weeks after, I found myself in the Greenhills area and remembered the book again. I went to the uppity bookstore and tried to look for the book.

The Customer Care person was totally useless with his computer search until another sales aide overheard our talk and budged in—“Is this the 8,000 peso book?”, he asked. I had no idea about the book’s price, but since I’ve seen how thick it was, I just said, “Well, I guess so..” with a shrug of my shoulders.

A few minutes after, he handed me the book, “Private Collections”, same title I remember, but the cover looked different (I would later learn that the book was designed with 12 different covers that you can choose from). It was wrapped in plastic and sealed with tape. I asked permission to open it, but the sales aide hesitated.

Giving me a suspicious stare—I was in my standard shopping outfit: T-shirt, shorts and Islander tsinelas—he told me just to make sure to replace the book on the shelf when I am done with it. “But what if I wanted to buy it?” I asked the aide of this uppity book store (God, I miss National Bookstore!).

This time, he unwrapped the plastic cover for me, I flipped through the pages and recognized the book—and I told him that I will get it. The aide suddenly turned perky, directed me to the cashier and chirpily asked if I wanted to have the book covered with plastic—“it’s an expensive book, sir” (I know that, dum-dum!) , and besides, it’s free! (Thanks, ha?) . So much for uppity book stores and their bourgeoise-acting, fake English speaking staff. And now the book—Private Collections.

The title itself is self-explanatory—it is a coffee table book that features the finest and choices art collections of the most outstanding collectors in the country—classified as Early Career (Julius Babao, Charlie Conjuangco, Mikee and Sheila Romero, Patrick Reyno, etc), Mid-Career (Napoleon Abueva, Manny Zialcita, Gilbert Santos, Louie Ojeda, etc) and End Career Collectors (Washington Sycip, David Consunji, Hans Sy, Joey de Leon, etc.).

Hmm, I just wonder where Paulino and Hetty Que, Jaime Laya and Dr. Teyet Pascual are. I really don’t care much about the opening chapter ( “Collecting, Collectors and Collections”—Is definition of terms truly necessary? Nahhh! There is even a section on “Motivations and Rewards of Collecting”, which touches on our psychological need to collect—read: a sense of pride and ownership. Huh? ).

But once past that, the book engages the eye, each page a virtual gallery of masterpieces, beautifully photographed and with interesting background write-ups about the collector, his collecting interests, accounts of how he started and how his collection was built over time. There is not a single piece of artwork I did not like in the book, even if I am partial to mid-century genre paintings.

But I went agog over the collection of Jose Maria Esteban, which includes an eclectic mix of period and modern pieces, realist paintings as well as abstracts. Julius Babao’s contemporary art collection was also awesome, with the works of Mark Justiniani and Ronald Ventura as highlights.

The Romero couple has outstanding Amorsolos in their collection, plus Simon Flores sacred paintings, Juan Arellanos, Jorge Pinedas, Domingo Celis and Isidro Anchetas—my cup of tea! Oh, to be young and rich—that’s what the Romeros are. Of course, I will never laugh at Joey de Leon again (Kiukoks galore!) and giggle at Orestes Ojeda—I never knew him as an art connoisseur but as a hunky star of sexy movies back in the late 70s.

I still have to try the interactive CD because I am not even done with the book yet—I have about 150 pages to go. In my lifetime, I don’t think I can even get to one tenth of the level reached by these passionate and, more importantly, moneyed collectors (I think you can buy taste with money, no?). For now I will be content with what I have, and will continue to drool over these private collections, happy and hopeful with the thought that in my next trip to Bangkal, I will find the one masterpiece that will become the jewel of my own private collection!

47. HOTEL ART

Living in hotels is a necessary part of travel. Hotel bookings are made in advance, often sight unseen. Expecting the unexpected, it is always amusing when you get to your temporary residence. First impressions do last--and the first thing I take note of are the hotel interior decors. Cheap prints, works of unknown artists, campy sculptures, horrible watercolors--perhaps I've seen it all. Of course, I realize that hotels are not museums. That is why when I am on the road, I make it a point to visit a museum or a gallery, which to me is the quickest and most convenient way to immerse yourself in the local arts and culture.

In a recent trip to Europe, however, I didn’t have to go out or look far to view excellent works of art. Right in a modest Spanish hotel where I stayed—Melia Fernan Gonzales Boutique Hotel in Burgos—I was surprised to see authentic colonial antiques as well as faithfully reproduced sacred art scattered all over the hotel premises.

It is obvious that the hotel has imbibed the sense of history of this city. Burgos began as a fortified city and was a major stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. It has also been the site of many wars: against the Moors, Napoleonic French and the Spanish civil war. Its Gothic Cathedral—just a stone’s throw away from the hotel—is beautifully preserved and so are the numerous ecclesiastical monuments that dot the place—more than any other Spanish city.

 Upon entering the Lobby, the first thing that I saw was a beautifully polychromed image of our Lady with the Child Jesus.

The centerpiece of the hotel lobby is this beautiful antique Nativity tableaux encased in a protective glass urna to secure it from overzealous santo art lovers like me. I had to admire this set with exquisite gilt work first--the hotel key can wait!

A solo image of a naked Salvador del Mundo--which I wanted to bring home-- stands guard at the Lobby Lounge. This is an obvious reproduction, but still excellently made.

Going up my 2nd floor room, I saw this old painting of Crucified Christ, which reminded me of the old Cuzco style of painting popular in Peru.

 En route to the restaurant for my breakfast, an antique cabinet displayed various religious vestments--chasubles, a cope and dalmatic--some heavily embroidered, others with great floral appliques.

Next to this dramatically-lit cabinet was this large santo base that had lots of charming little cherub carvings with amazing details. This base was displayed as is, sans a santo, perhaps to show off the artistry that went into this exquisite piece.

There was a big detalyado San Agustin image at the exit of the restaurant, a very impressive piece. It was missing its staff and mitre though, but the detailed church on his left hand was intact.

 At another lounge, I gazed at this folk-looking Madonna that adorned a plain brick red wall. It reminded me so much of the Black Madonna of Montserrat which was also on my agenda, but this one has a fair encarna. There is a Gothic feel to it...

On this same wall was this painting on a gilt frame that looked like the Mother of Perpetual Help without the angel attendants.

Flanking this piece was this San Juan Bautista complete with his sheepskin loincloth. If this were mine, I would add a base and a banner and use it as a processional santo instead of hanging it on a wall.

Adjacent to this inner lounge was the main dining section that featured more vibrant colonial pieces. This retablo housing our Lady and the Child Jesus was a real stunner; the rococo decorations are outstanding:

 Finally, at the restaurant downstairs, a niche housed this ancient San Pedro tabletop santo, which would look perfect on my antique mesa altar.

 Sadly, I stayed only for a day at the hotel. I would have wanted to explore the Swimming Pool. Goodness what I would have discovered there. A carved retablo diving board perhaps, or an antique kneeling angel lamp post. When you are travelling, wonders never cease, there's always a surprise at every bend. And that's what I found at this small boutique hotel on a narrow street in Burgos.

(6 November 2008)

46. HIDDEN TREASURES: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture

Category: Books 
Genre: Arts & Photography 
Author: Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno 

Since childhood, these identical twins have been antiquing like crazy--going to flea markets as teens and re-selling their finds for a profit. It was but natural that as adults, they went into the antique business, and have now become even more familiar with their appearances on the "Antiques Roadshow", a popular U.S. TV show. In this book, they recount their early fascinations for old things, and from there, as they acquired sophisticated knowledge about American antiques, they narrate their fabulous finds--from a pair of 18th c. chairs found in a chicken coop...to a stunning silver-mounted secretary-bookcase uncovered in Paris, to the small mahogany card table bought at a yard sale for 25$ that turned out to be a masterpiece of American furniture worth hundred of thousands of dollars!

Lots of great color pictures, "before and after" restorations and personal archival documents from the authors. Though the examples shown are American (not exactly my taste), the stories resonate with the same feeling of excitement brought about by the thrill of a serendipitous find that any antique collector can relate to. Why, I even see a lot of myself in the Keno brothers (except that they both are blond, blue-eyed and have more greenbucks). Get a copy of "Hidden Treasures" today! Where? At your nearest Book Sale, of course!

(15 July 2009)

45. WHERE HAVE ALL MY PHOTOS GONE? part II

Some of my photos have also seen print in other publications like magazines, school journals as well as other writers' blogs. Presentations have also been enriched through my photos, to illustrate or visualize a topic.

MAGAZINES:

METRO SOCIETY, "All Hail the Queen", by Bettina Rodriguez-Olmedo, photos by Alex R. Castro. Article on past Manila Carnival queens. July-Aug. 2009 issue.

SINGSING, Official Magazine of the Center for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University, Angeles City, Pampanga.

 BLOGS: 

Na Mi Puebo, a blog about Zamboanga City, maintained by Rossini Almonte - Picture and article of Carmen Fargas 

Dan Cuyonon, a blog about Cuyo, Palawan, maintained by Dan Oliver Tan - picture and article of Trinidad Fernandez 

Ang Aming Angkan, a family genealogy site, -Picture of Iluminada Tuason, Miss Philippines 1939 and reference to my Manila Carnival blogsite 

THESIS: 

 The Philippine International Fair of 1953, doctoral thesis of Edson Roy Cabalfin, Asst. Professor, School of Architecture & Interior Design, University of Cincinnati. - pictures of 1953 pavilions and booths

 Cultural History of the Sto. Domingo Church, Masteral thesis by Romeo Galang, approved for publication by UST Publishing, 

  
 UP Visual Communication Thesis-Exhibit, March 2010 -pictures of Manila Carnival 

44. 'TIQUES TRIPPING, part II

Oh where, o where have all the Casa Tesoro antique shops gone? Seeing my shocked expression, the kind lady whose boutique now occupies Nora’s former place, directed me to Joncor Bldg., just across the street, where most of the shops have relocated since December. As usual, I was the last to know.

It was easy to find Atsing Nora’s new shop, she has the biggest space on the 2nd floor. After my hurried greetings, I surveyed her antique stock and came up with these quality pieces, both big and small. This 5 inch painted wooden Nino on a new manger is an excellent example of naive carving. I thought it was being sold individually, but it turns out he comes with a San Jose and Sta. Maria pair, thus driving the price up to 5 digits.

There’s also a 1950s San Isidro Labrador, from some religious commercial store..

But the more impressive pieces include this century-old talyado San Roque with traces of gilt on its carved robes. As is the common case with this santo, the dog and angel are missing..

I was interested in this consigned San Agustin head that was matched with a wrong size body. It reminded me of the San Agustin I chased around in Apalit, the one that got away and which I later found again for sale in a Manhattan shop! I choked when Atsing Nora quoted the price; I was interested in buying the santo head, not the whole Joncor Building! ;-).

One floor up, I chanced upon Bonnie having lunch, so I told him not to mind my nosey presence. The biggest item in his shop was the first thing that I saw: a magnificent century old, almost lifesize Crucified Christ that would have been perfect for a Semana Santa procession. And, it was in pristine condition!

The haunting face reminded me so much of Byzantine Christs.

I knew this was definitely way beyond my means, so I said a hurried goodbye and darted off outside, for a quick omelet lunch at Frendy's along Mabini St. I need to be more realistic! So, the next leg of my trip took me to good old Philtrade. I grabbed a cab which whisked me to the waiting antique pavilions, in no time at all. I worked the Philtrade shops systematically, hopping from one shop to another, and ocassionally chatting with familiar people manning the stores. Though the afternoon was s-l-o-o-w, I was quick to spot interesting finds!

At BERNALES ANTIQUE SHOP, I was shown this beautiful set of Virgin and Nino ivory heads and hands, still in a box!

I loved the carving, even if the faces had natural ivory striations. I imagined a future 5 footer Nstra. Snra. del Rosario for myself! (Reasonably priced too. Tantamount to 2 round trip tickets to the U.S. East Coast with pocket money to spare! ;-). In any case, I got hold of the store's contact numbers.

At BAYLOSIS SHOP, I saw this folksy santo grouping, heavily repainted, but charming, nevertheless. There was a Sta. Filomena, Virgen Antipolo, Maria, among others. Oh, but really not my cup of tea..

The sweltering heat was taking its toll on me and just as I was about ready to collapse, I found some energy to visit BLAS CORDOVA's ANTIQUE SHOP. Sometimes, Blas surprises with great finds from his Visayan forays.

Sure enough, I saw an unusual San Roque mounted on a cylindrical base, with 2 similar dovetailed bases for the dog and angel. Underneath the dirt and grime, I could see brilliant prolychromes of green, yellow and red. Blas told me the tableau came from Iloilo. I scrutinized it for a full 5 minutes and was smitten. To sweeten the pot, Blas further reduced the price from Ph P8,500 to PhP6,500. But I coaxed and cajoled. Being his VIC* (Valuable and Important Client, i.e. no bouncing checks to date), he further lopped off PhP500 from the price. Ano pa nga ba, e di..SOLD!

I took my San Roque home, gave it a sponge bath and a coat of wax, polished it..and here's how it looks now, occupying a place of honor on an already crowded table. Looks good to me!

And that's how I spent my Labor Day holiday. Tomorrow, it's back to the rat race. For us ordinary mortals, it's another day to make kayod..so I can fill my table with food...my cabinets with clothes..and my altar table with antique santos. Such is the cycle of my life. Until the next trip!

(1 May 2007)

43. 'TIQUES TRIPPING, part I

I knew this one day holiday was coming, so, as early as last week, I reserved May 1 as my LWL day (read: LiWaLiw, a code my friends in the office use when we want to do a bit of gallivanting, yes—even during office hours.) Heck, I need this break; I’ve been under tremendous stress lately, coping with work while dealing with sickness and death in the family.

What better way to recharge than to go antiquing, a hobby that I’ve put on hold for the last few months? I have not made the rounds of Manila shops lately, and so, on this day dedicated to workers, I decided to work the antique circuit and see what’s in stock (or what’s new, but then that would have been inappropriate).

Mind you, the intent of this trip was to de-stress, which, in my case, could be accomplished by feasting my eyes on objects of history, beauty and value (read: santos), nothing more. But of course, I am always noted for uttering those famous lost words. More often than not, after filling up my senses, I end up filling a bag with an antique purchase.

On this hot sweltering day, I took a cab and found myself in Manila’s antique enclave: the streets of Mabini, M.H. del Pilar, Padre Faura. It was just past 10 a.m. when I entered DEUS—it was open! Immediately, santos attack my senses and my heart palpitates..

 I was in luck. Noted director and owner Floy Quintos, an acquaintance, was around! He was rushing to Iloilo that day but still found time to show me interesting santos of all shapes and sizes. But the one that caught my eye was a seldom-seen antique Sta. Ines—our barrio patroness! Hmm, there was a sense of familiarity when I beheld this image. It’s chapel size, the body definitely old, the carving folksy—in fact, a tad too folksy for my taste.

  Next to it was a not-too-old, not-too-new ivory Del Rosario. Yours to bring home for PhP 200K! Any takers?

 On top a nearby altar table is this Raffy Lopez restored ivory Crucifixion scene in its original virina. Nice! Nice price too.

 So, okay, to the wooden santos then. This polychromed San Roque is a good piece. Heavy wood. Now if only it had a dog and angel…

 Floy also showed me an unusual miniscule all-ivory Nino sitting on a media luna (half moon) and dated 7-17-1959. A vintage piece, but still a rare representation of the Child Jesus. In my excitement, I forgot to take a photo. Sayang. I think, though, it will go to his private vault.

Next door to Floy is the shop of Nellie Enriquez, who sells more bagong luma (reproductions) now than genuine antique pieces. Nellie’s shop had always been here; I would go to her to buy new santo bases and for santo vestments repair. I found several items here that piqued my fancy: First, a complete 2 footer San Roque (albeit undressed), with a silver pukpok base, that unfortunately does not show in the picture.

 There's a repro San Sebastian, which also caught my eye:

 The glass escaparates yielded these small ivory Ninos, just around 3 inches long. One looked like a Nino Inocente for a Virgen Desamparados. The tag? PhP 4,500 each.

My heart skipped a beat when Nellie brought out a cardboard box where this well-carved head of a processional Veronica emerged! It was in great condition, encarna and glass tears intact, and well-carved. The only problem was that it was fairly new (dated 1982 incised at the nape, too recent for me!). The other bigger problem was the price (25K!—arrggh!, 5K more and I can have Nick Lugue carve a whole complete santo)..

I found out that this head was consigned by Nora Ignacio of SINAG TALA ANTIQUES, which explained why the price is so—impossible. I must go to Atsing Nora! But wait, BERNALES ANTIQUES nearby may have something worth seeing too. No santos, but I was shown these embroidered altar cloth pieces with Agnus Dei and floral motifs that offer a lot of possibilities.

The asking price of PhP70K was just too much for these frayed pieces that are threatening to disintegrate at a touch. Oh, well. Perhaps, it's really time to go to Atsing Nora, it's almost lunchtime anyway.

I’ve known Atsing Nora for over 20 years, back when I was a fresh graduate in my first job. She was the first to offer installment payments on santos I wanted to buy, and some of my initial pieces came from her shop.

But upon reaching Casa Tesoro, her shop was nowhere to be found! In fact, all the other antique shops housed in Casa Tesoro are gone!

(1 May 2007)

42. SIMON SAULOG GOT EBAYED

For many years now, my wish list of paintings includes that of the relatively unknown and underrated artist from Cavite, Simon Saulog. I first saw his work included in Filipiniana art collection of Jorge Vargas, and later read about his life in a past issue of Art Manila. He was an acclaimed painter in the 1950s, famed for his paintings of Filpino madonnas--only to die almost forgotten in his home province in November 1995.

Born in Malagasang in Imus in 1916, Simon exhibited extraordinary talent at a young age. Father Juan Saulog, a horse trader, would often find him sketching horses as Simon sat by their house’s ventanilla. The proud father would show his son’s sketches around, who, in turn would be amazed at his artistry.

His first mentor was a 17 year old neighbor, Gregorio de los Santos, who would watch him copy the likeness of Rizal from a very small postage stamp. Simon would follow suit—but he copied Rizal’s image from a bigger one peso bill.

Saulog enrolled at the University of the Philippines in 1931. When Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian de la Rosa and art teacher Candido Alcantara saw him draw, they described him as “isang pintor sa puso” ( a painter at heart). While in school, Saulog was won two medals and 8 honorable mentions for his works. He graduated in 1936, together with his classmates that included Angel Luna, Cesar Legaspi, Victor Loyola and Ricarte Purugganan.

Thereafter, he joined many art competitions, and it was in the post-war contests of the Art Association of the Philippines that his “Filipino Madonnas” first created a stir. They were described as “women of unspoiled, fragile purity, ideal of the countryside”.These qualities were the hallmarks of his works, and he belive that an artist does not paint sceneries, but paint stories.

Saulog, in his lifetime, won many awards, including taking second place for his painting “Offspring” in 1952. In 1956, he won first place in a UNESCO-sponsored art conest in New Delhi, India. He served as judge at the Shell Art Competition and exhibited his works in Bern Switzerland.

 In 1955, he also exhibited at the first sidewalk art of the Academy of Filipino artists and was featured in the First Southeast Asian Art exhibition in 1957. His works were soon available in the numerous galleries that dotted Mabini St. in Manila.

When a new breed of modernist artists emerged to take his place, Saulog went back to Cavite to work—and teach-- in obscurity. He suffered from poverty, remaining unnoticed in death. De La Salle University-Dasmariñas was the first to take note of Saulog’s contribution to Philippine art, celebrating his silver jubilee with an exhibit of his works at the Museo De La Salle. Despite this renewed awareness, Saulog paintings are rare and hard to come by in the market.

The first Saulog painting I saw for sale was in one uppity antique shop in a Manila mall. The second one was a beautiful pastel of a guitar-playing old man puffing a cigar at Galeria de las Islas in Intramuros. I was told there is a Saulog currently available at Tiendesitas for Php 45,000.

A local painting warehouse in Cubao yielded a more recent Saulog watercolor dated 1981 with a 35K price tag. The painting is entitled "Mariang Makiling.

An early Saulog portrait of an American woman is also up for grabs on ebay with a starting bid of $399—but there are no takers yet. The alien subject may be undesirable to many collectors.

 It was a surprise then to see a small Saulog piece offered on local ebay Philippines at a very reasonable price. It is a small piece, 12 x 17”, signed S. Saulog, “Imus, Cavite”, a signature tribute to his town and province.

The circa 1970s painting was dedicated to a certain Tony ( a lawyer-patron, I was later told), and it came from a private collection of an art-loving couple who have been silently unloading some other vintage pieces from their collection that included Anchetas, Laxas, Navarros, Custodios and J.D. Castro. Although bidding is slow on ebay.ph, bidders snapped most of the choice paintings.

As it turned out, I was the only bidder of the Saulog work, which was priced more than the Custodio and the Laxa pieces, but still within my budget.

Now, I am a proud owner of a Saulog painting, a small treasure as colorful and as affecting as the life lived by Cavite’s art maestro and, more importantly, a legacy that will ensure that he will always be remembered and never forgotten.