Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

Resurrecting Christ on Canvas

For an artist, there is nothing more threatening than a canvas devoid of anything but utter blankness. But as fear factors go, the blank canvas seems to be just a piece of painted cake for the talented student painters who graced the interiors of the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences with their exceptional works of art.

Having gone from the usual bureaucratic system of proposals, proposals and more proposals, Gintong Susi, a student organization in the UST College of Fine Arts, could finally breathe a sigh of relief… and a triumphant shout for joy. After more than three months worth of sweat, overnights and mantras for creative juices to flow, their brainchild dubbed “Christ in my Art” has opened its doors for public viewing last August 12. Artists, accompanied by their parents and friends, were in high spirits as they witnessed the unveiling of “Gintong Susi Art Exhibit,” which showcased a selection of 28 oil paintings about Christ. Among those who attended the unveiling were College of Fine Arts and Design Dean Jaime delos Santos, UST Secretary General and Museum Director Rev. Fr. Isidro Abaño O.P., Painting Department Head Professor Rhoda Recto, and Advertising Arts Department Head Professor Nady Nacario. Exhibit sponsors Ms. Nelia Lim, Mr. Rudy Tan, Maestro Orobia, and Mrs. Katherine Alog were also cited.

For many are called…

“Every artist wants to have an exhibit. To be part of this is a great honor,” gushes sophomore student Maria Paula Pangan, who did the piece “Choosing the Right Route”. Another painter Diana Kristine Landicho revealed how happy and proud she was to have been selected for this exhibit. “It was quite a journey but it was worth it,” she said. According to Gintong Suri President Abe Luna Orobia, the preparation process was very arduous. During the summer months, they would attend workshops on painting techniques and color combination. Though there was no formal screening process per se, they still looked into the participants’ art concepts in painstaking detail. “We asked them to turn in their proposals. After which we did a critique on their interpretations.” Concept is their main criteria, citing the similarities of a painting and the human body. “A painting without a philosophy is like a body without a soul,” he illustrated in words. Intrinsic value was so important that they even underwent workshops teaching them how to explain their piece before the opening of the exhibit. “We went here tonight ready to defend our artwork to anyone,” discloses Abe. Exacting the very essence of the artwork is what “Gintong Susi” is all about. “The word “susi” is actually a combination of the words “suri,” which means to analyze and “sining,” which is art,” explains Abe.

The workshop was just a tip of the three-month long groundwork and from the artists’ demeanor the entire evening, they are really happy and quite proud to have pulled it through. “We really prepared hard for this. While everyone was enjoying their free time, we go here at UST on Saturdays to finish our pieces,” he confides. “The UST Museum is of course a big help. They allowed us to hold the exhibit here.” Still, they had to look for people and companies who believe enough in their cause to sponsor them. It was, however, a time well spent. As student-organized events go, this is definitely one of the picture perfect ones. “We’ve had students exhibits before but this is one of the few times I’ve seen it done so professionally. The standard is definitely at a higher level,” comments Fr. Isidro Abaño O.P. Even their adviser Dean delos Santos were all praises as he said, “The credit truly belongs to the students. They did all these all on their own.”

Recreating Christ

Never let it be said though that it was easy all the way through. Creating a masterpiece is not so simple even for art students like them As Dean Jaime delos Santos mentioned in his opening speech, “Each canvas is a story of a struggle.” There is a constant struggle to express what they truly feel or remain mum, hidden from the censure of the world. It takes courage to create something and expose a part that has been private for so long. One can even say that each canvas tells the story of their inner souls. “Challenge the students to do something and they will surpass your expectations. It’s really them. One can actually glean from their work what their ideas were,” observes Dean delos Santos.

The interpretations of Christ were indeed unique. Each of the artists saw Christ in a different light. One controversial piece, entitled “Korona ng Kaligtasan” depicted a crown of thorns among different headgears while another piece, “Kanlungan” used the tenets of cubism to render a piece that captures the senses with its rich color and distinctive design. Another piece that struck a chord was the “Pag-asa sa Gitna ng Karimlan” that shows several human-like trees that live off from a swamp with Christ’s bleeding hand a central figure. Christ was the first that came to mind when they were thinking of a theme. “We felt that people are slowly losing the values of Christianity. Why not do an exhibit that is based on the mission and vision of UST?” recalls Abe.

Though their works were partly inspired by the lecture on the appearance of Christ in the visual arts that Fr. Abaño gave a few months ago, the students still came up with images that reflect their personal feelings and convictions. “It was quite astounding how these students managed to think of these concepts. The lecture tackled the image of Christ from the earliest times to the modern era. We even touched the medieval arts but as you can see some of the work were very modern in their approach,” said Dean delos Santos. What is more admirable is some of these students haven’t even dabbled in the oil medium before. Some have never used the medium before while others are just second timers. “We wanted to use the same medium and work on the same 32x42 sized canvas. We felt oil was the most appropriate even though some of us have not used it yet,” Abe discloses.

Inspiring Others

If Gintong Susi can do it, then other organizations certainly can. Sometimes it only takes one person or one group to show the way before others would follow. “Teach one person and you will teach others,” advises Abe. “It is a good feeling to be able to inspire others to action. We hope to do another exhibit like this,” he continues. Another project is actually in the drawing board. “Hopefully, we could hold another exhibit this coming December.”

Life is a never-ending journey and it all begins with a single step (ain’t that familiar?). Taking the first step may be the hardest part but it can be the sweetest of all.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 11:22 PM