MANILA, Philippines - The University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts teaches four disciplines: Visual Communications, Painting, Sculpture and Art History. This is illustrated by the four overlapping tongues of flame in its logo designed by Rafael Asuncion.

As part of the State University’s centennial celebration, San Miguel Corporation is sponsoring an extensive design exhibition from UP CFA curated by Tina Colayco.

“Artista, Debuhista, Manlilikha: Paghubog at Paghiwatig” runs until May 31 in the Tall Galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

The show casts the spotlight on the less exalted but more popular disciplines of the visual arts, such as editorial illustration, book design, stamp and currency design, scenography, poster-making, costume and fashion design, cartooning, film and video production, advertising, industrial design.

Unknown to many, several of our prominent artists have simultaneously excelled in these disciplines. As Colayco notes: “This diversion from painting challenged the artists in a different creative arena that reached a different audience, and at the same time provided them with a more regular source of income.”

Items are progressively arranged by eras through the halls, from the pioneers of the Escuela de Bellas Artes (UP School of Fine Arts) since it opened in 1908, to the recent crop of UP CFA graduates.

As noted by Colayco: “Varied works in this exhibition are situated through decades to mirror developments in the curriculum and academic history of the Visual Communications program of the school. They also reflect the popular tastes and trends of audiences and the themes and issues of the times.”

Stamps and print ads

Included in the show are commercial designs of some who later became National Artists. Fernando Amorsolo, of course, is the best known, for his Marca Demonio label design for Ginebra San Miguel in the 1900s. In fact, situated at the hall entrance is a gigantic blown-up replica of the gin bottle, while encased in a glass box are seven specimens of the bottle.

Mounted on one wall are reproductions of Amorsolo’s print ads from the 1920s: Bear Brand milk, featuring a still life of a vase of carnations and a bowl of half-eaten champorado; Ford automobile, reproduced from Philippine Graphic Magazine; Ivory soap, with a silhouette of a female nude and a blazing sun.

From 1935, we see his designs for six postage stamps. A 1912 crayon sketch for the cover of the magazine Renacimiento Filipino, depicting a barrio lass in baro’t saya and tapis treading on a long line of culverts, is a fine study on perspective and tri-dimensionality through shading.

A telling item is one of his opinion illustrations from the Commonwealth era. It is an editorial cartoon for The Independent ca. 1917, showing one Pedro Chua projecting on screen a huddle of Chinese-looking figures and a policeman receiving tong. The heading says: “Is the Police Force Bribed?” And we can see that this social problem has been there since time immemorial.

Costumes and books

Botong Francisco is represented by his costume designs for the movies and the 1963 book cover of Teodoro Agoncillo’s “The Writings and Trial of Andres Bonifacio.” On the book cover, the figures are subliminally limned in gray highlights while the rest of the pictorial frame is drenched in red, red as in revolution.

The costume designs are rendered in watercolor on paper, complete with marginal notes in pencil specifying color, fabric and fitting. Expectedly, “Apat na Alas” is the centerpiece (his sketches for the legendary Manuel Conde film “Genghis Khan” probably unavailable).

There are also his individual costume designs for a courtesan (European), a princess (Egyptian), a Gypsy and a toreador (for “Dagohoy,” the note saying, “Spanish influence, mostly worn by well-to-do men about 1700 to middle of 1800”).
José Joya is represented by designs for book jackets and the 1992 stamp of the Asean-edition airletter.

Guillermo Tolentino has three stamp designs in the show, ca. 1935-1946.

Irineo Miranda has a 1928 cover of the Graphic, while Pablo Amorsolo has an illustration for a short story in another magazine from the ’20s.

Amadeo Manalad, the underappreciated muralist, has the most numerous items, with 13 print-ad studies; a book-cover study in marker pen, pencil and ink on paper; illustrations for books and calendar, in pen and ink, pencil, watercolor and acrylic on paper.

Angel Cacnio has studies for ’80s currency, the denominations of P100, P20 and 25 centavos.

Gowns and video footage

Pitoy Moreno, who graduated from the UP School of Fine Arts in 1951, showcases his design sketches in pencil, pen and watercolor on paper. These are mounted side by side with photos of the resultant creations.
There are the 1968 wedding gown of Presidential Daughter Gloria Macapagal; the fabulous 1965 pink terno of First Lady Imelda Marcos; the 1976 sea-green Filipiniana dress of visiting Dame Margot Fonteyn; the 1963 multicolor Filipiniana dress of visiting Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

A fitting outfit displayed in the hall is the actual aquamarine creation from the Centennial Fashion Show at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1996—a bejeweled hand-embroidered piña blouse matched with a billowing skirt of abaca trimmed with soft pleated fabric.
Leo Abaya is represented by his poster and production designs for the films “José Rizal,” “Muro-ami” and “Kubrador.”

Contemporary print ads come from Jimenez Basic Advertising, Butch Uy and Slim Torres. There are even a few invitation designs, one featuring a pop-up detail.
A video monitor shows footage of ads produced by UP CFA graduates.

Cartoons and furniture

In cartooning, Larry Alcala, a pioneer in comic strips who led in establishing UP’s Department of Visual Communications, dominates the section with 10 items of his “Slice of Life” cartoon, rendered in watercolor and ink on paper.
Malang Santos has an illustration and two comic strips from Archipelago magazine, while Neil Doloricon has two 1989 editorial cartoons from Manila Times.

Jess Abrera has six items from the Inquirer: editorial cartoons in pen on paper; “A. Lipin” comic strips in pen and pencil on paper; “Pinoy Nga!” in pen and poster paint on paper.

Industrial design, which Colayco describes as “an integration of form and function in industrially produced items and artifacts that help define contemporary material culture and serve to improve the lives of people,” is the most recent addition to the UP CFA curriculum.

Scattered on the aisles are five stoneware home accessories by Rita Badilla-Gudiño, ranging from indoor fountain to wall décor; furniture designs by Dushinka Gonzales and Dante Cruz; books designed or illustrated by graduates.

As demonstrated by the exhibit, these are people who have fulfilled their multiple role of artist, designer and creator. Thus, artista, dibuhista, manlilikha.