Growing up, I had little to nothing fascination for art.

Ive been to several museums mainly

because its part of our itinerary back in our high school fieldtrip or I have an artistic friend who
tagged me along in one of her visits. The most that I can do is take artsy- instagrammable
pictures for the sake of having a good feed in instagram. I hardly even remember the artworks
that Ive seen. Whenever I see my friends staring in an artwork filled with awe, I just stand
beside them pretending to be in awe and wondering why I dont connect with artworks the same
level that my friends does. Basically, I appreciate an artwork depending on the appeal of the
colour palette. I like black, white, blue, and maroon so most likely, the artworks in those colours
are the ones who easily get my attention. I also like paintings of sceneries- especially if theres an
ocean in it. Im from Oriental Mindoro so beaches and oceans have a special and sentimental
place in my heart. Aside from those, I dont get easily amazed by an artwork- except of course if
theres something extraordinary about it.
Im not that bad in appreciating art, its just that Im not fond of it. If I was given a to-do list for
the weekend, going to a museum or any gallery would probably be my last choice. But still, I
have nothing against the people who love art. In fact, I admire them for being so passionate
about what they love. They are able to express their feelings artistically. I wish I could do that. I
wish I can paint sun- kissed beach sceneries when Im happy, winter- themed murals when Im
feeling lonely and missing my family, or even release my anger through sculpting. But I could
only go as far as tweeting my feelings in twitter- nothing artistic about that.
Having humanities as one of my courses this semester triggered the artist in me- if theres such a
thing. I initially thought that I might flunk this subject if I dont make my artistic skills do its job
of well, being artistic. So when Ms. Siao announced to our class that were going to go to
museums and see plays and different artistic acts throughout the entire semester, I felt just fine
and a tad bit excited. For the most part, I got excited because I was looking forward to going to
Baguio- eat fresh strawberries, experience the cold climate and buy pasalubongs from the Good
Shepherd store. And of course, part of that trip is to visit the famous Ben Cab museum. I was less
excited about seeing a play or any act because I did not appreciate Ballet Manilas performance
way back in 2014. Although I hope that whatever act well see this semester will be enjoyable
and relatable.

We were all set for Baguio but unfortunately, the deadline of this paper was rescheduled to an
earlier date. It will take us 8 hours of travel just going back and forth Manila to Baguio. It was a
week before our preliminary examination so we couldnt afford to travel 8 hours just to see a
museum- especially that there are museums here in Manila who are equally as great as the one in
Baguio. So we opted to just stay here in Manila and find a museum or gallery fit for our themenude and naked.
On that same day, Ms. Siao dismissed us earlier than we should have so we decided to go straight
to National Museum after our class in humanities. We even saw Ms. Siao pass by Mini Stop
Dapitan while we were waiting for a cab. We were feeling ecstatic about it. First, because we
knew that we were going to be the first in our class to go to a museum so well have that
bragging right of seeing the artworks first. Second, because Ms. Siao saw us waiting for a cab to
go to the National Museum. She even said oh, thats good when we told her that we were
immediately going to a museum that day. Its not really a big deal but it feels nice when someone
acknowledges your efforts- especially when that someone is your professor.
We finally got a cab. We were on our way to the National Museum when the cab driver decided
to just pass by it. We thought that he knew another way to get to the museum so we didnt mind.
To our surprise, he dropped us off at Museo Pambata along Roxas Boulevard and reasoned out
that all this time, he thought that the Museo Pambata was the National Museum. His reason was
a bit sketchy but we still decided to ride in his cab going back to Padre Burgos Avenue where the
National Museum was located. As soon as the cab dropped us of, we realized that it was a
Monday. Most of the museums operate Tuesdays to Sundays and take their rest every Mondays.
It was closed. We attempted to go to the UP Vargas Museum as well but just like the National
Museum, it is closed every Mondays. The next day, we went to the National Museum as early as
9:30A.M, we stood by the gate for 30 minutes since the museum operates from 10 in the
morning.
Before entering the museum, I had a mind set to trigger my inner artistic side and just feel the
vibe of the museum in its entirety- the paintings, sculpture, and artifacts. I need to look at these
artworks deeply and not just merely stare at it.

Inside the museum, I saw a lot of artworks that are fit for the theme of nude and naked. But the
one that got my attention the most was Vidal Tampincos Mother Nature mainly because it is
shaped as an empanada and of course, I love empanada. It is a white sculpture of a naked woman
(the so- called mother nature) surrounded with animals and plants. It was 1930 when Vidal
Tampinco created this sculpture.
Ive been searching Vidal Tampincos biography through the internet but Ive only gathered
limited information. Ive learned that Vidal is one of the children of the famous artist- Isabelo
Tampinco. Vidal was born in the year 1893 and died in the year 1963. The oldest artwork ever
registered for this artist is a furniture sold in 2014, at Leon Gallery, and the most recent artwork
is a furniture sold in 2014. Vidal was more of a sculptor than a painter.
Filipino sculptors came to be known in the middle of the 19th century. Classical Philippine
sculpture reached its peak in the works of Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976). His best known
masterpiece is the Bonifacio Monument, which is a group sculpture composed of numerous
figures massed around a central obelisk. The principal figure is Andres Bonifacio, leader of the
revolution against Spain in 1896. Behind him stands Emilio Jacinto, the brains of the Katipunan.
Sculpture is three-dimensional art. Traditionally, there are two main methods: carving material
such as wood or stone, and modeling forms by adding pieces of material such as clay. Techniques
in making a sculture depend upon the materials used. When carving stone or wood, the sculptor
chips away with a hammer and chisel. When sculpting clay, artists may use their hands. Clay
models may be cast in bronze to create a strong, permanent sculpture. Other techniques include
welding metal, molding plastic or concrete, and using fiberglass.
Vidal Tampincos Mother Nature looks like it is made of clay. But Im pretty sure that he did not
use his bare hands in constructing this one. The lines in this artwork are too fine for a human
hand to produce. Im assuming that he used sharp tools in producing this one.
In the context of the artwork being nude or naked, I perceive the woman in the sculpture as a
naked woman rather than a nude woman. Naked implies that a person is unprotected or
vulnerable. It also describes something that is unadorned or without embellishment, as in the oftmentioned naked truth. During our discussion in distinguishing nude from naked, we tackled that
a naked body is a body doing its normal work fitted for her everyday life and is in her natural

state or form- a naked woman washing the clothes by the shore, a naked woman nursing her
child in her arms or even a naked woman cooking.
I perceived the sculpture as naked because as the title says, Mother Nature and if youre the
goddess or the caretaker of nature, it is just a normal action to sit beside plants and animals.
Maybe talk to them every once in a while and admire the beauty of your treasures. I dont think
that shes posing for the purpose of the artists will. Being the Mother Nature that she is, that is
her in her natural state. The presence of nature around her did not act like it was a form of an
embellishment. Those plants and animals surrounding her are her home. For humans, it may
seem like shes posing a certain movement. But I really think that in the context of fiction, a
typical Mother Nature would act the same way as the one in the sculpture does. It is kind of
similar to Eves (from the story of Creation) appearance before she gained knowledge upon
eating the forbidden fruit.
On the other hand, my nude- themed painting is entitled Nude by Vicente Manansala in 1974.
This painting was not located in the National Museum but it is one of the paintings for auction in
the Leon Art Gallery in Makati. Its starting is bid is P200, 000 while its total price is P467, 000.
The artwork was a charcoal drawing of a woman sitting casually and blankly staring at the
distance.
Vicente Silvia Manansala, the artist of the nude artwork was from Pampanga. He was born on
January 22, 1910 and died on August 1981. As a newsboy and bootblack in Intramuros, he
expressed his early creativity designing kites and making charcoal sketches. At 15, he studied
under the turn-of-the-century painter Ramon Peralta while doing signboards for a painting shop.
He entered the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts in 1926 and graduated in 1930.
He undertook further studies and training at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Montreal, Canada, in the
USA, and in France where he had a brief stint under Ferdinand Leger. Subsequently, he earned a
living as illustrator for the Philippines Herald and Liwayway and layout artist for Photonews and
Saturday Evening News Magazine during the 1930s.
With the issues of national culture and identity in focus after WWII his works were those of the
other early modernists which reflected the social environment and expressed the native
sensibility. He held his first one-person show at the Manila Hotel in 1951.

Manansala consistently worked in the figurative mode, with the exception of a few abstract
works. He has a series of nude charcoal drawing of women.
Charcoal is one of the oldest art mediums, having been used for cave drawings by early man.
Back then, charcoal was used in the form of the ends of burned sticks. Todays charcoal artists
have more modern options: compressed charcoal, vine charcoal, and powdered charcoal.
Manansalas nude artwork appealed to me as a nude rather than a naked because the subject is
simply sitting around. It seems that the viewers are the only ones who noticed her nakedness but
the subject itself does not. Shes just blankly staring at the horizon and it looks like that she
doesnt care at all if shes naked or not. Also, the womans naked body as subject in the painting
can similarly be perceived as an object - a commodity regardless of her nature and personality.
I keep on wondering why the woman was sitting and blankly staring at the distant. Vicente
Manansala constructed this artwork in the year 1974. During this time, women are seen as
inferior in the society. The constructed gender roles are widely accepted and practiced in the
entire Philippines. Men as the provider of the family, is entitled to work professionally to meet
the needs of his family. Meanwhile, women are obliged to stay at home and be the mother and
wife that she is to her children and husband. Even if a woman is a degree holder, she is just
expected to stay at home and let her husband provide for their family.
It makes a lot of sense, connecting the artwork to the norms during 1974 where the artwork was
constructed. The woman was probably sitting at home because thats what shes entitled to do.
Shes blankly staring at a distance and thinking of what could she have been doing with her skills
and knowledge- if only the society does not impose gender roles. This is only me personal
interpretation of the drawing, although I would like to know Vicente Manansalas objective in
producing this one. Unfortunately, hes already dead so the reason behind this charcoal drawing
will forever be a mystery.
Overall, this experience was quite refreshing. It was honestly the first time that I appreciated an
artwork where I actually stared at it and I think its all about mind set. Before, whenever I go to
museums I instantly think of the artsy shots that Im going to take. But this task gave me a
thinking that I should enter in a museum full of curiosity and admiration to the artworks that I

encounter. Maybe Ill consider going to museums as my weekend activity more often now that I
actually had a genuine encounter and admiration for the artworks that I saw.

SOURCES:

1996. Sculpture. Retrieved from http://park.org/Philippines/education/sculp.htm

Kindersley,
K.
2007.
Sculpture.
Retrieved

from

http://www.factmonster.com/dk/encyclopedia/sculpture.html
Verastro, G. 2013, August 13. Charcoal Drawing

from

http://pencils.com/charcoal-drawing-tips/
2011. Vicente Manansala. Retrieved from http://www.geringerart.com/artists/vicentemanansala/

Tips.

Retrieved

Bautista, Patricia Anne D.

3LM1

Mother Nature by Vidal Tampinco

Nude by Vicente Manansala