Modern Art by Fred Ramirez (Coffee table book) by Alexander Pascual

MODERN ART BY FRED RAMIREZ

Text

Marlene Aguilar Writer

Cid Reyes Editor

Marlene Aguilar Design and Layout

Alexander Pascual Photography

Raymund Isaac Demetrio Dela Cruz

A Philippine Heritage Book

JAMAYCO PUBLISHING HOUSE

First Edition 2008 Produced and published by PUBLISHING HOUSE All rights reserved. ÂŠ 2008 Marlene Aguilar ISBN 978 971 93446 4 3 Address book orders to Jamayco Publishing House Fax 63 (2) 439-0572 E-mail address maguilar@i-manila.com.ph Website www.jamayco.com Editor Marlene Aguilar Writer Cid Reyes Text Marlene Aguilar Photography Raymund Isaac, Demetrio Dela Cruz Design and layout Alexander Pascual, www.alexdesigns.ph Typeset by Rainbow Graphics and Printing Co. Ltd. Printed and bound by Paramount Printing Co. First edition No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means nor may any part of this publication be stored in a database or other electronic retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained in this publication.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 13

MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

ABOUT THE ARTIST

FIRE

WATER AND WOOD

EARTH

119

CHI

145

PRAISE FOR MARLENE AGUILAR

149

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

150

OTHER BOOKS

Acrylic • 36” x 30”• Private collection

“Honor nature and you honor God.” MARLENE AGUILAR

Acrylic • 25” x 25”• Private collection

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whenever someone tries to impress me with his wealth and material posessions, I realize he has nothing substantial to offer the world.â&#x20AC;? MARLENE AGUILAR

Acrylic • 24” x 16”• Art-tique Gallery collection

MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Acrylic • 36” x 30”• Anne Witheford and Mico Montelibano collection

HEALING THE SOUL OF THE NATION When I was growing up I was told in school that my country was colonized by Spain, for a period of over 330 years. We were then colonized by the U.S. for 46 years and occupied by Japan for 3 years. School also taught me that I should be grateful to Spain because the Spanish gave the Philippines European civilization and religion. Unfortunately most Filipinos still believe this. That is why the Philippines is still in the dark age. How did my people come to believe these lies? I do not see how any people could understand colonization in these terms. The Spaniards came to my country. They murdered our men, raped our women, stole our lands and enslaved those who survived. They damaged our cultures beyond repair. The Spaniards came to the Philippines, as they did in other countries, to rape, murder and plunder. And in school I was taught to be grateful because Spain had given me their religion and their so-called civilization. This is like asking the Jews to be grateful to Hitler. Imagine a group of armed bandits storming into this room right now, raping you, slaughtering you, and stealing everything of value. When they are finished, they tell you, the surviving victims, "Here is our civilization and religion. Be grateful." I thought the Philippine education system had changed from the time I was a little girl. Recently I started to read the Philippine Constitution in a textbook by Hector S. De Leon, 2005 edition, that is given to today's students at the Universities of the Philippines and Ateneo. On page 12 it saysâ&#x20AC;Ś and I quote: "The demerits, however of the Spanish administration were more than offset by its merits. (a) The Spanish rule, when viewed in the broader light of global colonization, was generally mild and humane. The Filipino people were not brutalized. Spaniards and Filipinos intermarried and mingled socially. Slavery and tribal wars were suppressed. (b) It brought about the unification of the Filipino people. The diverse tribes were molded into one people, under one God, one King and one government, and out of their common grievances against Spain, blossomed the spirit of nationalism; and (c) Spain uplifted the Filipinos from the depth of primitive culture and paganism and gave them the blessings of Christianity and European civilization." End of quote. "Spain uplifted the Filipinos from the depth of primitive culture and paganism." How can Spain call the Filipinos primitive when they were the ones who came here to rape and murder? Who is primitive? My forefathers honored the moon, the stars, the earth, the mountains and the trees. What is wrong with that? Don't you honor god when you honor nature? If to become Christian means to slaughter my mother, my father, my brothers and my sisters, I would rather be pagan.

Spain did not give the blessing of Christianity to my forefathers! They were told to convert to Christianity or die! That is what Spain did to many countries all over the world. I believe that our problem in the Philippines today is not lack of money nor too much greed and corruption. This is not the root of our problem. Rather it is first and foremost a lack of identity. An individual who cannot grow up with an identity can never be confident, and can never know success. The Philippines is full of individuals without identity, without confidence. The Philippines is suffering from an identity crisis. I believe this is what makes this country a poor nation. Filipinos often complain about the problems of the Philippines comparing this nation to China, Japan, Singapore and the USA. We cannot make this comparison. There is no comparison. These nations have not been raped and plundered like the Philippines. None of these nations have suffered foreign domination for almost 400 years! The Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated on July 4, 1946. We have only been an independent state for 60 years. We cannot expect this country to heal in such a short period of time. Our soul has been damaged by continuous foreign control. But we can fix this. We can change the future. It is up to us. I believe our only chance for survival and progress is to raise a new generation of Filipinos aware of their rich culture and noble heritage. For the past ten years I have been publishing books to defend and promote Philippine art and culture. I believe that some day soon there will be a cultural revolution that will inspire the Philippine cultural renaissance. I believe there are many Filipinos like me who will make a difference, who will make this happen. There is hope. As long as there are Filipinos like me, like my brother Freddie Aguilar, our national artist Napoleon Abueva, Alwin Sta. Rosa, Rafael Cusi and all the artists here tonight who love the Philippines and are willing to take a stand, there is hope. I believe that the Filipino artists are the flame keepers of our rich culture and heritage. I believe that together the Filipino artists can heal the soul of this beautiful nation. Mabuhay ang sining Pilipino! Maraming salamat po!

Speech by Marlene Aguilar Publisher / Author Yin and Yang by Cusi Book Launching

“Marlene’s speech entitled, ‘Healing the Soul of the Nation’ is a great speech and I couldn’t agree more. I can’t believe they keep teaching Filipino students these lies.” –Claudia Buentjen Senior Capacity Development Specialist, Asian Development Bank

Acrylic • 38” x 26” • Edwin Garcia collection

I STAND PROUD “My name is Marlene Aguilar. I stand before you a proud Filipino from Isabela. My forefathers came from Ilocos where Gabriela Silang, one of our female generals is also from. Over 350 years ago she led an army of Filipino men into battle against Spain. Possessing the courage and skill of a great warrior she was not defeated in battle. She was captured and sentenced to death after refusing the Spanish authorities’ pardon for her subversive behavior. She was beheaded. She gave up her life for her people, for her country and for freedom. Given the same circumstances, I would do the same today. I have traveled to over 30 countries and the more I see of the world the more I love the Philippines. I do not stand as second class citizen next to anyone. I am Filipino and I have always carried a Filipino passport. It saddens me that too many of my people do not love the Philippines. It pains me to see Filipinos at the airport flashing their foreign passports proud that they are no longer Filipino citizens! It breaks my heart that the leaders of our institutions allow the destruction of the walls of Intramuros, a symbol of our history and culture. I remember going to school when I was a little girl seeing cars stop in the middle of the road because the national anthem was playing. Men, women and children stopped too. They placed their right hands on their hearts to sing this beautiful song. I stopped and sang with them, touched by the beauty and integrity of this sacred ritual that gave honor to my motherland. I grew up in the Philippines with warm memories of the Filipinos' love and respect for my country and nothing, nothing will take that away from me! Mabuhay po ang sining Pilipino. Maraming salamat po!”

Speech by Marlene Aguilar Myths and Legends of the Philippines book launching Philippine Center, New York

Acrylic • 36” x 30”• Private collection

INNER PEACE â&#x20AC;&#x153;People without inner peace compensate for this emptiness by seeking wealth and power. But no amount of wealth and power can buy inner peace. And this is something so difficult for people in the west to understand. The west believes, and has to believe, that materialism begets happiness. In the 16th century North America was colonized by a people who were rebelling against the strictures of British religious dictates. But these spiritual intentions were soon overtaken by man's greed. Ever since America has grown on greed and this has come at an enormous price; that is an imbalance in society, where the lack of spirit and soul can no longer compensate for and contain the evil of greed. This imbalance is so great that society dies from within. I lived in the United States of America for 11 years and in that time I learned to understand America and its people. One day I realized that I had learned all I needed to know about the country and the people, I understood what America was all about and I no longer wanted to live there. And I hungered to come home to the Philippines. My soul and my spirit wanted to be here, in the Philippines. I have learned that the weak must tolerate the strong, as the Philippines must tolerate the US. But the US must also learn to tolerate the pain of great power. With great power there can be no peace and happiness. What my people need to understand is how to tolerate great powers and what this must mean for us. These powers do not own our hearts, our minds, and our spirit. And they never will. I have peace within me. I may not be powerful, nor am I wealthy, but I am who I am. You, as I, can feed your soul and have peace within, despite the influences of whatever greater, foreign powers. We tolerate and we superficially appease these foreign powers. We have to. But we can be free as we feed our spirits and our souls. The time will come when the US will destroy itself as have all the great powers throughout history. From Persia to Greece, to Rome and to Europe and now the US. And next China. Power builds and power is then destroyed from within. And so I cannot believe in wars and revolutions as solutions to our problems, because inner peace is the greater force. Inner peace is the most important force and no one can take that away.â&#x20AC;?

Marlene Aguilar

Watercolor • 27” x 18”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Watercolor • 20” x 14”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 20” x 14”• Art-tique Gallery collection

ABOUT THE ARTIST

COSMIC VISIONS: The Art of Fred Ramirez No less congenial environment to artistic genesis could there be than to grow up amidst talk of anay and bukbok, and other pestilential insects that gnaw relentlessly at residences, reducing even pillars of sturdy wood and carpets of floorboards into dust and smithereens. But for the artist Fred Ramirez, growing up in Mandaue, Cebu, termites and insecticides were commonplace. After all, his father’s prosperous business as a dealer in pest control chemicals was the source of a comfortable life. In time, his father would construct his own dwelling. One might say it was the edifice that anay and bukbok built. Ramirez was born in Leyte on July 22, 1956. Soon after his parents decided to move to Cebu where commerce seemed more propitious. Like any schoolchild, Ramirez found a liking to drawing, which soon intensified with a great fascination for copying images from the vernacular comics. He studied in Cebu till he was thirteen. Unfortunately, with his parents’ separation, Ramirez was sent off to live with his father’s sister in Taguig, Rizal, where he then attended the Fort Andres Bonifacio High School. Growing up with his aunt, he was plied with crayons and water color. Luckily, his cousins were themselves inclined towards the arts, and together, they had painting sessions, copying delightedly from magazines. Because painting held no prospects for making a living, Ramirez studied Civil Engineering at the National University, known for its technical courses. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in 1982, Ramirez decided to go into his father’s trade: pest control. For this he underwent a pesticide seminar at the University of the Philippines, took up his exams with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and walked off with a government license. He was in business! Still, after three years, Ramirez could not shake off his love for painting. To earn his livelihood, he said goodbye to the pesticide trade. Ramirez started to paint portraits, from a small space allotted to him by Alemar’s Bookstore in Makati. If business was good, the bookstore received a percentage from his portrait commissions. In lean times, however, he paid a minimal rent. From 1982 to 1990, Ramirez made portrait painting a viable business enterprise. And because portraits always needed to be framed, it was an obvious step for Ramirez to also go into the framing business. A. Mabini was the famed street where the conservative artists catering to the tourist trade had their studios. It was to be Ramirez’s haunt, and there it was that he first learned the rudiments of 24

framing. While many artists who strived to make a living out of their art failed, Ramirez, who was spurred on by his entrepreneurial instincts and get-go attitude, made his art pay off handsomely. It was, at least subliminally, a way of proving to his aging father that he could make a success of himself. Tragically, however, after decades of inhaling the toxic fumes of pesticides, the elder Ramirez expired from emphysema. *** Essentially, an art catering to the vanity of clients, portrait painting holds very little satisfaction for a serious artist. Testimonies from artists, who have since retired from it, abound. The most notable example was the National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, who was the favored portraitist of presidents, business tycoons, and society matrons. While Amorsolo portraits remain to be some of the finest examples of portraiture, in no way do they match his celebrated sunlit canvases of rural maidens and pastoral scenes. Ramirez, too, had to take that final decision to give up portrait painting as a trade. The pesticide business was also given up, with its numerous attendant problems, not the least of which is the painful memory of his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. Fortunately, his framing business flourished, having gained a select group of business clientele that kept his operations going. With financial stability assured, Ramirez now had the luxury of attending seriously to his art. Landscapes were an initial egress out of his years of portrait painting. Indeed, Ramirez felt a sense of release at being finally freed from the strictures of demanding clients. What eventually surfaced in his works was a deeply romantic vision of nature. Though earthbound, his landscapes evinced an otherwordly, indeed, dreamlike quality. In these landscapes, flights of birds soar high in these landscapes with balletic grace. The land is lush with foliage and vegetation, glowing with boughs of blossoms, speckled with dazzling reds and oranges, sizzling lemon yellows, flecked with flickers of purples. The air is misty and seemed perfumed. His other landscapes are passages lined with arching trees, in the manner of seventeenth century Dutch landscape artists and the nineteenth century Barbizon painters of France. Between the canopy of ancient branches and filigreed leaves glimmer a vein of the sky and a luminous streak of sunlight. In contrast to these romantic visions are his seascapes, which are best described as poetic surrealism. A profusion of rare species of multicolored fish spangle the ultramarine waters, where coral reefs gathered like sculptured sentinels, punctuate the ocean floors. The pictorial space is then bisected by the shimmering sea surface while overhead is a blast of blinding white light, the radiance of sunrays hitting the still waters. Training his attention on magnified close-ups of flowersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the favorite gumamelas, most of allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ramirez fashioned a suite of concentric petals, flaring out with as much exuberance as a peacock struts his feather. Clearly, the artist was mesmerized by their vivid opulence, lavishing on these floral bouquets the punctilious and exactingly detailed techniques of portrait painting. 25

Ever restless, and seeking to evolve his craftlike skills, Ramirez conceived of another compositional format and subject: the still life. Not the classical, arrangements of fruits and other object, but rather the apparition of a single fruit nestled by the folds of a crisply-draped callado fabric. The sense of domestic space is turned on its head. No kitchen or dining table cradles this still life. Rather, it is rendered visible against a vast atmospheric space—light and mist and shadow in one ethereal field of color. These are then accented with thin slivers of contrasting light, bisecting the space into different passages of light, by turns dim and radiant, fused together as an abstracted landscape. Ramirez uses gradation of shades and hues to great effect, but careful not to overwork the surface. Whether dark sky or indeterminate atmosphere, this space serves as an aura against which, resting at the lower end of the paper, the still life is serenely placed. Apple, orange, mango, pear, tomato, and chili—sometimes a coconut or a harvested sheaf of rice—all look oddly strange, untouchable, in this resplendent setting of richly ornamental drapery. Skin of fruit glistens with light, burnished to a sheen as though lit from within. Still lifes are regarded as vanitas or painting that reminds us of the transitoriness of life on earth. The Vanitas is derived from Ecclesiastes, “Vanitas, Vanitatum…” (Vanity, all is vanity.) By implication, these fruits shall wither and rot in time, in like manner so does the life of man. Not surprisingly, in this day and age, the still life has acquired a cheesy, retrograde quality—not the least reason its ancient, thus outmoded, vintage. Indeed, the history of still life harks back to the illusionist mosaics now found in ruined Greek and Roman walls. Even in the hierarchy of worthy subjects for art, still life occupies the lowest ring next only after landscape, the highest being portraits of historical and noble personages, gods and goddesses. Through the centuries history saw its many glories as witness the luxuriant 17th century Dutch flower pieces evoking time and the seasons, the austere Spanish bodegones of Fray Juan Sanchez Cotan, the light-filled, fruit-laden kitchen tables of the Impressionists. It was Cezanne who invented the still genre with a solid, monumentality. Apples, pears, plums, lemons. pomegranates, eggplants, onions, ginger jars, ceramic pots, and plastic cupid seem as if hewn from rock. Weaving through these variegated objects are the ever-present cloth and drapery, arranged in deep, artful folds, lending spatial complexity to an otherwise static arrangement of fruits and kitchen objects. In composing his own native fruits, Ramirez adapted from Cezanne the constant use of drapery, manipulating the fabric as though it constituted the very landscape upon which his solitary fruit or vegetable rests. Indeed, the fabric rises into peaks and dips into valleys, transforming table top into veritable earth. Admittedly, the composition of a still life is an art of conceit—it starts with the very conscious gesture of arranging individual objects into a pleasantly harmonious whole. In landscape painting, of course, one is 26

unable to move an errant tree, a boulder out of place, or cause scraggly branches to flourish, except in the artist’s fertile imagination. In still life painting, however, the artist exercises complete artistic control. Preferring not to be fettered by subject matter or a figurative image, Ramirez inevitably edged closer to the realm of abstraction. The abstracted background of the still lifes were predictive of this significant move. His initial forays into pure abstractions seemed tentative, as though, eye, hand, and mind were still seeking the perfect pitch of image and impulse. The results were mainly gestural abstractions, with copious markings and gesticulations of brush and textural incisions. In his admiration of Rothko’s works, Ramirez emulated not the monumental scale but rather Rothko’s handling of watercolor on paper. The critic Dore Ashton, writing about Rothko’s works on paper, noted the epiphanic discovery of transforming pigment—which he once designated as “colored dirt”—into the radiance not of matter, but of the spirit: “His release from the world of objects occurred as he discovered the great delights of watercolor. At times he seemed to be enchanted merely by the suggestive film that occurs as an artist wets down his paper, or by the bleeding lines that seep into the paper and emerge so magically with their indeterminate shadows on the surface. Or, when the tooth of the paper can be used to create a swift but interrupted line as a dry brush is dragged across it. Watercolor and gouache serve his expressive purpose exceptionally well during the 1 940s when he had visions of spaces expanding to infinity, the spaces of the beginning, when the world was clear. The traces of water itself—water, the medium from which all life emerged—seemed to excite his imagination and often during those years he played with floating effects. The mirror, also linked in so many mythic ways with water, was best suggested in the light of water-bred media. If it were to be a question of transcending matter, then nothing was more adaptable then the grains of color so attenuated in the watercolor medium.” In the mistaken notion that acknowledgment of artistic influence diminishes one’s art, some artists try to deny or evade the subject. In truth, great artists are a synthesis of influences—whether of another artist, medium, culture or country. Picasso, for instance, subsumed his many influences: from the Iberian sculptures. Gauguin’s primitive work, and the African masks which he used for the faces of the women in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon regarded as the first Cubist artwork. The great French artist Henri Matisse declared: “I owe my art to all painters. When I was young, I worked in the Louvre, copying the old masters, learning their thought, their technique. In modern art, it is indubitably to Cezanne that I owe most.” The Filipino artist Vicente Manansala was influenced irrevocably by Cubism, “indigenizing” the idiom to suit his own particular temperament. Thus, artistic influences are positive impelling forces that should not be resisted

but rather welcomed and integrated into one’s vision. In the end, that vision will assume clarity and significance of its own. Indeed, it may be unqualifiedly said that no artist is without any influence, consciously or unconsciously. Easily evident upon viewing the watercolors of Ramirez is the drafts manly handling of his materials. Clearly, the years he spent as an Engineering student serve him in good stead. Precise and calculated, the composition is geometrically delineated with ruled graphite. Upon these stark lines symmetrically shaping space, are flooded, using the wet-on-wet technique, the thin amorphous washes of colors bleeding into each other. A staple of watercolorists, wet-on-wet delivers an effect that is rich in multiple association. It is a dreamily atmospheric space that is otherworldly—a spatial dimension or perspective from which Ramirez derived his cosmic theme. Most of these watercolors adapt a somber, low-keyed coloration, punctuated by a long strip of alizarin crimson or electric blue. Some works are more indulgent with high-keyed colors— such as cadmium reds, chrome yellows, aquamarine blues—consequently reverting the watercolors to a landscape paradigm. Puddles of stains left to dry leave aureole marks. A strip of horizontal graphite discreetly suggests a distant separation of land, sea and horizon. These are works of vibrant lyricism, with elegantly limpid hues surfacing through a delicate film of greys and browns. The sense of color-struggle intensifies the emotion of the watercolor paintings. From a cosmic point of view, these watercolors are, by turns, factual and poetic observed phenomena. By his own admission, the artist who inspired Ramirez to pursue abstraction was Mark Rothko (1903– 70), the Russian American artist most famously known for his large scale horizontal blocks of color, stacked up vertically. Rothko reasoned out: “I want to be very intimate and human. To paint a small picture is to place yourself outside your experience, to look upon an experience as a stereopticon view or with a reducing glass… However, you paint the larger picture, you are in it. It isn’t something you command.” These large rectangles of glowing light are motionless vistas of contemplation, with their softly fuzzy edges and luminous surface of over- layering of blacks, purples, maroons, deep whites, plum reds, persimmon orange. Oil pigments have been thinned down to almost watercolor consistency, such that the subsequent applications of paint yielded nuances of intense human emotions, suggestive of a spiritual voyage into a void. The physics of color has been transformed into an ineffable source of luminance and radiance. In front of these massive canvases, the beholder is reduced to a puny insignificance, a veritable witness to an immaterial event or presence. But at the heart of Rothko’s art is the mystery of light. In 2006, Ramirez held an exhibition entitled “Fred in Red”. Departing from his watercolors, the artist rendered his work on canvas, in rectangular format. The most intense color in the spectrum, red, is richly associated with equally intense emotions: blood, passion, violence, rage, fire, obsession. On these canvases, the soft blurring shades of the watercolors give way to a field of conflagration, where light blazes 28

with a dangerous fury. Again, these paintings hark back to Rothkoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monumental canvases, in particular Red, White and Brown of 1957. Ramirez introduces a touch of royal opulence with his use of 24 karat gold, hammered onto a central desk suggestive of the sun, blazing with fierce wavy streaks of red pigment. Whether Ramirez creates his works to yield meanings of import or simply to relish and delight in the pleasures and enchantment of colors should not be a source of conflict. To disdain or favor one over the other is surely a loss to the viewer. Cerebral or hedonistic, Ramirezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works of art in the abstract mode embrace and abide by a sense of fulfillment in the emotive power of art. To be sure, only by satisfying the equal demands of eye, heart and mind will the art of Ramirez have found its balanced aesthetic equation.

Cid Reyes Art Critic

Watercolor • 38” x 27” • Private collection

FIRE

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Kristina Wood collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Edwin Garcia collection

Acrylic • 38.5” x 26.5”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Jo-an Chua collection

Mixed Media • 62” x 36” Joseph and Evan Lim collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Galeriya Jinin collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Galeriya Jinin collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Watercolor • 38” x 27”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 30” x 21”• Private collection

Watercolor • 38” x 26”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 38.5” x 26.5”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Kristina Wood collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Jo-an Chua collection

Mixed Media • 62” x 36” • Joseph and Evan Lim collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26” Galeriya Jinin collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27” Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 26” Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27” Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Irene Cometa collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26” • Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Nellie Yiu collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27” • Irene Cometa collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30” • Private collection

Acrylic • 36” x 30” Kevin and Maria Hughes collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30” Private collection

Acrylic • 30” x 21”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Galeriya Jinin collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27” • Irene Cometa collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26” • Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Watercolor • 38.5” x 26.5”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30” Jimmy and Jing Simeon collection

Watercolor • 38.5” x 26.5”• Private collection

Watercolor • 36” x 29”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27” Art-tique Gallery collection

Watercolor • 38” x 26” Art-tique Gallery collection

Watercolor • 39.5” x 26.5”• Private collection

Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Acrylic • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30” Robert and Tet Licerio collection

Watercolor • 38.5” x 27”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 26”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 39” x 27”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 37” x 58.5”• Private collection

Acrylic • 27” x 39.5”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 60”• Galeriya Jinin collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 60”• Private collection

Watercolor • 30” x 21”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 62”• Raoul “Oyi” Viray collection

Mixed Media • 35” x 35”• Joseph and Evan Lim collection

Watercolor • 30” x 36”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 29” x 38” • Liberty Liwanag collection

Watercolor • 29” x 38”• Private collection

Watercolor • 27” x 38” • Private collection

Mixed Media • 37” x 58”• Daisy Garcia collection

Mixed Media • 59” x 84”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Rebecca Bucad and Karen Christia Gaviola collection

WATER AND WOOD

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Rebecca Bucad and Karen Christia Gaviola collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 48”• Alex and Shirley Adiaz collection

Watercolor • 25” x 19”• Alex Pascual collection

Watercolor • 38” x 26”• Nellie Yiu collection

Watercolor • 38” x 29”• Private collection

Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 35” x 35”• Private collection

Watercolor • 38.5” x 27”• Private collection

Watercolor • 35” x 28”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Oil • 36” x 30”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Acrylic • 20” x 15”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27” Irene Cometa collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30” Galeriya Jinin collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27” Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 26” Art-tique Gallery collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 26”• Irene Cometa collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

Acrylic • 20” x 15”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 60”• Private collection

Acrylic • 37” x 58”• Kevin and Maria Hughes collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Watercolor • 29” x 38”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Joseph and Evan Lim collection

EARTH

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Joseph and Evan Lim collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 60”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 96” x 96”• Jimmy and Abel de Castro collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 48” C. Jerome and T. Jimenez collection

Mixed Media • 35” x 35”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 48” Arnel and Joybel Cinco collection

Watercolor • 68.5” x 45”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 38” x 29” Alwin Sta. Rosa collection

Oil • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Watercolor • 35” x 28” Private collection

Oil • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Cris Yusi collection

Mixed Media • 48” x 36”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

Mixed Media • 35” x 35”• Private collection

Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

100

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Private collection

101

Acrylic • 60” x 36”• Private collection

102

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Demetrio dela Cruz collection

103

Mixed Media • 60” x 72”• Private collection

104

Watercolor • 27” x 38”• Private collection

105

Mixed Media • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

106

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Rossana Lorenzo-Sanchez collection

107

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Galeriya Jinin collection

108

Watercolor • 36” x 29”• Private collection

109

Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 36”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 38” x 29”• Private collection

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Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 48”• Joseph and Evan Lim collection

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Watercolor • 27” x 39”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 37” x 28.5”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 38” x 27”• Private collection

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CHI

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Mixed Media • 60” x 36”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 60” x 40”• Philip Gerard Ty Ang collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 36”• Bong and Mean Versoza collection

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Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 37” x 28.5”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 35” x 28”• Art-tique Gallery collection

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Acrylic • 38” x 29”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 38” x 27”• Private collection

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Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

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Acrylic • 30” x 21”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 36”• Private collection

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Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Irene Cometa collection

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Mixed Media • 60” x 36”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 27” x 38”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 27” x 38”• Irene Cometa collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 48”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 35” x 35”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 48” x 60”• Private collection

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Mixed Media • 27” x 39”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 28.5” x 37”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 36” x 30”• Private collection

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Watercolor • 27” x 38”• Private collection

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“The great events in history are those where, upon special occasions, a man or a people have made a stand against tyranny, and have preserved or advanced freedom for the people. Sometimes tyranny has taken the form of the oppression of the many by the few in the same nation, and sometimes it has been the oppression of a weak nation by a stronger one…” –James Johonnot Ten Great Events of History

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PRAISE FOR MARLENE AGUILAR: [ CONTINUED ]

“Myths and Legends of the Philippines is a great book. Upon opening the book I looked for the Legend of the Warrior Queen from Ilocos Norte, alias Marlene Aguilar. For no one has done more to capture the imagination of the Filipino people and to instill pride in their heritage and art than Marlene. I salute her passion, tenacity and talent for making dreams a reality.” –John Austin Executive Director, World Bank

“Marlene Aguilar doesn’t only have a great mind now, but she can absorb. And she has great ability beyond the mind. She doesn’t readily accept paradigms. To her all existing beliefs are there to be challenged. She inspires. She gives belief and confidence to those who have a need. She instills an impatience for a better Philippines.” –Stephen J. Pollard Principal Economist, Asian Development Bank

“Whenever I hear the name Marlene Aguilar, I think of the names of three Filipina heroines— the Warrior Queen from Ilocos Gabriela Silang, Teodora Alonzo and Melchora Aquino. The name Marlene Aguilar has inspired many Filipino painters and sculptors.” –Napoleon Abueva National Artist, Philippines

“Keep on fighting Marlene.” –Jullie Daza Journalist-author

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“Marlene Aguilar’s aggressive efforts to promote the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines is amazing. She reminds us of the impressive achievements of Filipino artists.” –Christopher Browne Division chief, SE Asia & Pacific, International Monetary Fund

“I wish I could do for the Philippine political community what Marlene has done for the art community.” –Jess Paredes Philippine House of Representatives

“She’s got publishing of art books down to a science.” –Imee Marcos Philippine House of Representatives

“She gives the blood of life to those close to her. She gives them life they have never known. This is her role for the people of the Philippines.” -Chona Chaymo Buddhist geomancer, psychic, palmist

“From the ruins of despair and destruction, she will unite her people and create a new world.” -Paulie Caoili Buddhist geomancer, clairvoyant

“She is a special soul. Marlene has passion and spirit that has no equal. She is like a bright star with endless light.” -William “Billy” King Philippine King of Fine Dining

“She is psychic.” –Monica Feria Editor in-chief, Mirror Magazine

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“When I met Marlene I sat next to her and she read my aura. She told me about my past and my present. She was 100 percent right!” -Mary-Jane Foliaki Moala Ministry of Finance, Gov’t of Tonga

“I wondered how she knew more about me in a few minutes than people who are close to me and whom I’ve known for many years. She told me about my future and helped me see the path to success.” –Reichert J. Thanda Aid Policy and Coordination Directorate Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Gov’t of Papua New Guinea

“I will always remember Marlene on my journey through life.” –Peresitene S. Kirifi Ministry of Finance, Gov’t of Samoa

“I thank Marlene for sharing with us her gifts.” –Lily-Anne Homasi Ministry of Finance, Gov’t of Tuvalu

“She is the Goddess of inspiration!” –Mandy Navasero Journalist, Photographer Philiippine Daily Inquirer

“Marlene Aguilar does not only belong to the Philippines, she belongs to Latin America. She belongs to the poor.” –Jorge Estevenez Argentina

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Acrylic • 38” x 27”• Kristina Wood collection

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT First of all my sincerest gratitude to Fred Ramirez. Special thanks to Stephen Pollard and Alwin Sta. Rosa. Thanks also to the following for their kindness and assistance: Ahimsa Gallery of Asian Art, cor. Lodge Pole Pine St., Richview Subd. Bakakeng, Baguio City, Tel. (0919) 520-7668 Artes Figuras, Bacolod, Tel. (034) 433-4051 Art-tique Gallery, Katipunan Ave., Q.C., Tels. (02) 437-4516, (0922) 846-5472 Gigi Capistrano CelestĂŠ Chua Chitty Cometa Irene Cometa Raymund Isaac, who took my photographs Demetrio, my photographer for the artworks Galeriya Jinin, Makati, Tels. (632) 817-1363, (0921) 595-2836 Jean Landicho Mandy Navasero Metro Art Gallery, San Juan, Tels. (632) 726-6543, (0927) 533-5170 Dr. Ramon Navallo Alex Pascual, my layout artist Carol Pineda Jojo Regidor, my official hairdresser and make-up artist Cid Reyes The Collection Art Gallery & Antiques, Makati, Tel. (0927) 790-5330 Kristina Wood Nellie Yiu Most of all my deepest gratitude to Chung Kwei.

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OTHER BOOKS BY MARLENE AGUILAR

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