Alcuaz the Man

Whereas in his paintings one can see flowing lines, melodious strokes and harmonious compositions, Alcuaz the man was very intense. According to Ute, he was “extremely nervous” and a person who “could hardly sleep or rest.” (Parallel Texts) If there is anything that would soothe him, it was music. Classical music helped get him in the correct frame of mind and mood for working on his paintings. Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Bach were some of his favorite composers. Alcuaz was also an avid record collector particularly of classical music. When he painted, he had been observed to move with much grace and energy wielding his brushes much like the baton of an orchestra conductor.

He was also a study in contrasts. Although he usually conducted himself with great decorum akin to an Old World gentleman, he was a prankster non-pareil. Others called him eccentric while others would label him a plain and simple weirdo. Alcuaz was known to have tossed peanuts or sugar sachets to fellow hotel guests, or would crawl under the chairs in a 5-star restaurant to mischievously pour sugar on shoes that ladies with tired feet may have unshod. Perhaps it is because he was such a hard worker who would sometimes paint for eight to ten hours straight that some of his friends and family simply forgave him, thinking that his pranks were probably a mere form of release or an attempt to get away from the stress and tension of painting.

Interviewing him for the Mabuhay magazine gave us a first-person experience about Alcuaz the prankster. We had arrived at the appointed time together with our photographer who entered the scene with three bags full of photographic equipment. Suddenly, Alcuaz threw up both of his arms and exclaimed, “That’s it…no interview today. I’m tired.” This was to the consternation of eldest son, Christian, who had meticulously set up the appointment for us. “But pappy,” Christian protested, “these gentlemen have come all the way from different points of Manila to do a pictorial and an interview of you.” It turned out that it was just the prankster in the artist that had come to the fore.

Even the ending of that interview was punctuated with an Alcuaz prank. As we were ready to go, Alcuaz extended his right hand to us to bid us goodbye. It was an invitation to a warm handshake only for him to pull back his hand and whirl it in circular motions in the air as we extended ours. We ended up pumping air but sharing a hearty laugh with him.

Another incident that comes to mind was during the 1st edition launch of this book in 2007, Alcuaz the artist disappeared from the view of the media and his collectors. He was only to be seen running away from manager-son Christian, pretty much like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Alcuaz was definitely an enigma. He could recite lines or rattle off entire sections of poetry he had learned during his school days, and then just as easily forget the name of a person he just met. He had difficulty remembering the name of the Walled City of Manila (Intramuros) and important dates, although he remembered places and precise details of landscapes he had painted in the past.

Untitled 19 x 13.75 in | Oil on Canvas Board

Once he would leave his studio, Alcuaz did not believe in thinking about pending paintings or bringing his work mentally with him outside the studio. Alcuaz saw his moments outside his studio as opportunities for entirely new perspectives for a fresh look at his work. During the latter part of a given day, he could usually be found at his favorite hotel lobby armed with a battery-powered portable Casio keyboard (organ), a gift from the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee. He would, to the amusement of some and to the consternation of others, try to accompany whatever orchestra or string ensemble a hotel may have.

He was not one to easily let go of his artworks. He would usually sell them only to people he had taken a fondness for, and if ever, these would be at rather steep prices. Yet, he never balked at helping noteworthy causes or supporting charitable fundraising activities by generously donating several of his valuable artworks. In some instances, he donated entire collections to the institutions he had been a part of, among them his former schools – San Beda College, the Ateneo or the University of the Philippines. His generous donations have raised funds for numerous causes, among them for professorial chairs at the Ateneo College of Law, for endowment funds of the Ateneo de Manila University, the San Beda scholarship fund, for the University of the Philippines, as well as for the UP College of Fine Arts Alumni Foundation scholarship fund.

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Quarter Moon and Blue Skies

16.25 x 23.25 in | Oil on Canvas Board

El Valor de los Toreros

14.75 x 19.5 in | Oil on Canvas

Eric

Capulong

Collection

Untitled 18.25 x 24 in | Oil on Canvas Board

Year 1969