MECCA OF ART

Why Angono, Rizal captivates as the country’s Art Capital

Story by Arabelle Jimenez

Photos by Monch Henares

It’s so easy to figure out why this rapidly-urbanizing Rizal town has been regarded as the country’s “art capital” for the longest time. Upon entering it from C-6 and the lake shore road in ta ytay, you will be welcomed by an artsy boundary arch with the painter’s easel, to emphasize what Angono is known for.

As you drive along the narrow roads around Angono, you will realize that the decades-old claim to fame is real and isn’t just sloganeering. A foray to the revered mecca of art deserves a visit, and appreciate local art and the Filipino workmanship.

t h is once obscure town takes pride in its hundreds, or perhaps thousands of artists—painters, musicians, sculptors, designers, literary and performing artists, artisans, and others who are indirectly connected with the art industry. It also boasts of having the most number of art galleries and museums in such a small area, that touring and beholding their beauty will take you an entire day.

t h e locals say that art started early in this town by the Laguna Lake more than 2,000 years ago, evident in the Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs, an ancient stick figure art carved in the mountain-top rock formations. tu cked in the jagged cliffs of the Eastridge Golf Course, the site is maintained by the National Museum and runs an archaeological museum.

t h ese petroglyphs consists of 127 human and animal figures engraved on the rock wall. t h e Angono Petroglyphs is considered the oldest form of art in the Philippines dated probably during the late Neolithic period. t h ey are the oldest known work of art in the Philippines, and the engravings show stylized human figures, frogs and lizards, along with other designs.

t h is discovery was reported in March 1965 to the National Museum by the late National Artist of the Philippines, Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco.

Like Botong Francisco, many homegrown artists who has been acclaimed world-wide remained in Angono, passing the love of art from one generation to the next. t h ey now have opened their homes to the public as a museum.

It is a delight to know that many of the museums and artsy cafes are situated within a few blocks from each other. Because of this, a do-it-yourself walking tour of the area is possible and very pleasant. Here are the following prominent museums in town.

Botong Francisco Museum

U N C o V ERE d in the 1960s by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco, one of the town’s pioneer artists while on scouting for a venue to paint, the Petroglyphs is an age-old proof that art has

MEALS AMONG MYTHICAL CREATURES

The Nemiranda Arthouse experience

A

Yes, it is here where one can have a meal with representations of Filipino mythical creatures while musing about Philippine art.

NGONO, RIZAL—If the life-sized sculpture of a mermaid makes you pass off on seafood, there are other choices in the Nemiranda Arthouse, one of a dozen art galleries and one of the 18 restaurants in this quaint town east of the bustling capital of Manila.restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19. The border lockdown across the country had a negative impact on tourism.

INSIDE Botong Francisco's house.

been part of the local way of life for a long time.

Proclaimed a National Artist for Visual Arts in 1973, Botong is a revered muralist who interpreted the country’s most historic events on canvas, and are now part of prestigious government and private collections. His name is a byword in the Philippine art scene and the inspiration of all painters in Angono and neighboring towns. Its resident curator, to tong Francisco revealed that his grandfather was also LVN Pictures’ production designer.

Guests can take a glimpse of his glory days with his memorabilia and reproductions of his masterpieces at his home-museum and studio curated by his grandson Carlos “ tot ong” Francisco II who has his own impressive series of abstract paintings. t h e narrow road where it is located, d o ña Aurora s t ., has been designated by the municipal government as an “art street” and adorned it with bas-relief sculptures to honor him and Lucio s a n Pedro, a National Artist for Music.

Family Blanco Museum

F EA s t your eyes at the Blanco Family Museum where you can admire the works of the late Jose “Pitok” V. Blanco’s children—Glenn, Noel, Michael, Joy, Jan, Gay and Peter Paul, wife Loring, as well as in-laws and grandchildren. Curator, and second generation Michael Blanco happily gave us a tour of Blanco Family Museum.

Historic And Magnificent

LA s C asas Filipinas de Acuzar was recently selected for t h e t he semi-annual list is produced by Historic Hotels Worldwide, an official program of the National tr ust for Historic Preservation (United s t ates) for promoting and recognizing authentic historic hotels. t he 2023 to p 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Most Magnificent Ceilings and d omes List chronicles ornate ceilings and domes including some of the world’s finest surviving examples of historic stained glass, painted frescoes, hand-painted wallpaper, elabo - rate stucco, stenciled wood, and gold leaf. Visitors at the hotels selected for this list can experience and appreciate the creativity, craftsmanship, and extraordinary attention to detail that was painstakingly preserved or restored. t h e 400-hectare estate is home to more than 60 ancestral houses dismantled, transferred brick by brick, t h e Blanco family of painters houses a vast collection that literally passes from one generation to the next. t h eir works boast of an array of visual art depicting Angono’s rural life, fiestas and religious events. Experience the pleasing and relaxing paintings of Blanco Family Museum and be one of the witness of their great work of arts in Angono, Rizal. A museum that accommodates an anthology of paintings by the members of the family as well as some memorabilia through the years. t h e enormous collection’s centerpiece is the section of its patriarch which depict local events with faces of actual people. A good number features rural genre with the Blanco family as the subjects, most recognizably Blanco in his white sando undershirt.

2023 to p 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Most Magnificent Ceilings and d o mes List, a celebration of the artistry and architecture of 25 historic hotels around the world.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a unique and enchanting cultural gem in the small town of Bagac, Bataan. s h owcasing the Philippines’ vibrant history, this heritage hotel resort showcases s pa nish colonial-era houses carefully transported from different parts of the country and meticulously restored and reconstructed by an entrepreneur and avid antiques and art collector, Mr. Jose “Jerry” Acuzar.

T H E boundary arch of Angono, Rizal.

After the heady tour, catch your breath and sip hot or cold coffee at the museum’s café before moving to another gallery.

Nemiranda Art House

N E ME s I o “Nemiranda” R. Miranda Jr. is a living legend, and eminent home-grown master who owns the Nemiranda Arthouse and Atelier Galerie, its adjunct Nemiranda Art Café and Restoran Museo which serves Filipino favorites, and an accommodation facility. He also has the Artcamp and ta mbayan, a spacious riverbank gallery, studio, and camp for visiting artists. Called the Nemiranda Family Art Museum, Angono s c hool for the Arts, he has mentored a new generation of artists. He also served as the chairman of the Angono to urism Council.

Nemiranda, is a Filipino painter and sculptor who is born and raised in Angono, Rizal. He is famous for the art form “Imaginative Figurism.”

Growing up, he was inspired by Filipino comic books illustration Francisco Coching and later by the Filipino muralist also from Angono, Botong Francisco. He has travelled around the world, staging over 50 exhibitions. He is the founder of the Angono Ateliers Association, and an advocate of Higantes Festival. Nemiranda is also known for his mermaid sculptures seen around the main streets of Angono.

Balaw-Balaw Specialty

Restaurant And Art Gallery t h e resto also pioneered the production of the iconic giant papier maches where the municipal Higantes Festival was named after.

Co ME chow time, a hands-down c hoice is Balaw Balaw s p ecialty Restaurant, an old-time favorite which serves delectable regional cuisine and select exotic dishes. Founded by the late artist Perdigon Vocalan, the native-themed resto also has an art gallery dwelling on Pinoy myths and legends.

And if your timing is perfect, you might just chance upon an evening concert by one of the town’s symphonic brass bands. t h e perfect way to end a good day in the art capital.

And with a thousand square meters cradling sculptures and artworks, the musing; well, it could really take a while.

Proprietor and artist Nemesio “Nemi” R.

Miranda even challenged the B usiness M irror to count all the sculptures in the arthouse that bear a portmanteau of his nickname and surname.

Hindi mo mabibilang kung ang sculptures ang pag-uusapan, buong gallery ay napalilibutan ng mural a t yung mga mythical characters,” Nemi told the B usiness M irror

[You can’t even count if you talk about sculptures; the gallery is completely enclosed by murals and other mythological characters.]

He said that more than hundreds of sculptures are installed in one thousand square meter area of the arthouse and countless paintings displayed in the gallery.

B usiness M irror declined the challenge as Nemiranda himself—with five decades in this métier—lost count.

However, he needs to start counting as he told the B usiness M irror he plans to expand further the Arthouse’s space.

“I have plans to expand my gallery and workplace, kasi maliit na ito para sa akin I need a bigger space to do my sculptural works,” Miranda said.

Tourist interest

THE Nemiranda Arthouse is just one of a dozen art galleries and museum and one of 18 restaurants in Angono, Rizal.

“Art and food are two things that would really make a difference,” Nemi told the B usiness M irror adding “lalo na yung artist, is a living artist, patuloy na nag -dedevelop.”

The arthouse itself is a work of art as it is surrounded by murals on concrete walls and wooden posts with sculptures depicting local myths and legends. The latter has been Miranda’s main subjects in paintings and immortalized in his sculptures.

“The whole space is a tourist interest from the ground floor up to the fifth floor,” Miranda said. “I would say the tourists would really enjoy it.”

Prior to the pandemic, Nemi said that the arthouse hosted art tour galleries from various State Colleges and Universities in the Metro area as part of their Angono Art Adventures.

However, the government ordered travel

To tide the Nemiranda Arthouse over, Miranda said they offered food delivery services and he conducted online art workshops.

“We tried to upgrade,” Nemi said, adding that despite the pandemic, he focused solely on the area’s construction and improvement over the past three years. He estimates that it will take another year for the development to be completed, at which point there will be more space for a structure where souvenirs could be produced and a shop to sell these souvenirs.

“ Wala pang masyadong souvenir items a ng Angono,” Miranda said on the rationale for their plan to start producing souvenirs of various things associated with Angono. [Angono doesn’t yet have a lot of souvenirs available.]

Art as business

MIRANDA relies on his profession as an artist—the sale of and commissioned artworks—as his source of income, especially during the period when lockdown orders were implemented and the arthouse ceased operating 100 percent.

Aside from the arthouse, Miranda also runs the ArtCamp Art Gallery and the Giant Dwarf Art Space along Manila East Road. The latter caters to younger artists and, like the former, provides a setting for exhibits and arts experimentation. Miranda said the art gallery also offers workshop and apprenticeship programs for students.

“Art is a business,” Miranda said, citing one has to complement it with other businesses, like food.

The latter he compared it to a married couple that has to be matched to complement each other and “make your client always feel at home when they visit the Nemiranda Arthouse.”

“Tayong mga Filipino [ay] very hospitable. So I want to show them na kapag laging may bisita, hindi lang purely business kundi meron din conversation,” Miranda told the B usiness M irror

[We Filipinos are very hospitable. So I want to show to them that whenever there is a visitor, it’s not just all about the business but also the conversation.] and reassembled with their original grandeur and historical significance very much intact.

At the time this article was written, admission to the Nemiranda Arthouse costs P80 (about $1.43) for adults and P60 ($1.07) for students. Miranda charges an extra P50 for an art demonstration and P20 for a lecture.

Visitors can explore and wander through the cobblestone streets, quaint bridges, and charming plazas as they immerse in the bygone era and travel back in time and witness the different architectural styles from s p anish, Filipino, Chinese, and American colonial designs in providing a glimpse of the country’s rich Cultural Heritage.

Each corner of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a testament to the preserved Filipino Heritage and Culture and the Philippines’ architectural legacy. Visitors are invited to embrace and appreciate the tapestry of Philippine history and relive the country’s colonial past.

“Congratulations Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar for being named to t h e 2023 to p 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Most Magnificent Ceilings and d o mes List,” said Lawrence P. Horwitz, executive vice president of Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide®. “ o n e of the best ways to distinguish a fine historic hotel from another older hotel is to look up at the ceilings. When travelers visit a historic hotel, we recommend they look up to discover the tremendous detail, artistry, and craftsmanship in historic ceilings.”

to k now more about Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan unique experience, visit its official website at www.lascasasfilipinas.com. Photos by Bernard Testa