Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969)
Katutubong Sayaw, (Philippine Folk Dances)
Depicting the Singkil, Pandanggo sa Ilaw,
Subli of Batangas, and an Ifugao Ritual Dance
1969
narra wood reliefs
each relief: 60” x 24” (152 cm x 61 cm)
total size: 60” x 96” (152 cm x 244 cm)
PROPERTY FROM THE DR. REMEDIOS SUNTAY
COLLECTION
Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner,
Dr. Remedios G. Suntay
Literature:
Reyes, D.M., et al. The Life and Art of Botong Francisco .
Vibal Foundation. Quezon City. 2010. p. 106.
For Carlos ‘Botong’ V. Francisco, there were two
forces that dominated his work : The first was an
overwhelming, almost obsessive love for the Philippines
and the second, his impetus to make it larger, greater, and more
dynamic than it had heretofore been portrayed.
To embody his country, Botong would create a pantheon of
the mythic Filipino from the characters from our ancient history
to our most beloved heroes such as Rajah Sulayman, Rizal and
Bonifacio. He would also study the cultures of the unconquered
tribes of the north and the south in search of the Filipino identity.
As a student in the UP School of Fine Arts, Botong would
probably have come under the sway of Henry Otley Beyer, head
of the anthropology department of the university, which he had
single-handedly organized. The museum, which Beyer likewise
built, occupied the entire second floor of the UP College of
Liberal Arts and was full of anthropological finds from across the
country, spears, shields, and tribal clothing. (Incidentally,
Botong would never complete his course at the University of
the Philippines and would be among the first art superstars
who were completely homegrown, adding to his reputation for
Filipinism.)
For Botong, it was all about ‘the big picture’ and the importance
of massive scale to convince, move, and influence. He would
start on this journey by creating towering murals in Manila’s
film palaces — what better location than movie theaters to
evangelize Juan de la Cruz? It was a brilliant strategy and
Botong’s works soon became synonymous for the bold, proud
Filipino.
He would become the country’s pre-eminent muralist, creating
commissions for the Manila International Fair of 1953, and the Progress of Medicine for the Philippine General Hospital in
the same year; culminating in the Manila City Hall historical
pantheon Filipino Struggles through History in 1969. Along the
way, he would be tasked to embellish the homes of the rich and
powerful, beginning with President Manuel L. Quezon to the
Malacañan Palace of the Marcoses. He would also attract a
devoted following among Manila’s upper crust and prosperous
professionals, including the renowned Dr. Remedios G. Suntay.
Dr. Suntay’s grandfather, Jose B. Suntay, was from Hagonoy,
Bulacan and had the prescience to invest in vast fish ponds;
her mother was a Guevara who lived in San Miguel district and
was related to the architect who was involved in the design of
some of the buildings of the University of Sto. Tomas. Dr. Suntay,
however, would strike out on her own as a pioneering, New
York- trained medical practitioner in anesthesiology, eventually
becoming one of the biggest private stockholders of one of the
country’s top hospitals.
Carlos V. Francisco began as her patient and wound up
becoming a close friend. “He loved basketball and would
complain of all kinds of aches and pains. That’s how we met. I
was his doctor. We struck up a friendship and would visit him
in his ‘kubo’ (hut) in Angono. He painted in that ‘kubo’,” Dr.
Suntay reminisced. When asked what he was like, she replied,
‘May istorya —he had something to say. He was also moody. By
that I mean, he wouldn’t paint all the time. It took him a while
to finish his works. In fact, he would always tell me that he liked
playing basketball far more than he liked to paint.”
One afternoon, he turned up with the four magnificent relleves.
“It was entirely his idea, but I was very happy to have them,”
said Dr. Suntay. I displayed them in my dining room and my
friends simply loved them. (There is a photo of one reunion of her classmates from Holy Spirit that captures one of these
enthusiastic moments.)
In 1969, Carlos V. Francisco was at the height of his powers and
at the zenith of his career. Botong would have a long tradition of
depicting Filipino fiestas and celebrations, beginning with
his magnificent Pista sa Nayon and Muslim Feast, both dated
1947 and in the Malacañan Museum Collection. In Pista, a
couple agilely dances the tinikling. It is so graceful and eloquent
that you can almost hear the clatter of the bamboo poles amid
the music of the town band and a kundiman singer. In the
companion Feast, a southern princess sways to the rhythm of the
kulintang; to her right is a tableau from the mountain provinces
of northerners, palms upturned, captured in a ritual harvest
dance.
The exuberant theme of Katutubong Sayaw (or Philippine Folk
Dances) is thus a most familiar one for Francisco. There are two
recorded works — almost identical to these pieces — that are
featured in the book, The Life and Art of Botong Francisco,
edited by Patrick Flores. These pen and ink drawings are most
probably studies for the finished product. Botong’s wife, Nena,
was from Paete and she had instigated Botong’s wood-carving
projects.
The work at hand is bookended by the Singkil of the
Maguindanao. A princess unfurls the giant fans meant to symbolize the flutter of butterflies, under a royal umbrella.
Botong has covered the piece with the symbolic okir and gong.
On the other end of the reliefs are three Ifugaos dancing in the
shadow of a cloud-covered mountain. They wear ceremonial
belts and blades. There is a drum and the silhouette of a
carabao, the animal offered in the blood rituals. Their hands are
turned heavenward in a symbol of supplication. It is also the only
panel featuring an all-male performance in keeping with tribal
codes.
The two panels in the center feature the comely dalagang
Filipina. One is in the country dress of kimona (the short-sleeved,
abbreviated blouse) and the other, be-hatted and brandishing
clackers, in a more shapely bell-sleeved frock. One muse dances
in front of gracefully curved banana leaves, carefully balancing
lit candles on her head and hands; the other, with curly- edged
bamboo as a backdrop. These depict the pandanggo sa ilaw
(fandango of lights) and the subli of Batangas, a fiesta for the
Holy Cross, respectively.
This is the fun-loving but unstoppably patriotic Botong, who
found the beauty of the Philippine in the life and culture that
surrounds us — and captured its splendor to remind us of that
immutable fact.
