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The intellectualization of cultural products should most importantly be that of underlying political structures and discovering the unconscious foundations of culture.
As part of the Komedya Festival of the University of the Philippines which celebrates the centuries-old tradition of the theatrical form Komedya, Dulaang UP (DUP) presented Francisco Baltazar’s Orosman at Zafira in its 32nd theatre season. It was directed by Dexter Santos with original music by Carol Bello. The production was of reconfigured form since it utilized “modern” use of theatrical elements such as music, light, and stage craft.
The aim of this paper is to exact the core power relations represented by this play as a cultural product. Also, discuss and resolve the problematics and political implications of an existence of such a product.
The komedya, as a form, has an important albeit bitter role in the history of Philippine theater. It is a theatrical tradition whose plot revolves around the social, political, and religious conflicts between the Muslims and Christian heroes. It is usually presented in festivals with the support and patronage of the communities. This theater form has its origins in the theatrical traditions of Spain and Mexico in the 16th-18th century. It reached the Philippines through the Hispanic Christianization of the Philippines (http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/whatsup/komedya.html). This form is also a representation of the Hispanic cultural hegemony that, ironically, the University of the Philipines finds amusing and valuable arguing that “The existence of active komedya/moro-moro groups in a number of regions in the Philippines today warrants an intensified effort to assert the significance of this centuries old theater tradition.”(ibid.) The question of the value of persistence of this form over political implications on us as a nation is debatable yet it is this paper’s interest to acknowledge the latter as more important.
Claude Levi-Strauss in his own attempt to “discover the unconscious foundations of the culture of so-called primitive societies,” he investigated different ‘systems’ and one of the major interests of present cultural studies and one that is central to students of popular culture is his analysis of myth. ”He claims that beneath the vast heterogeneity of myths there can be discovered a homogeneous structure” (Storey,77). His claim also asserts that “the purpose of the myth is to make the world explicable, magically to resolve its problems and contradictions“ (Storey,78). This analysis is central in looking at the performance of DUP and komedya in general as a present-day (ironically centuries-old) myth that promises resolution and justification of current (and previous) Philippine social strata.
Interestingly, Roland Barthes in his Mythologies, thought in line with Levi-Strauss when he analyzed popular culture using the same concept of myth. It is clear that “by myth he also means ideology as understood as a body of ideas and practices which defend the prevailing structure of power by actively promoting the values and interest of the dominant groups in society” (Storey,83).
The Orosman and Zafira production was well received by the audience and critics alike. In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on February 25, 2008, Gibbs Cadiz raves the performance with transparent pleasure:
“The language, spoken by a large cast of professional and student actors, is largely leeched of declamatory artifice, its picturesque power emerging with coherence and transparency.
At its simplest, ‘Orosman’ makes a persuasive case that Balagtas, a figure of bland terror to millions of students required to read his archaic poetry, can be accessible, comprehensible, when spoken right.”( http://www.gibbscadiz.blogspot.com/)
For the most part, the performance was indeed technically marvelous as it is the reputation of DUP to experiment on attack and stage craft. The use of omnipresent props as seen in the several bundles of wooden sticks that the movers strategically move around the stage to establish the spaces just shows how much they have mastered stage craft. The group also utilized Philipppine indigenous musical instruments to use as props such as the Kubing, the Tungatong, and the Bunkaka (http://www.filipinoheritage.com/arts/phil-music). They were critical in the fight scenes although I must admit that I felt for the instruments as they were beaten to death to fulfill that purpose. I wouldn’t think though that they would not be needing those same instruments to be played since they have a live band by the side of the stage playing the original music of Pinikpikan’s very own Carol Bello which was very refreshing to hear. The lights were off a couple of times since they were not perfectly queued and some actors have to adjust their blocking to the light which seemed a little awkward for it took some drama away from some scenes. The choreography was great if not for some misses in synchrony and a little overcrowding of the stage in some parts. Remembering how lengthy the original text is (I had to read it for an undergraduate class), the choreography or using dance as a basis for storytelling took care of a lot of scenes, which was pleasantly utilitarian. Generally, DUP did their thing and they were good at it.
Orosman at Zafira tackles the struggles of three kingdoms bound together by the irony of love and war. A story of love set in the period of social disarray, Orosman at Zafira presents the contradictions of emotions and logical thinking for the welfare of the many and for the benefit of personal satisfaction and happiness. In Marruecos, two pashas (a rank in the sultanate political hierarchy) struggle for power since the assassination of Mahamud, the sultan of Marruecos. Zafira, Mahamud's daughter covets to take vengeance on the death of his father from Boulasem, the grand pasha of Tendst and the newly self proclaimed sultan of Marruecos. Zafira joins forces with Zelim, the pasha of Duquela, who, on the other hand, seeks to gain the sultanate throne. Zafira and Zelim's troops have lost from the army of Boulasem led by his sons, Abdalap and Orosman. Zafira and Zelim are captured. Both Abdalap and Orosman fall for Zafira. Zafira secretly falls in love with Orosman. On the day of Boulasem's triumph over the army of Zafira and Zelim, Abdalap successfully plots a plan to obtain the trust and support of the army just so he can dethrone his father. The resulting strife of the hasty change in Marruecos' leadership has paved the way for Zelim to scheme a new course of action against Abdalap. Zafira becomes trap in choosing whether she pursues her revenge for his father or her love for Orosman. Orosman, on the other hand finds himself in the predicament whether to choose between the love for an enemy or the throne his father has been fighting for. (http://www.upd.edu.ph/~dup/)
The main point of interest of this paper is to dissect the relationships of the characters and realize the implicit and explicit meanings of each character vis-à-vis the Philippine society as we know it. The characters’ main motivation in this play is power. The main conflict is located in Boulasem’s interest to usurp Mahamud as sultan of Marruecos. While the love story of Orosman and Zafira is a major twist in the story as it brings complications to the story itself, it is born out of the political underpinnings of the play. The characters are all part of the upper class. This character of the story provides for interpolation of the subject and puts them inside the mindset of one that is outside this social sphere. This creates for a mystification of this social sphere and as it is mystified it is also untangled within the same play fashioning pleasure in the audience as it understands this complex relations that is as far as the audience can go in their own social placement.
The previously-mentioned analysis is in line with Levi-Strauss’ investigation on the myth as the play provides understanding of this specific social class therefore making acceptable the existence of such. The viewer is then diverted from questioning inequality and learns to appreciate and accept the system blindly. This play implicitly suggests that the upper class resolves its contradictions and so will other conflicts in other classes.
Consequentially, Barthes’ analysis is also true for this play. The values and interest of the dominant group is protected since it generally presents them in a nonchalant manner. Being presented as a “given” in any society, this play makes the values of greed and infidelity thrive as it rationalizes these values even though they are placed outside the morality of the characters. They are not explicitly accepted as traditionally moral yet they are discussed in a logical backdrop again giving rationalization to power grabbing which is a central conflict in the very little number that hold enormous amount of power in the Philippine society.
The importance of this play in Philippine literature and theater is invaluable and it is not in the interest of this paper to say otherwise. However, it is in its interest to provide for a rational basis of aesthetic appreciation. Orozman and Zafira, the play, is a romanticism of political relations that promote inequality and being regarded as one of the greatest written is a testament on how we never really overcame that kind of power relations as a people.
Sources:
“Structuralism and Post-Structuralism” in Storey, John. An introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. London: Prentice Hall,73-100.
http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/whatsup/komedya.html
http://www.gibbscadiz.blogspot.com/
The Local as International: The National Artist in BenCab
Celebrated artist Benedicto Cabrera, BenCab as he likes to sign his works, has gone a long way from the boy who paints on the pavement and walls at age 7 to becoming hailed as a master of Philippine contemporary art. This tag, not to mention being proclaimed a national artist for painting in 2006, is one of the reasons why his paintings today sell even before they are finished:
‘He acknowledges that his wife keeps a list of collectors who are queuing up to buy work that has yet to be produced. "It's a nice problem. I just ask my wife who's next in line," he said, laughing.
(http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/13/news/web.bencab.php?page=1)’
This paper aims to historicize the place of BenCab in Philippine painting and understand the the artist in the context of the artwork. The paper also aims to understand the paintings of BenCab in light of the artist’s political inclinations and bias as part (and in some parts away) from Philippine society. This dichotomy in looking at the artist and the work as both creator and influential to each other ensures the independence of art in historical criticism and analyses.
The main issue in question throughout this paper is how the artist BenCab attained superstardom in the Philippine art scene in light of his international escapades as artist and how this contributes to his appeal. This paper also tried to look for images that reflect this situation in the life of the artist as seen through his work. Another interest of this paper is to dissect the semiotics involved in his works and integrate these iconographies to Philippine society as we see today.
Limited by resources, this paper utilized the internet to tackle the previously mentioned issues. The primary source of information is the official website of BenCab at www.bencab.com. The site provides a complete biography and links to the artist’s most salient works. For convenience, the author limited the study to the “Sabel” collection since:
“’Sabel’ is a major subject that recurs through BenCab's works through the decades, inspired by a real-life scavenger, [sic] he photographed and sketched in 1965, the Sabel image has become the artists [sic] vehicle for the transmission of intensely emotional moods. When pushed to the limits of abstraction, the Sabel image serves as a fertile ground for the investigation of shape and structure.” (http://www.bencab.com/docs/works/sabel.html)
The collection has 15 paintings as linked in the website. A formal analysis was integral in establishing the genre and style with which the artist is comfortable.
Biography
Born in April 10, 1942 in Malabon, Manila, at the onset of the Japanese occupation, he is the youngest of nine children born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel Reyes of Pampanga. At age six months, his family moves to Mayhaligue St. in Sta. Cruz, Manila. He Starts painting on the pavement and on walls at age seven and is influenced by his older brother Salvador who is already an established artist. Salvador takes him everywhere, exposing him to the world of art. (http://www.bencab.com/docs/artist.html)
Their family moved in 1954 to Bambang ¾ a busy but poor district in Tondo, Manila, peopled with an assortment of colorful characters. It is where he first started to develop a deep sympathy for the underprivileged. He sold comic books door to door and hand towels to jeepney drivers as a source of income.
He won his first art award as a Sixth Grade student at the Balagtas Elementary School in Bambang, for his drawing entry in a poster contest with a human rights theme. He Received P100 as part of the First Prize. As a student at the Arellano High School, he augmented his allowance by doing illustrations for his 59 classmates' science projects, which he sold for P.50 to Pl.00. He would later also draw portraits of James Dean and Elvis Presley to sell to schoolmates for P10. (ibid.)
He enrolled at the University of the Philippines' (U.P.) College of Fine Arts in 1959 but he dropped out of the University in 1963 before finishing his degree in Fine Arts with a major in Illustration.
He then took several jobs like in Liwayway as illustrator, in the United States Information Service as a lay-out artist, in Mirror Magazine as a designer, and in Sunday Times Magazine as illustrator. After which he decided to become a full-time free-lance artist.
By the late '60s, the artist had moved to the Chelsea district of London following his marriage to a British writer and was experimenting with cut-out shapes and etchings. "When I first arrived in London, I was more involved with the trends in Europe," the artist recalled. "After a while, I decided I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon anymore; I wanted to do my own thing, which is when I started doing 'Filipiniana,' a commentary on the past." (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/13/news/web.bencab.php?page=1)
After his divorce, Bencab returned to the Philippines in 1985 and settled in Baguio, where he has formed a small community of artists around him. "It's my way of giving back," he said. He has also been collecting Filipino artists' work with an idea of establishing a museum. (ibid.)
Sabel
One of Bencab's lifetime inspirations has been a homeless, deranged woman called Sabel, who used to scavenge around garbage cans in his neighborhood. Clad in a flimsy dress, she would wrap plastic sheets around her body that would billow around her with the wind. To this day, the images are still imprinted in the artist's memory, and Bencab has constantly revisited her portrait since he started the Scavenger Series in the '60s."Every time I make a transition into something new, I work on her," he said. "I like the form, the movement. Now it's almost become an abstract form, just an interpretation, a vague memory." (ibid.)
The Sabel collection studied for this paper has free-flowing lines, a development in his style quite perceptible in his later works. His strokes have become more painterly and the lines curvi-linear. Much like the pieces he has for his Edo collection featuring images of Japanese women which is highly influenced by the 19th century Japanese printmaker Hokusai. Evident in these works are freer strokes and lines that are more flowing and uninterrupted. The colors are used intensely as the artist explores brighter colors in contrast with his previous collection Larawan in which he primarily used sepia-inspired tones bringing out a rather classic and muted backdrop to it. Although experimenting in lines and colors throughout the three collections, the artist was consistent in establishing major elements of his paintings against a solid background. (http://www.bencab.com/docs/artist.html)
Bencab shows expertise in portraiture as the compositions are well thought. The opportunity to explore form using the subject Sabel was maximized by the artist. He untimidly creates extra interest in the flowing plastic sheets worn by the subject as if challenging reality and putting the viewer in the little world created by Sabel where the plastic sheets are actually her clothes. This attempt to invite the viewer into Sabel’s world is recurrent with the use of abstract elements that makes the paintings breathe an eccentric air that captivates the audience in a manner that is understandable and unique.
The image of Sabel is a recurring theme in his works. This feeling for the artist’s subject can very well be rooted from his share of economic difficulty when he was young. The previously-mentioned efforts of BenCab to make money to pay for school is perhaps the most logical explanation for his affinity with poverty as a subject.
In a bigger picture, Sabel’s character is the artist’s means not only to express his personal experience but the experience of Philippine society in general. The statement that he wants to make is, aside from personal, a national one. Here is an image of a woman displaced in the very society that created her and once celebrated womanhood. This very society is now depriving her of opportunity and a decent life. It is not her fault, that is what this collection is all about.
Conclusion
This paper wanted to analyze the national artist BenCab in light of his international exposure vis-à-vis his popularity in contemporary Philippine art scene. This paper also looked into the Sabel collection as linked in the official website of the artist searching for semioic relationship of the collection to the artist.
This paper discussed the important events in the life of the artist, the formal elements evident in his work, and bridged the historical facts and the aesthetic qualities of the Sabel collection.
In this relationship, the international status of BenCab is one consideration that is left in the background. The subject matter of the artist created interest in the audence. This attempt to identify with a national issue earned him the status of a “master” and a “national artist.” Linking the aesthetic and the rational was key to his success. This is coupled by his daring nature in experimenting with form and color, leaving the audience always looking after what he will do next. Going international showing local issues is his style for which he is admired for and respected.
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