Venue: The Edge Gallery, UP Vargas Museum, Quezon City, Philippines
The extension, fittingly enough, coincides with the 220th birth anniversary of the acclaimed poet who was born on April 2, 1788. Florante at Laura – a love story set in Albania during the warring period between Christians and Muslims – is one of the poet's signature pieces which has enjoyed numerous retellings in stage plays, movies, animation and exhibits through the centuries.
Celebrating the visual arts and literature, the Florante at Laura exhibition at the Vargas Museum features 22 figurative paintings inspired by different sections of the poem and a sculptural introductory piece, all based on the edition edited by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario. A UP Centennial edition of the book will be published later this year.
The artworks, reflecting a variety of styles, were made by Mark Arcamo, Buen Calubayan, Caña, Salvador J. Ching, Convocar, Marc Cosico, Cris Cruz, Leonilo Doloricon, Egai Talusan Fernandez, Alfred Galvez, Sajid Imao, Jon Jaylo, Jerome Malic, Wilfredo Offemaria Jr., Vincent Padilla, Jonathan Rañola, Laya Roman, Don Salubayba, Fernando Sena, Rex Tatlonghari, Roger "Rishab" Tibon, Inna Vitasa and Janice Liuson Young.
The artists breathe life to the events chronicled in the epic poem, from Florante being tied up in the forest and menaced by lions to his dramatic reunion and wedding to his beloved Laura. Each painting is accompanied by a stanza that pertains to the depicted scene.
Adding visual interest is a backdrop that reinforces the period and setting in which Florante at Laura unfolded. Rendered by the artistic team of Alfred Galvez Mural Designs and Finishes, the exhibit design includes richly detailed murals and effects such as faux columns, moldings and baroque decorative elements.
Florante at Laura is a Philippine literary classic and is deemed an integral part of the Filipino experience. National Artist Almario calls Balagtas the "First Filipino Poet", claiming that the latter was able to demonstrate the power of a poet through Florante at Laura. For the first time, notes Almario, a poet dared to challenge his readers (in the exhortation "Sa Babasa Nito") to carefully consider his written words because these would be of immense use to them. Balagtas is also said to have underscored a poet's freedom from being suppressed.
"In a way, Balagtas broke free from the shackles of colonialism and paved the way towards freedom for the likes of Rizal, Bonifacio and many generations of contemporary poets," Almario points out.
The genius of Florante at Laura's author was hailed by no less than national hero Jose Rizal, particularly in his novel Noli Me Tangere where Pilosopo Tasio muses: "Mahusay na makata at mahusay mag-isip si Baltazar" (Baltazar is a great poet and a great thinker).
The Florante at Laura project was organized as the exhibit component of the recently concluded Komedya Fiesta 2008 1st National Festival, one of the major activities marking the UP Centennial.
The exhibit is presented by the University of the Philippines Diliman Office of the Chancellor, through the College of Arts and Letters and in cooperation with the Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is co-presented by Project Art, Alfred Galvez Mural Designs and Finishes and Third Eye Visual.
For more details about the Florante at Laura exhibition, please contact the UP Vargas Museum at tel. nos. 928-1927, 981-8500 locals 4021 to 24, 928-1925 (fax) or via e-mail at [email protected].
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Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center
Roxas Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines
Telephone Numbers: (+632) 928-1927, (+632) 981-8500 locals 4021 to 24
Fax Number: (+632) 928-1925
Website: www.vargasmuseum.org
Email addresses: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
