A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino
Encyclopedia
The A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, known also as A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes is a literary play
written in English
by Filipino
National Artist
for Literature
and one of the Philippine’s best postwar author, poet, and playwright Nick Joaquin
in 1950. It was described as Joaquin’s “most popular play”, as the "most important Filipino play in English", and as “probably the best-known Filipino play” Apart from being regarded also as the “national play of the Philippines” because of its popularity, it also became one of the important reads in English
classes in the Philippines
. Joaquin’s play was described by Anita Gates, a reviewer from New York Times, as an "engaging, well plotted metaphor for the passing of Old Manila
."
Intramuros
of Old Manila
in October 1941, the play explores the many aspects of Philippine high society by telling the story of the Marasigan sisters, Candida and Paula, and their father, the painter Don Lorenzo Marasigan. Due to an artistic drought on Don Lorenzo's part, the family has to make ends meet by relying on the financial support provided by their brother Manolo and sister Pepang, who were urging them to sell the house. Later on, they also had to take a male boarder
, in the person of Tony Javier. Don Lorenzo, who refused to sell, donate, or even exhibit
his self-portrait
in public, was only content in staying inside his room, a stubbornness that already took a period of one year. The painting has attracted the attention and curiosity of journalist
s such as a family friend named Bitoy Camacho, and other obnoxious visitors pretending as art critic
s. When one of the daughters, Paula, elopes with Tony, a journey of personal liberation is set in motion, which ends with a restoration of family relations which had been strained due to the neediness of the artist's family. She also felt regret after destroying the portrait.
The theme focuses on family conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino identity and cultural character
with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideal
s.
, the first imposer of colonialism and authority in the Philippines. This group of Filipinos was acquainted with the Spanish language
and customs. After the liberation of the Philippines from its Spanish colonizer, the United States
became the replacement model for cultural enhancement, where English language and materialism became a part – as personified by the boarder Tony Javier – thus marginalizing native tongues and culture within the process. During this period, the Philippines was also plagued by the looming war, frequent blackouts, and untrustworthy characters of the existing nightlife in Old Manila.
Theater Guild. Afterwards, a Tagalog
version was also released followed by other adaptations.
After several theatrical productions in the Philippines, A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino had also been presented at the Vineyard Dimson Theatre in New York City
by the Ma-Yi Theatre Ensemble production, under the direction of Jorge W. Ledesma from July 26 to August 16, 1997.
Since 1998 up until 2005, the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Academic Theater, led by then Dean of the UST Graduate School, Rev. Fr. Antonio Aureada OP, has staged its production as tribute to both Nick Joaquin and the Baranggay Theater Group in various provinces and even twice abroad. The first was in the 2002 production in South Korea, and the second was in the United States of America in 2004.
One of the recent theatrical performances in the Philippines was Repertory Philippines’s production in 1999 at the On Stage in Glorietta One, under the direction of Jose Mari Avellana, which was dedicated by the director to honor his mother, the stage artist, Philippine National Artist for Dramatic Arts, and one of the original performer of the role Candida, Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana.
, under the direction of Andrew Eisenman. This literary event and cultural presentation is considered as the first official tribute offered to Nick Joaquin ever held in New York City.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written in English
Philippine English
Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
National Artist
National Artist of the Philippines
A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...
for Literature
Philippine literature in English
Philippine literature in English has its roots in the efforts of the United States, then engaged in a war with Filipino nationalist forces at the end of the 19th century. By 1901, public education was institutionalized in the Philippines, with English serving as the medium of instruction. That...
and one of the Philippine’s best postwar author, poet, and playwright Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquín
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila...
in 1950. It was described as Joaquin’s “most popular play”, as the "most important Filipino play in English", and as “probably the best-known Filipino play” Apart from being regarded also as the “national play of the Philippines” because of its popularity, it also became one of the important reads in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
classes in the Philippines
Education in the Philippines
During the period of governance of Spain and the United States, education in the Philippines changed radically, mostly modeled on the system of education in the United States of the time...
. Joaquin’s play was described by Anita Gates, a reviewer from New York Times, as an "engaging, well plotted metaphor for the passing of Old Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
."
Plot summary and thematic description
Set in the Filipino world of pre-World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Intramuros
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
of Old Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
in October 1941, the play explores the many aspects of Philippine high society by telling the story of the Marasigan sisters, Candida and Paula, and their father, the painter Don Lorenzo Marasigan. Due to an artistic drought on Don Lorenzo's part, the family has to make ends meet by relying on the financial support provided by their brother Manolo and sister Pepang, who were urging them to sell the house. Later on, they also had to take a male boarder
Boarder
A boarder may be a person who:*snowboards*skateboards*bodyboards*surfs*stays at a boarding house*attends a boarding school*takes part in a boarding attackThe term may also refer to*The Boarder...
, in the person of Tony Javier. Don Lorenzo, who refused to sell, donate, or even exhibit
Exhibit
Exhibit may refer to:*Exhibit , evidence in physical form brought before the court.*Demonstrative evidence is a term used to describe exhibits and other physical forms of evidence used in court to demonstrate, show, depict, inform or teach relevant information to the viewer.*Exhibit , a lightweight...
his self-portrait
Self-portrait
A self-portrait is a representation of an artist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting...
in public, was only content in staying inside his room, a stubbornness that already took a period of one year. The painting has attracted the attention and curiosity of journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s such as a family friend named Bitoy Camacho, and other obnoxious visitors pretending as art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
s. When one of the daughters, Paula, elopes with Tony, a journey of personal liberation is set in motion, which ends with a restoration of family relations which had been strained due to the neediness of the artist's family. She also felt regret after destroying the portrait.
The theme focuses on family conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino identity and cultural character
Filipino values
The Filipino value system or Filipino values refers to the set of values or the value system that a majority of Filipino people have historically held important in their lives. This Philippine value system includes their own unique assemblage of consistent ideologies, moral codes, ethical...
with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideal
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
s.
Historical setting and background
Before the Second World War, many Filipino intellectuals and artists – including painters, as personified by Don Lorenzo Marasigan – searched for cultural enlightenment from SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the first imposer of colonialism and authority in the Philippines. This group of Filipinos was acquainted with the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and customs. After the liberation of the Philippines from its Spanish colonizer, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
became the replacement model for cultural enhancement, where English language and materialism became a part – as personified by the boarder Tony Javier – thus marginalizing native tongues and culture within the process. During this period, the Philippines was also plagued by the looming war, frequent blackouts, and untrustworthy characters of the existing nightlife in Old Manila.
Theatrical presentations
After Joaquin wrote A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino in 1950, it was first published in Weekly Women's Magazine and Prose and Poems in 1952 and then aired on radio before being formally presented on stage in 1955. It premiered at the Aurora Gardens of Intramuros, Manila, through the performance of the group known as the BarangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
Theater Guild. Afterwards, a Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
version was also released followed by other adaptations.
After several theatrical productions in the Philippines, A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino had also been presented at the Vineyard Dimson Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by the Ma-Yi Theatre Ensemble production, under the direction of Jorge W. Ledesma from July 26 to August 16, 1997.
Since 1998 up until 2005, the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Academic Theater, led by then Dean of the UST Graduate School, Rev. Fr. Antonio Aureada OP, has staged its production as tribute to both Nick Joaquin and the Baranggay Theater Group in various provinces and even twice abroad. The first was in the 2002 production in South Korea, and the second was in the United States of America in 2004.
One of the recent theatrical performances in the Philippines was Repertory Philippines’s production in 1999 at the On Stage in Glorietta One, under the direction of Jose Mari Avellana, which was dedicated by the director to honor his mother, the stage artist, Philippine National Artist for Dramatic Arts, and one of the original performer of the role Candida, Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana.
Literary readings
On October 5, 2004, readings of Joaquin's plays, essays, and poems, entitled "Portrait of the Artist as Nick Joaquin: Celebrating the Life and Works of a Beloved National Artist", which has a similarity to the title of Joaquin's play, was presented in New York City by the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment (PEACE), the Ma-Yi Theater Company, and the Philippine Consulate General in New YorkPhilippine Center
The Philippine Center is a building that houses the Philippine Consulate General in New York City. It is located at 556 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, three blocks south of Rockefeller Plaza and north of the New York Public Library.-History:...
, under the direction of Andrew Eisenman. This literary event and cultural presentation is considered as the first official tribute offered to Nick Joaquin ever held in New York City.