New public art celebrates Filipinos’ love for learning
October 14, 2002 | 12:00am
The City of Manila has a new piece of public art. The sculptural monument commemorates the Filipinos’ esteemed regard for education. And what better place to situate the life-size statue than at the triangular island fronting the National Teachers College, between J. Nepomuceno and Legarda Sts., in Quiapo, Manila?
The commissioned work had an auspicious unveiling last Sept. 29. The day marked the 74th founding anniversary of NTC, one of the revered institutions of higher learning in the country, dedicated to the education and training of teachers.
Entitled "Karunungan ay Tanglaw," the sculptural work is dedicated to the memory of Doña Teodora Alonzo, whose unselfish love in imparting knowledge to her son, Dr. José Rizal, enabled the national hero to bring about the enlightenment of the Filipino people through his inspired and truthful works like the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and his valedictory poem "Mi Ultimo Adios," to cite just a few.
Present at the unveiling ceremonies were the grandnephew of Rizal, led by Francisco López, from the side of the hero’s brother Paciano. In delivering the response, the grandnephew, named after his great-grandfather and now in his senior years, referred to the sculptural monument as "an educational landmark" and a fitting tribute to the "noble and intellectual mother of our national hero."
The monument was executed by young sculptor Paul Quiaño. It shows a sculptural interpretation of one of the endearing themes in art since the Renaissance, the Madonna and Child. In Quiaño’s work, it has become portraiture of both Teodora Alonzo and José Rizal as a young boy, at a stage when the son was learning the basics from his mother.
The poignant activity depicted in the sculptural work underscores the significant weight the Filipino family assigns to education. It shows the boy gazing at his mother with a mute but proud mien of being able to read and comprehend under her tutelage. The woman looks at the boy with an approving, loving and motherly way who is just as delighted of her son’s early achievement and what she as a mother has been able to instill in the boy.
The scene eloquently captures in stone the motto of NTC – "Karunungan ay Tanglaw" – emblazoned on top of the building’s façade. As a teacher training institution, NTC does not only teach its students the rudiments of education but also provides them genuine guidance and concern, not only to become achievers in their own right but, more important, models of decorum.
Quiaño’s work is reminiscent of another paean to education, the landmark genre oil painting on canvas by Simon Flores entitled "Primeras Letras" done in 1890. It shows a mother and a daughter in peaceful rapport, evocative of domestic peace and maternal love. But above all these, the painting is an unadulterated tribute to literacy. Art historian Santiago Albano Pilar, in his discourse on the work, provides that when Flores painted the work, it was at a time when school education was hailed as "a liberator from colonial hardships. In the 1890s, normal and secondary education had just been made available through the opening of non-sectarian schools to implement the Maura Decree of 1863."
The initial idea for the sculptural work was the famous story from Rizal’s youth about the flame and the moth. Quiaño worked out a visual plan to depict the scene in cold cast marble. However, later inputs from NTC president Dr. Priscilla Y. Arguelles shifted the visual representation to hew more closely to the famous genre painting by Flores.
With the visual idea firmed up, the search for the models came next. Requirements, such as the high cheekbones, prominent forehead, and deep set eyes, to capture the semblance of Teodora Alonzo were considered seriously, as well as the relative size of the boy, somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to 12 years old, so as to work out a harmonious proportion between the two figures.
The production of the sculptural work took five months from visual research to actual execution. Quiaño’s training in classical art was put in good stead in making the sculpture. As can be seen in the work, he captured in great detail the generous fall and texture of the drapery in Doña Teodora’s typical attire of the period – from the baro and saya to the panuelo. Even the way the scapular casually dangles from the neck was meticulously articulated. The finished work measures 36 x 36 x 49 inches.
Quiaño obtained his bachelor of fine in sculpture from the UP College of Fine Arts. A member of the Society of Philippine Sculptors, he has done commissioned works for public art since 1996.
His first, a life-size figure of Dr. José Rizal seated on a bench done in cold cast bronze, now graces the Grade School of the Ateneo de Manila University in Loyola. This was followed by an haut relief in cold cast marble entitled "The Cordillera Resistance, 17th-19th Century," executed in 1998 for the National Historical Institute on T.M. Kalaw St. in Manila. The third is his tribute to the valor of our men in uniform, entitled "The Filipino Soldier," a cold cast marble bas relief in sandstone finish done in 2000 for the Philippine Army Museum at Fort Bonifacio. "Karunugan ay Tanglaw" is Quiaño’s fourth.
Aside from commemorating the 74th foundation anniversary of NTC, the installation of Quiaño’s sculptural monument on the historical streets of Quiapo in Manila coincides with the long-term plan of Mayor Lito Atienza to beautify the city of Manila, restore the city’s grand character and make it a premier destination for tourists.
The triangular island where the statue now stands used to be the school’s greening project. But through the years, the trees that grew in the area blocked the view of the imposing Art Deco façade of NTC. The area also became a favorite parking place for the homeless and who scattered their personal effects all over the place, thus rendering the place unsightly.
It is worth noting that the academe, as represented here by NTC in this instance, is actively engaged in a partnership with the city government in realizing the dream of giving back to Manila its fabled glory. Through the partnership, it was decided to clear the site to unfold new vistas. As it stands today, the triangular area has become a park, with public art to boot. The city government provided lighting while maintenance of the site is a shared responsibility of both the city government and NTC.
NTC was officially incorporated on Sept. 29, 1928 in accordance with Act No. 1459 as amended. On April 17, 1929, the Department of Public Instruction authorized NTC to operate as an educational institution.
The College started with an enrollment of 76 students. The faculty, though just as small, included professionals of established repute. Among them were the founders of NTC, Dr. Segundo M. Infantado and Dr. Flora Amoranto Ylagan. The roster also listed such names as Federico Roa for mathematics, Dr. Francisco A. Lava for political science, Vicente Alvarez Dizon for art, Dr. Antonio Isidro for methods and techniques of instruction, Aurelio Ramos for curriculum development, Dr. Mariano Icasiano for school hygiene, Rodolfo V. Flores for psychology and Josefa Reinoso for household administration.
Through the years, NTC has continuously kept abreast with educational developments here and abroad. It has striven to make its academic programs relevant to the life of the nation, putting in context the prevailing conditions of the people for whose welfare its students are being trained to serve.
On Sept. 12, 1984, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports awarded the college a plaque of recognition for "its invaluable service to the country as a private institution of learning and in ensuring a strong partnership in education, between the government and the private sector."
Today, NTC continues to perform its share of educating and training teachers, administrators, supervisors and other professionals, anchored on the "ideals of excellence, relevance, access, and effectiveness, geared towards national productivity and world class competitiveness."
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