Gamaliel Subang’s paintings of light
April 23, 2007 | 12:00am
Some say that I follow the impressionistic style, others say that I am expressionistic. I say that the painting style I follow is realism. My realism is dynamic. I see the world as lively and forceful, pulsating and radiating with light and life," says 67-year-old Cebuano painter Gamaliel Ignacio Subang about his oeuvre.
"I paint the clouds yellow and it becomes a celebration of splendor," he continues. "This is the way I have lived my life. Look at my life  it is a life created by God and because of that, I have achieved success even if I started out with nothing."
Subang can no longer recall how old he was when the muse first beguiled him to paint. What he vividly recalls is that he yearned for a set of oil paints that, at P120 and the equivalent of his father’s monthly salary as a ship cook, was way beyond the family’s means.
To earn money for family expenses and hopefully save for the coveted box of paints, Gamaliel, the second son of 11 siblings, worked as a newsboy. Unexpectedly, it was this job that brought him closer to his dream of being a painter. "There were sign shops in my newspaper route," relates Subang. He smiles at the memory of hanging about, observing the painters at work, and later dabbling with the colors while the thrifty employees read the same newspapers that he would sell later in the day. "Sometimes, the shop owner gave me 10 centavos for my work in the sign shop," beams Subang. But for him, the amount, which was just enough for one-way transportation fare, was extra pay already. The compensation of living out his dream of being a painter was enough.
"I have no favorite subject," claims Subang. "I paint whatever charms me and this depends on that particular moment of my life. I am always involved emotionally. (My paintings) are a record of my feelings and sentiments" In young adulthood Subang wrote vernacular poetry; had in fact won prizes in radio contests. "My poetry then was an outpouring of emotion  of hirap, awit at panaginip (privations, songs and dreams)," he relates. But soon, the poetry was relinquished for more joyful pursuits. "I got married (to Felixberta Paragsa) and I was happy. I had a new world and forgot about the subjects of my somber poetry," says the erstwhile dancer (of cha-cha, tango and rock n’ roll,) stage actor and singer. The man who was also a tenor soon lost his voice to emphysema, but his iridescent paintings that seem to throb and breathe a life all their own, continued to mirror the artist’s cheerful and contented disposition.
It is a reflection of Subang’s spiritual nature that his most memorable painting is "Consolacion Hills," an 18" x 24" oil painted during a difficult period. "In 1972, the sibling of my best friend engineer Jaime dela Cerna died," he relates. "We went to the wake in Consolacion town north of Cebu City at nine in the evening to mourn, and it was a really a very sad time. Then without meaning to, I had dozed off. When I woke up early the next morning, the landscape lay before me  alive and beautiful! For 21 days I woke up at the same hour of the day and painted." Perhaps, the anecdote is a good reflection of Subang’s views on human mortality and the afterlife. He has kept "Consolacion Hills" to remind him that despite the trials and sadness, beauty and life lie ahead.
Unlike other artists who have reaped tremendous financial rewards from their paintings, Subang is not wealthy. Still, his affluence is calculated in the fullness of unforgettable memories. One of these is when noted artist Diosdado Lorenzo brought a busload of his students to view his exhibit and furnished Subang with incalculable happiness with his unexpected praise. "He told the students, ‘Look at this. Look at the fine work of this man who has not gone to art school," recalls the artist with a smile.
"Painting is a source of joy. And why not? When you paint, are you not happy, that you can interpret beauty in your canvas?" breathes the painter, now gaunt and ill and frail. Subang’s modest lifestyle today is strained by financial requirements for the medications he is required to take. His wife passed away in 2004 and he lives simply in a rented Las Piñas apartment with several of his children. Still, his outlook is upbeat. "I will live and enjoy my life to the end," he declares, undiminished by emphysema, renal failure and late-stage prostate cancer.
In spite of the physical difficulties and discomforts that come with his various ailments, he struggles to cheerfully work a few hours each day on his incandescent canvases. "I still have many things that I want to paint, but I have accepted that I am losing time," he states matter-of-factly. "My reality now is happiness because I know that God has given me so much," he asserts. "Art is personal and honest. It is my way of proving my thanksgiving for nature and life."
Truly, Gamaliel Subang’s paintings are a visual metaphor of a life well lived. His body of work is an affirmation of an unyielding faith. His demeanor is that of a man who trusts that after the hardships, pain, illness and other worldly trials, the Eternal Artist and source of all light will set everything right with His welcoming and luminous embrace.
If you own a Subang painting, you might want to join a planned exhibit of the artist. E-mail the organizers Petteri Makitalo at petteri@veredium.com, or call 628-0964; Marilene de Guzman at leodeguzman@comcast.net, telefax 1-650-3436086 or 807-8416 and 809-1358; Larry Cruz at ljc@surfshop.net.ph, 522-9163 or 522-2593; or the artist and his son Ramilito Subang at 0916-4523424.
"I paint the clouds yellow and it becomes a celebration of splendor," he continues. "This is the way I have lived my life. Look at my life  it is a life created by God and because of that, I have achieved success even if I started out with nothing."
Subang can no longer recall how old he was when the muse first beguiled him to paint. What he vividly recalls is that he yearned for a set of oil paints that, at P120 and the equivalent of his father’s monthly salary as a ship cook, was way beyond the family’s means.
To earn money for family expenses and hopefully save for the coveted box of paints, Gamaliel, the second son of 11 siblings, worked as a newsboy. Unexpectedly, it was this job that brought him closer to his dream of being a painter. "There were sign shops in my newspaper route," relates Subang. He smiles at the memory of hanging about, observing the painters at work, and later dabbling with the colors while the thrifty employees read the same newspapers that he would sell later in the day. "Sometimes, the shop owner gave me 10 centavos for my work in the sign shop," beams Subang. But for him, the amount, which was just enough for one-way transportation fare, was extra pay already. The compensation of living out his dream of being a painter was enough.
"I have no favorite subject," claims Subang. "I paint whatever charms me and this depends on that particular moment of my life. I am always involved emotionally. (My paintings) are a record of my feelings and sentiments" In young adulthood Subang wrote vernacular poetry; had in fact won prizes in radio contests. "My poetry then was an outpouring of emotion  of hirap, awit at panaginip (privations, songs and dreams)," he relates. But soon, the poetry was relinquished for more joyful pursuits. "I got married (to Felixberta Paragsa) and I was happy. I had a new world and forgot about the subjects of my somber poetry," says the erstwhile dancer (of cha-cha, tango and rock n’ roll,) stage actor and singer. The man who was also a tenor soon lost his voice to emphysema, but his iridescent paintings that seem to throb and breathe a life all their own, continued to mirror the artist’s cheerful and contented disposition.
It is a reflection of Subang’s spiritual nature that his most memorable painting is "Consolacion Hills," an 18" x 24" oil painted during a difficult period. "In 1972, the sibling of my best friend engineer Jaime dela Cerna died," he relates. "We went to the wake in Consolacion town north of Cebu City at nine in the evening to mourn, and it was a really a very sad time. Then without meaning to, I had dozed off. When I woke up early the next morning, the landscape lay before me  alive and beautiful! For 21 days I woke up at the same hour of the day and painted." Perhaps, the anecdote is a good reflection of Subang’s views on human mortality and the afterlife. He has kept "Consolacion Hills" to remind him that despite the trials and sadness, beauty and life lie ahead.
Unlike other artists who have reaped tremendous financial rewards from their paintings, Subang is not wealthy. Still, his affluence is calculated in the fullness of unforgettable memories. One of these is when noted artist Diosdado Lorenzo brought a busload of his students to view his exhibit and furnished Subang with incalculable happiness with his unexpected praise. "He told the students, ‘Look at this. Look at the fine work of this man who has not gone to art school," recalls the artist with a smile.
"Painting is a source of joy. And why not? When you paint, are you not happy, that you can interpret beauty in your canvas?" breathes the painter, now gaunt and ill and frail. Subang’s modest lifestyle today is strained by financial requirements for the medications he is required to take. His wife passed away in 2004 and he lives simply in a rented Las Piñas apartment with several of his children. Still, his outlook is upbeat. "I will live and enjoy my life to the end," he declares, undiminished by emphysema, renal failure and late-stage prostate cancer.
In spite of the physical difficulties and discomforts that come with his various ailments, he struggles to cheerfully work a few hours each day on his incandescent canvases. "I still have many things that I want to paint, but I have accepted that I am losing time," he states matter-of-factly. "My reality now is happiness because I know that God has given me so much," he asserts. "Art is personal and honest. It is my way of proving my thanksgiving for nature and life."
Truly, Gamaliel Subang’s paintings are a visual metaphor of a life well lived. His body of work is an affirmation of an unyielding faith. His demeanor is that of a man who trusts that after the hardships, pain, illness and other worldly trials, the Eternal Artist and source of all light will set everything right with His welcoming and luminous embrace.
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