Remembering the Aquinos through Ed Sion's portraits

MANILA, Philippines - Perhaps one of the best ways to appreciate a work of art is to witness how its beauty has with-stood the passage of time. It goes beyond trends and still touches the soul of those who see it even years after it was created. The timelessness of portrait artist Ed Sion’s works is what makes him one of the country’s acknowledged masters in this genre.

Sion first became known in the 1980s for his portraits done in his signature sepia medium. Critics have described how Sion puts life in a portrait by pouring his talents in emphasizing his subjects’ eyes and making them the focal point of the artwork. In a glance, those knowledgeable in local portraiture can easily spot Sion’s works because of his distinct soulful style. 

Sion’s most famous work is the portrait of President Corazon C. Aquino, which appeared on the cover of The Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook 1986-1987. The portrait was first unveiled during the Punla Art Group Exhibit at the Champagne Salon of the Manila Hotel in August 1987 where Mrs. Aquino was the guest of honor. 

The former president was so impressed with the portrait that she wrote the artist: “I would like to let you know that I like the portrait very much, with its understated, disciplined lines. Please accept my thanks and appreciation for the pleasure you have given me and my family with such a fine work of art.”

Much has been written about Mrs. Aquino’s portrait. The late Betty Go Belmonte said that “Ed Sion miraculously managed to dip his brush in the soul of Corazon C. Aquino. This is why his portrait is such a beautiful piece of art — it is a collaboration between him and God.” 

Letty Jimenez Magsanoc said, “The portrait of Cory is not all presidential but ethereal, like some distant muse.”

Mrs. Aquino loved Sion’s portrait so much that she commissioned him to do one for her beloved husband Ninoy. These two portraits hang proudly in the Aquinos’ Times Street home. Sion likewise created beautiful portraits of Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abellada and a youthful China Cojuangco. 

After securing his reputation as one of Manila’s most renowned portrait artists, Sion recently came back from his successful one-man exhibit in Davao last Aug. 12 to 15. The exhibit at the Marco Polo Hotel featured Sion’s works in watercolor, pastel, and his signature sepia. In recent months, Sion has become Davao’s portrait artist of choice as the local art scene recognized the man’s extraordinary talent.

A fine arts graduate of the Philippine Women’s University, Sion has participated in several solo and group exhibits including one at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in 1993. 

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For more information, call Theresa Sion at 454-20-94, 0917-9486494, 0927-3884998; e-mail ed_thess@yahoo.com