Artworks on Rizal displayed at PH consulate in Frankfurt
Published Dec 26, 2019 12:00 am
By Roy Mabasa
A total of 24 artworks by three renowned Filipino visual artists depicting Dr. Jose P. Rizal were put on display at the Philippine Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany in commemoration of this year’s 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of the Philippine national hero.
Philippine Consul General to Frankfurt Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia (center) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the exhibition which will run until 31 January 2020. She was joined by the exhibit’s curator, Mr. Klaus Hartung (left), Consultant of Transwing Art Gallery. (Frankfurt PCG photo via DFA website / MANILA BULLETIN)
The art exhibit entitled, “Rizal, the Hero of the Filipino People,” features the artworks of Rene Robles, Ronna Manansala, and Robert Lavides.
“I hope that the pieces of art on display could stimulate thoughtful conversation and understanding of our national hero and provoke us to put Rizal’s ideals into action,” Philippine Consul General to Frankfurt Evelyn Austria-Garcia said in her remarks at the opening of the exhibition held at the Sentro Rizal of the Consulate on December 9, 2019.
Austria-Garcia encouraged the Filipino-German audience to take the opportunity to revisit the life and work of Rizal through the artworks of the three featured artists, even as she thanked Klaus Hartung, the exhibit curator from Transwing Art Gallery, for raising the consciousness of the German public to the ‘genius’ that was Rizal.
The Rizal artworks are part of the collections of Transwing Art Gallery that includes old and contemporary masters as well as promising artists, especially those who are self-taught. The Gallery has been present in the Philippines since 1995 through Transwing Consulting Company
The 24 Rizal artworks complemented the existing rare Rizaliana furniture items currently on exhibit at the Consulate’s exhibition area which include a mirror and table, cabinet, cupboard, dresser, and bed. It was believed that Rizal finished his novel "Noli Me Tangere“ using the table that is on display.
Rizal’s affection for Germany and its people was well reflected in his many travels. For more than a year, specifically from February 1886 to May 1887, he moved from city to city with special focus on Wilhelmsfeld, Heidelberg, and Berlin where he spent most of his time.
It was in the capital Berlin where Rizal’s most pivotal literary work, Noli Me Tangere, first came off the press, eventually paving the way for the Filipinos’ pursuit of independence from Spain.
Rizal died December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan (Luneta) after he was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing squad.
About the artists, Robles is credited as the founder of "assertionism," an art movement asserting the power of art to transform and transcend. It was learned that some of his works have found its way into the collections of notable people such as His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia, and former United States President Bill Clinton, among others.
Lavides, on the other hand, is a narrative painter who tackles socio-political issues ranging from the oppressiveness of colonialism to the continuing complicity of corrupted institutions and injustices.
Manansala is the granddaughter of national artist Vicente Manansala. She chose female themes of mother and child, Virgin Mary, gossiping women and stayed close to her famous grandfather’s style that departed from analytical cubism or the intentional breaking down of subject into near-abstract form.
Philippine Consul General to Frankfurt Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia (center) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the exhibition which will run until 31 January 2020. She was joined by the exhibit’s curator, Mr. Klaus Hartung (left), Consultant of Transwing Art Gallery. (Frankfurt PCG photo via DFA website / MANILA BULLETIN)
The art exhibit entitled, “Rizal, the Hero of the Filipino People,” features the artworks of Rene Robles, Ronna Manansala, and Robert Lavides.
“I hope that the pieces of art on display could stimulate thoughtful conversation and understanding of our national hero and provoke us to put Rizal’s ideals into action,” Philippine Consul General to Frankfurt Evelyn Austria-Garcia said in her remarks at the opening of the exhibition held at the Sentro Rizal of the Consulate on December 9, 2019.
Austria-Garcia encouraged the Filipino-German audience to take the opportunity to revisit the life and work of Rizal through the artworks of the three featured artists, even as she thanked Klaus Hartung, the exhibit curator from Transwing Art Gallery, for raising the consciousness of the German public to the ‘genius’ that was Rizal.
The Rizal artworks are part of the collections of Transwing Art Gallery that includes old and contemporary masters as well as promising artists, especially those who are self-taught. The Gallery has been present in the Philippines since 1995 through Transwing Consulting Company
The 24 Rizal artworks complemented the existing rare Rizaliana furniture items currently on exhibit at the Consulate’s exhibition area which include a mirror and table, cabinet, cupboard, dresser, and bed. It was believed that Rizal finished his novel "Noli Me Tangere“ using the table that is on display.
Rizal’s affection for Germany and its people was well reflected in his many travels. For more than a year, specifically from February 1886 to May 1887, he moved from city to city with special focus on Wilhelmsfeld, Heidelberg, and Berlin where he spent most of his time.
It was in the capital Berlin where Rizal’s most pivotal literary work, Noli Me Tangere, first came off the press, eventually paving the way for the Filipinos’ pursuit of independence from Spain.
Rizal died December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan (Luneta) after he was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing squad.
About the artists, Robles is credited as the founder of "assertionism," an art movement asserting the power of art to transform and transcend. It was learned that some of his works have found its way into the collections of notable people such as His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia, and former United States President Bill Clinton, among others.
Lavides, on the other hand, is a narrative painter who tackles socio-political issues ranging from the oppressiveness of colonialism to the continuing complicity of corrupted institutions and injustices.
Manansala is the granddaughter of national artist Vicente Manansala. She chose female themes of mother and child, Virgin Mary, gossiping women and stayed close to her famous grandfather’s style that departed from analytical cubism or the intentional breaking down of subject into near-abstract form.