The Art Trail

By JULIUS P. VICENTE

January 30, 2011, 1:30am

The place where the first artwork in the country is discovered (photo by RUDY LIWANAG)

It’s no wonder why the municipality of Angono, located in the province of Rizal, is the art capital of the Philippines because it has a lot of profound artistic history to tell.

In the annals of its enigmatic artistic expressions, the inclination towards art never wanes and continues to liven up generations.

You will know when you are already in mystic Angono when you see carvings and murals along the streets. But truly, this quaint town has a lot of artworks displayed in the area.

Another reason that why Angono has become a tourist destination is its traditional Higantes festival every November. The artistic town joyfully celebrates the festival by parading around the giant papier-mâché of various saints in bright colors – a must experience for everyone who visits the town.

Wandering around town in search of different artists' lair is an experience. A worthy place to visit is that of Nemesio Miranda Jr. Nemiranda, as he is called, is a noted figurative artist who made the famous mural in EDSA. He has a mélange of arts and crafts right in his home.

Nemiranda is a contemporary artist who mastered the human figure based on pure imagination. His works are very evident through his sculptures and paintings like the giant mermaid that is arched above the entrance to his art gallery.

Another distinguished national artist and a true-blue Angono resident is Carlos “Botong” Francisco. He is a famous muralist, painter, and sculptor of his time and has the highest recognition as National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts.

His great works include Blood Compact, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Fiesta, Sandugo, Serenade, and Muslim Betrothal.

His grandson, Toto Francisco, who is also into abstract painting, shares that most of his grandfather’s works were rooted in the native simplicity of the small lake town of Angono.

“My grandfather grew up in this town as a commoner. Their main livelihood at that time was fishing. So that’s where he got his inspiration and expressed it into his paintings and murals,” he says.

Based on archeological findings, Angono’s inclination in arts and crafts was actually inherited from its ancestors and passed on to generations.

It was believed that after the discovery of Angono Petroglyphs, the oldest known work of art in the Philippines, the period where the artistic ability of the locals begun was also unraveled.

The Angono petroglyphs were discovered by Carlos Francisco while hiking in 1965 in the boundaries of Binangonan and Angono. It is proof that Angonos have the first artwork in the country the rock carvings with inscriptions of human formations, turtles, lizards and other interesting figures that are undistinguishable were found to be 3,000 years old.

Another amazing find is the mini-museum which is adjacent to the actual location of the petroglyphs. The stone adze and the molar and tusk of a stegodon displayed at an enclosed glass were actually used for prehistoric cutlery and carving purposes.

Because of its rich history and geographic location, Angono is an ideal place to set up residence as it is very close to the calming slopes of Rizal.

Just recently, a new development by Filinvest Land, Inc. called Havila, that straddles the three towns of Angono, Taytay, and Antipolo in Rizal, so named after the mythical land by the river of Eden where everything turns to gold, is a 300-hectare community that is comprised of residential, commercial, and leisure developments.

Surrounded by art and nature, it’s no wonder that generations of artists such as Botong Francisco, Jose Pitok Blanco, Perdigon Volcalan and the pride and glory of the country’s music industry Lucio San Pedro opted to stay in Angono. The Abuevas and Manansalas have also claimed Rizal as their adoptive home.