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BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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Four young artists and me
DO NOT think of me as an art patron, although I am pretty sure I am, in how ever a small way it is. Be content to think that I am just a vain person, because I won’t deny I am pretty egocentric, I really am. And there’s nothing you, or I, can do anything about it. So, it also matters that I am not poor anymore. But, although I have some money, my resources are not unlimited. I am not some corrupt politician, or savvy businessman, or high class showbiz prostitute; although I am in a way like a politician, businessman, and prostitute; and when you think about it, all of the above means prostitute. And all of us are prostitutes anyway.
Back to me, me, me. This is my story. I am not very pretty. I’m not drop dead gorgeous like my brothers and sisters. I was only nominated and elected consort to our muse in senior high school because my classmates wanted to humiliate me. Anyway, I’ve always believed I’m a rockstar, and as such, I knew I just had to leave images of me when I die, just in case the future governments decide to put my face on a coin.
So it is not unusual that I spend some of my hard earned money for a decent photo shoot every year, usually around my birthday which is January 6th. And if they aren’t too expensive, I actually commission and collect my own portraits. I mean, I think there is going to be built a Peter Solis Nery Museum and Archive in the next five or seven years somewhere in Panay Island.
Enter ViVa ExCon 2016’s fundraising campaign called Portraits. The conceit and concept is simple: Someone sponsors a local artist for a mere P5,000, and the artist creates the sponsor’s portrait. The artist gets 50% of the P5,000; and Viva Excon gets the other 50% for promoting the artist, connecting the artist with more sponsors, and basically packaging the whole Portrait venture. I think it is pretty clever, and practical.
I mean, I do not see myself spending P20,000 on a portrait. I may be vain, but I’m also kinda tight. And besides, I have my own chosen charities, mainly in literature and the literary arts. P5,000 per portrait, however, is pretty tempting, especially in the guise of helping young and uprising artists of the region. I started with two: a reverse doodle (white ink on black cardboard) by Marvin Dalisay, and a portrait carved on wood by Jeanroll Ejar.
For P5,000 a piece, they are a steal. And P10,000 is just money; but the artwork by Dalisay and Ejar are priceless. I’m pretty sure I’d fetch a price more than double if I decide to part with my portraits, and sell them to fans. Further, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna go back to Dalisay and Ejar for other works in the near future.
Along with other commissioned portraits, and by other featured/participating artists, my two portraits were exhibited at the Casa Real Gallery last Sunday, October 16. This I have to say: All the portraits were beautiful, but my most favorite, of course, were mine by Dalisay and Ejar. I also liked a watercolor by Aaron Vladimir Omena Lasam, and an oil by Kinno Florentino. When Lasam and Florentino were introduced to me, I was kinda tempted to commission them for a version of myself.
And thinking that money is just money, but art is priceless, and I am doing this not only for my vanity, but in support of the young Ilonggo visual artists, I gave in to the temptation, and promptly commissioned another P10,000 worth of portraits. (Reminder to self: bring checks to art gallery exhibits!)
No, do not think of me as a patron of the arts. I am just a selfish, vain individual who takes advantage of a great discount on great artworks of great local artists. But this I have to say: my P20,000 is still P20,000. And if what the Portraits Fundraiser Project says is true: it is quite a help for the artists, and the coming Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibit and Conference in mid-November. Now, if you can’t throw away money like that, or even just a quarter of that, to encourage and support up and coming visual artists of our region, then shame on you! I mean, shame on you for thinking that this is all just vanity.
Of course, you can always buy art. But I think that if you aren’t even half as civilized as to distinguish junk from punk, portraits are a good introduction to buying and collecting art. I mean, a portrait looks like you, or it doesn’t look like you. Of course, the artists may decide to editorialize a bit and highlight certain features.
One of my portraits had too much crow’s feet and eye bags. I told the artist, “Thank you for rendering me so realistically. But would you mind retouching it a bit, and minimize certain unwanted, unnecessary features? You are making art, preserving beauty, providing order in chaos, painting me to immortality. Why do you want to include the crow’s feet and eye bags? It betrays my diligent use of gallons and gallons of Olay Regenerist!”
The good thing about these young artists is that they aren’t yet as crazy as Picasso. You can actually talk sh*t to them. And I don’t know if they can make you pretty, or if that is even allowed or possible in their art, but they are very nice people, truly great uprising artists, who are open to communication, and, I would think, suggestion.
It would really be great to meet them, and get them work for you at great (discount) prices before they get van Gogh status. Visit Casa Real Gallery at the ground floor of the Iloilo Old Provincial Capitol for their contacts./PN
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