Botong francisco autobiography books

Pre-colonial period

Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was in 2006 which restoration was financially supported by the U.S. Department of State through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. PGH and the University of the Philippines decided in 2010 to loan the paintings to the National Museum of the Philippines where they could be displayed in an environmentally controlled setting and properly maintained. The quadtych was transferred to the National Museum in 2011 and the National Museum in turn provided reproductions of the original paintings to PGH. 

The first painting above depicts a babaylan (female shaman), with hands uplifted, leading a healing ritual in pre-colonial Philippines. The fire is lit for the sacrificial offering of the pig (on the lower right corner in the foreground) and the villagers, led by their chief, are gathered around the sick person.

National Artist for Visual Arts Carlos “Botong” Francisco is considered one of the Philippines’ most distinguished muralists. He created enormous canvasses that chronicled the mythical world of the Filipino and its history, often seeking inspiration from tradition, folklore, myths, legends, and customs. While much has been said and written about Botong Francisco as a great artist, what was he like as a father to his three children or as a friend by his contemporaries? Keepsakes such as personal letters can provide more insight into Botong Francisco as a person.

As part of the ongoing celebration of life, work, and influence of Botong Francisco on the 100 anniversary of his birth, the Yuchengco Museum presents a new exhibition that paints a more intimate portrait of the renowned muralist. Up Close and Personal: Botong Francisco through Lenses and Letters brings together original correspondence from the Francisco family collection and photographs of the National Artist by lensman Dick Baldovino. The exhibit can be seen from January 25 to April 30, 2013

Born in Angono, Rizal in 1912, Carlos “Botong” Francisco studied at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts under the tutelage of portraitist and genre painter Fabian de la Rosa. In his early adult life, he worked as a layout artist and illustrator, and then as a collaborator with modern painters Galo Ocampo and Victorio Edades on commissioned murals. In 1938, he pioneered as an instructor at the newly established University of Santo Tomas School of Architecture and Fine Arts. In the 1940s, he frequently worked with filmmaker Manuel Conde as a screenwriter, costume designer, and set designer. Francisco passed away in 1969 at the age of 57, and was posthumously declared National Artist for Visual Arts in 1973.

On exhibit are select black and white portraits of Botong Francisco, as well as photographs of the artist working in his

Yesterday This week, I went on a media tour to Angono, Rizal, touted to be the “Art Capital of the Philippines.”

Angono has produced two National Artists, namely Carlos “Botong” Francisco (for visual art) and Lucio San Pedro (for music), and several well-known artists such as Nemiranda, the Blanco family of painters, and Perdigon. In recent years, younger generations of artists have emerged in Angono and art galleries and studios are a familiar sight in this municipality.

The subject of our tour was Angono’s most famous son, Botong Francisco, best known for his sprawling murals (some up to 200 feet!) that are a familiar sight to Filipinos as a lot of them are displayed in prominent institutions. His masterpieces, which depict historical scenes and Filipino communities, include the Malacañang mural “Fiesta”, “Blood Compact” (Yuchengco Museum / RCBC Building), “First Mass at Limasawa” (National Museum), “The Martyrdom of Rizal” (Fort Santiago), and “Stations of the Cross” (Far Eastern University).

Vibal Foundation is coming up with a new addition to its Art Series — a book on Botong entitled The Life and Art of Botong Francisco, edited by art historian Patrick Flores, with essays by D.M. Reyes, Alice Guillermo, Roberto Paulino, and Ino Manalo.

To start off the tour, we went around Botong’s atelier, which was shown to us by Botong’s grandson Carlos Gil “Totong” V. Francisco II (who writes the afterword for the Botong book. His father is Botong’s son, Rodolfo V. Francisco), who has followed in his grandfather’s footsteps as a painter (apparently everyone in the family has the inclination for visual arts), although his works are abstract expressionism. He has his own gallery in Angono.

Botong’s atelier showcases Botong’s personal effects, such as his drafting table, his old footstool, his books, and even a row o