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By Kendrick Go
“Nothing is further than Earth from Heaven:
Nothing is nearer than Heaven to Earth. “ —Augustus William
Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth
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Detail
from the ceiling of the
most Holy Trinity Parish.
Photo By Raymundo Francia |
Heaven has always been a source of wonder and
mystery to people. Over the centuries numerous artists have tried to
capture the wonder and majesty of heaven.
Eighty years ago a group of Cebuano painters
created several church murals that portrayed the glory of heaven.
However, with the passing of time these masterpieces and the
churches that housed them are slowly fading from the people’s
memory.
To help remind people of these masterpieces that
form part of their legacy the photo exhibit Kisame: Visions of
Heaven on Earth was hosted by the Ayala Museum. Kisame is aimed at
generating greater awareness of the historical and cultural
significance of Bohol’s church murals and ceiling paintings. These
magnificent churches are testaments to the enduring legacy of Spain
in the country.
For almost half a millennia these churches built
by the forced labor and ingenuity of the Filipinos have been more
than just places of worship, they have also served as repositories
of art and culture. However these repositories are now being
threatened by the ravages of time. To help preserve these churches
they were turned over to the Diocese of Tagbilaran.
Of the lovely Spanish-era-built churches now
under the care of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, 12 boast of
magnificent, intricately painted ceilings in various stages of
preservation including those in the parishes of Alburquerque,
Baclayon, Cortes, Dauis, Dimiao, Lila, Loay, Loboc, Loon, Maribojoc,
Panglao and Tubigon.
Several young Cebuano painters who distinguished
themselves as artists par excellence despite the lack of formal
training were responsible for the religious art that adorn the
churches’ upper interiors since the late 1920s. One of the
renowned painters was the late Raymundo Francia, Cebu’s
Michelangelo.
Painting an estimated 80 percent of Bohol’s
churches, Francia discovered techniques of his own and developed a
paint mixture by which his works, in spite of the passage of almost
a century, have retained original brilliance and color. Skillful
shading gave his paintings a striking three-dimensional appearance
in the trompe l’oeil manner.
The Ayala Museum exhibition will display a
detailed documentation of the most important ceiling paintings, and
will try to recreate the obra maestras.
“Artists worked lovingly, but arduously, to
bequeath us these treasures. We must strive, in equal measure, to
show future generations of Filipinos the richness of our church
heritage,” Ayala Museum Director Maritoni Ortigas said.
The exhibition offers a unique look at the role
of religion in our lives. The exhibit will be open until July 21.
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