To celebrate the centennial of the University of the Philippines, CANVAS is partnering with the UP College of Fine Arts Alumni Foundation Inc. (CFAAFI), and is sponsoring its first Oblation Nation Art Competition.
The competition is inspired by the UP's Oblation - but we are not necessarily looking for an artistic interpretation of this famous icon. The Oblation stands for something that transcends UP, UP students or even the image of the Oblation itself - the selfless offering of one's self for his or her country.
For this reason, the competition is open to all Filipino students, not just UP students.
The Oblation was made by Professor Guillermo E. Tolentino with the help of Anastacio T. Caedo, his student apprentice. According to a book tribute to Guillermo Tolentino, it was Anastacio Caedo, not Fernando Poe Sr., who served as the model for the sculpture.
The idea for the Oblation was first conceived during presidency of Rafael Palma, who was the one to commission Tolentino to make the sculpture. Palma requested that the statue would be based on the second verse of Jose Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios;
In fields of battle, deliriously fighting, Others give you their lives, without doubt, without regret; Where there’s cypress, laurel or lily, On a plank or open field, in combat or cruel martyrdom, If the home or country asks, it's all the same--it matters not.
The concrete sculpture painted to look like bronze (the sculpture was cast in Bronze much later, in 1950), measures 3.5 meters in height, symbolizing the 350 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. The sculpture is replete with references of selfless dedication and service to the nation, and as Tolentino himself describes it:
The completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands, with tilted head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act of offering himself, is my interpretation of that sublime stanza. It symbolizes all the unknown heroes who fell during the night.
The statue stands on a rustic base, a stylized rugged shape of the Philippine archipelago, lined with big and small hard rocks, each of which represents an island.
The “katakataka” (wonder plant) whose roots are tightly implanted on Philippine soil, is the link that binds the symbolized figure to the allegorical Philippine Group. “Katakataka” is really a wonder plant. It is called siempre vivo (always alive) in Spanish. A leaf or a piece of it thrown anywhere will sprout into a young plant. Hence, it symbolizes the deep-rooted patriotism in the heart of our heroes. Such patriotism continually and forever grows anywhere in the Philippines.
We want to see this spirit and intent behind the Oblation in contemporary art. We hope you do too, and that you will join the competition.
COMPETITION RULES
1. The theme of the competition is “OBLATION NATION.” Other than this theme, there is no official criteria. Judging will be done on a purely qualitative basis that in large part considers the artistic merit of the submitted entry, as well as the artist's statement. This competition is open to all Filipino students, whether here or abroad.
2. Entries shall be rendered in oil and/or acrylic on canvas (to be submitted on stretched museum wrapped 2” box-type framing). The size of entries shall be 24”x24”.
3. Submissions shall initially be done by email. Entrants must email a digital photo of their work to OblationNation@canvas.ph. Entrants must include a scanned copy of their current school ID (or other proof of enrollment), and a brief artist statement on their submitted work.
Alternatively, artists may submit a photograph of their work, a photocopy of their current school ID and their artist statement at 1/of Gallery, at the second level of The Shops at Serendra in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig (across Market Market).
4. The deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 p.m. (Manila time), 28 February 2008. Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition. Neither CANVAS nor CFAAFI shall be responsible for entries which are not received, or which are received after the deadline, due to technical failure or for any other reason whatsoever.
5. By submitting an entry, all entrants thereby agree to authorize CANVAS to post such entries on its website or blog, as CANVAS deems fit, free from any payments, royalties or fees whatsoever.
6. The CFAAFI shall review all the emailed or photographed entries that are received and shall shortlist the finalists. Finalists shall then be contacted by email or text message, and they shall then submit the actual works at 1/of Gallery.
7. CANVAS will choose the grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will get a cash prize in the amount of P20,000.00 - less the applicable withholding tax - sorry! :-). The decision of CANVAS shall be final.
8. The winning entry, together with some or all of the other finalists, as selected by CANVAS, shall be exhibited and made available for purchase at 1/of Gallery. The date of the exhibition shall be set by CANVAS.
9. By participating in the competition, Artists agree that CANVAS shall set the selling price of all works that will be exhibited. Sales of their work, if any, shall be divided as follows: 50% to CANVAS, 25% to CFAAFI, and 25% to the Artist. CANVAS shall cover all costs of the exhibition, including venue, publicity, reception and invitations. Unsold paintings must be claimed within 30 days from the end of the exhibition, and any unclaimed paintings shall thereafter become the property of CFAAFI.
10. All artists shall retain their intellectual property rights to the images of their submitted works. However, by participating in this competition, the participating Artist thereby gives CANVAS a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use the image of his/her submitted work for downstream merchandise such as shirts, magnets, tote bags, etc. Participating Artists further agree that CANVAS shall have the right to professionally photograph, use and crop their images for the development, distribution and sale of other downstream products, including but not limited to shirts, mugs, magnets and other merchandise on its online store – CANVASDOWNSTREAM.com.
Artists shall be entitled to a 10% royalty on sales (less applicable withholding taxes, if any) of any merchandise using their respective works. In case more than one artist's work is included in a particular merchandise, the 10% royalty shall be divided equally among them.
All costs of developing, producing, distributing and selling the items shall be borne solely by CANVAS.
11. Submission of entries is not a guarantee that the images of such entries will be developed into downstream products. CANVAS shall have the sole and exclusive discretion in selecting which images, if any, shall be used for downstream merchandise, or shall be featured in CANVASDOWNSTREAM.com.
* The background on the Oblation was culled from an entry on Wapedia: Wikipedia for mobile phones.
** "Oblation Nation" is also a Gameface forum on the UP Maroons basketball team. To join or read the forum, click here.
1 comment:
Presently the Photos to canvas has become so wonderful I would love to learn the ways this can be done. The art of painting is no doubt one of the most fascinating idea but friends who have seen the photos being transformed to canvas is no less fascinating too.
Post a Comment