Art Imitates Life

We trace back the origins of a 19th-century Philippine style of painting, letras y figuras, and look at the legacy it has left behind

-  Franz Sorilla IV

The great Greek philosophers introduced to us the basic theoretical principle of mimesis in the creation of art. “Art imitates life,” they say; and indeed, some of the world’s finest works of art and literature have been inspired by actual people, stories and events. This principle is no stranger to Philippine art. During the pre-colonial times, tribesmen carved animals on wood, drew hand paintings in caves and etched language characters on leaves, branches and stones. But art, just like anything else, evolves with its community. Philippine art has developed throughout the centuries, mirroring the sensibilities and sentiments of the Filipino people.

Today, one of the sources that we look at to give us glimpses of Philippine daily life are Jose Honorato Lozano’s mid-19th century paintings. Unknowingly, he devised a style and technique inherently Filipino. Called letras y figuras, Lozano’s depictions are formed around the alphabet. Human figures, animals, plants and other objects are contoured to appear as letters that spell out particular names of places, people, or simply words and phrases.