One of the most striking paintings
in “Piglas” is that of Roy Veneracion
entitled "Paulit-ulit ang mga pangyayari noong
Pebrero sa gunita ni Ferdinand samantalang siya’y
hele-hele sa awiting Dahil sa Iyo", in oil
on acrylic in enamel. The colors, while vivid and
in unusual combinations, do not have a decorative
effect, but instead have the intensity of a dream
or a lingering after-image that haunts the mind.
The scarlet and golden hues mold the figures and
lend them an unusual expressiveness. Its surrealism
lies in its theatrical quality – the scene
of Imelda singing to the crowd below with Marcos
seated and watching – is like a stage for
a lurid melodrama. But this time, Filipinas, the
beautiful muse draped in the flag, is held captive
by a familiar heavy square-jawed figure in the military
attire. In Ferdinand’s dream, there are historical
resonances: the Imelda form is sleekly dressed in
a costume of the Thirties, while the work itself
simulates a gilded antique frame broken in parts,
It is not only Ferdinand and Imelda, it is also
Peron and Eva, and the other conjugal dictatorship
and fascist regimes of this century.
