Ilonggo painter Art Geroche: Nominee for National Artist

By Alex P. Vidal 

“To be an artist, you don’t have to compose music or paint or be in the movies or write books. It’s just a way of living. It has to do with paying attention, remembering, filtering what you see and answering back, participating in life.” — Viggo Mortensen

ILOILO pride Art Geroche could be adjudged as the first Filipino National Artist who excelled both in comics and canvas.

A cartoonist and painter, Geroche is a pride of Pavia, Iloilo and nominee for the Order ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining (Order of National Artists), Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award), Gawad Alab ng Haraya (Alab ng Haraya Awards), Dangal ng Haraya (Achievement Award), Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors), and the Philippine Heritage Awards.

These are the awards bestowed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) reflecting Filipino culture and the arts.

NCAA has broad responsibilities over the development and promotion of the Filipino national culture and the arts, including awards to persons who have significantly contributed to the development and promotion of Philippine culture and the arts.

A graduate of Drafting from the West Visayas College of Science and Technology (formerly Iloilo Science and Technology University), Geroche used to illustrate the novels of famed Ilonggo writer Ramon Muzones while at the same time regular contributor in Yuhum Magazine.

-o0o-

While drawing for comics, Geroche, who loves to remember his childhood escapades as a “bakero” (shepherd of water buffalo), also painted historical events and cultural traditions which earned him projects in different government institutions.

One of his popular works was the depiction of Hinilawod now displayed at the West Visayas State University Cultural Center.

A friend from Manila once goaded him to send samples of his works to Washington DC. After being hired, a script written by an American was sent for him to illustrate.

Gerry Alanguilan wrote that comic book artist and writer, David Roach, described Geroche’s art as “a mix of Gene Colan, Doug Wildey, and the Spanish grandmaster, Jesús Blasco.”

The panels he has drawn for Washington DC were part of the horror-boom in the late 1970s. To create the American characters and scenes fit for the Washington DC audience, Geroche studied the American styles of illustration by looking at clippings of sceneries including people’s facial expressions.

“Almost all of my Historical and Cultural paintings have been donated to fellow Ilonggos,” Geroche said. “(Some of them are) now displayed at Iloilo City Hall.”

Among his notable works were the Barter of Panay and General Martin Delgado Fighting for Freedom which won many awards in the 70s.

-o0o-

By virtue of Proclamation No. 1001 dated April 27, 1972, the Order of National Artist (ONA), or Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, was established to bestow appropriate recognition and prestige on Filipinos who have distinguished themselves and made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters.

Jointly administered by the NCCA and CCP and conferred by the President of the Philippines the ONA is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals that aim to acknowledge colon artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country; artistic accomplishment at its highest level and to promote creative expression as significant to the development of a national cultural identity and artists who have dedicated their lives to works that forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists.

The candidates are nominated under one category where the artist made his or her most notable contribution, but his or her other merits will be added to the citation.

The following categories are Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film and Broadcast Arts, Architecture and Allied Arts, and Design.

There have been 81 proclaimed national artists, and the last conferment happened in 2022. Selection and conferment of the national artist takes place every three years.

-o0o-

The ONA shall be given to artists who have met the following criteria:

— living artist for Filipino citizens at the time of nomination and at the awarding, as well as those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;

—artists who go through the content and form of their works have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood;

—artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus, earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists;

—artists who have created substantial and significant body of works and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their artform, thus, enriching artistic expression or style;

—and artists who enjoy broad acceptance through: prestigious national and/or international recognition such as such as the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and the NCCA Haraya Awards (Alab and Dangal), critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works and respect and esteem from peers.

Various honors and privileges are entitled to those conferred with the ONA the rank and the title of national artist as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines and the national artist gold plated medallion minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and citation; a lifetime emolument and materials; and physical benefits such as cash awards, lifetime monthly stipends, medical and hospitalization benefits, and coverage by a life insurance policy by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and/or private insurance companies.

Nominations for the (ONA) are submitted by government and non-government cultural organizations and educational institutions, as well as private foundations and councils.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)