Literature: José Maria A. Cariño, ‘José Honorato Lozano: Filipinas 1847’

ABOUT THE WORK

José Honorato Lozano y Asuncion (1821-1885) was born in Manila. Lozano may have been trained by Chinese painters or Filipino painters skilled in Chinese painting techniques; but he may have also trained with Domingo, or someone who studied at his academy. Lozano’s common folk are quite similar in perspective, lighting and over-all treatment to Domingo’s, as well as other contemporaries. The Spanish government commissioned Lozano to depict episodes from the history of the colony to be displayed during a fiesta in the district of Santa Cruz, Manila in 1848. In 1859, the writer Rafael Diaz Arenas, mentioned that Lozano was "a watercolourist without rival". Lozano painted in the costumbrismo tradition, (that is, the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily on the Hispanic scene, and particularly in the 19th century); thus, supplying the demand from foreign visitors for souvenirs of Manila. He also painted in oil. Lozano is best known as the pioneering practitioner of the art form known as letras y figuras (letters and figures), in which the letters of a patron's name are composed primarily by contoured arrangements of human figures — an art form that was derived from late 18th century French graphic art. Lozano however, surrounded the names with vignettes of scenes in Manila. It is his ability to present individual characters within the context of the larger narrative that Lozano exceeds the talents of Domingo and his other predecessors and contemporaries. His albums depict not only individuals in their various occupations, but whole scenes where we see the style in which Filipinos — rich and poor — lived, much like candid photographs of everyday lives. The Señora Doña’s first name ‘Francisca’ is spelled out against a festive background, perhaps an important Spanish holiday: The windows of the stone houses feature the scarlet and gold of the Bandera Español. In the street, maidens and musicians are the curves and pillars of her name. The last name ‘Andres’ is set against the walled city of Intramuros, a reference to San Andres, who is the patron saint of Manila. (A majestic crested gate is in the background as well. ) A streetlight, a man dressed as the god of plenty, and several potted plants in full flower accent the surname. Between both names appears to be the Rio Pasig, overflowing its banks, another symbol of plenty.