PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” M. LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION

ABOUT THE WORK

"THE LOPEZ LEGACY COLLECTION : A MICROCOSM OF GREAT PHILIPPINE ART Politically Charged Painting by Navarro An Important Touchstone to 1997 Political Crossroads by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL I In this rare work with a political theme, J. Elizalde Navarro must have found the prospect of ‘Charter Change’ — which the Filipino’s acerbic wit would dub ‘the Cha-Cha’ — irresistible to depict. (It is also easy to imagine how equally irresistible it was to Don Geny Lopez, a seasoned power-player in all its fronts.) It was 1997 and the Philippines was at another crossroads. On the one hand was the highly effective successor to President Corazon Aquino, Gen. Fidel V. Ramos; on the other, was movie star Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada. It was a year buffeted by the Asian Financial Crisis but that paled in comparison to the prospect of the impending 1998 Presidential elections. The solution, purportedly crafted by Ramos’ all-powerful security adviser Jose Almonte, was a change to the constitutional provision limiting the presidential term to just six years. In the mix was the People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization and Action (PIRMA), which sought a parliamentary system of government and the amendment of the 1987 Constitution. Cardinal Jaime Sin threw his influence behind the signature campaign which was eventually rebuffed by the Philippine Supreme Court. Navarro’s inimitable style — an overwhelmingly bright palette, his dynamic flourishes and unmistakable energy — is particularly suited to the temper and the temperature of this diatribe. Six faces covered in masks as elaborate as his Balinese dancers, flail about in a mob of legs, arms, even high-heeled shoes. There is a sense of confusion, elation, as well as mad passion and it is plain that it is not love but power that is the measure of the lusty emotion. As a young man and a graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas’ College of Fine Arts, he would begin his career in the Philippine Art Gallery, mentored by its many greats among the Neo-Realists. He would be named National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1999, reflecting several decades of a wide and rich artistic practice in painting and sculpture. "