Provenance: Gloria Villaraza-Guzman
Lorenzo “Larry” J. Cruz
Acquired from the above

Literature: Hufana, Alejandrino G., ed. Pamana 13 June 1974: A Cultural Quarterly Published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Cultural Center of the Philippines. Manila. 1974. Listed as “Dilemma” (oil, 23-1/4 x 34 “, 1958) on page 18 as no. ‘185' under the artist's list of paintings and owned by Gloria Villaraza-Guzman.

ABOUT THE WORK

The work at hand, Dilemma, falls squarely into the characteristic motifs of the period, the mask and the shield. It is a sinuous allegory of temptation — the twinheaded snakes with a scorpion tale that have already captured three manlike shapes; other men struggle to flee and take refuge in a mountain of reflective, mirrored vanity or arrogant flight. The ‘highly organic composition in fluid, organic forms and scintillating colors’ was achieved, notes art critic Rod Paras-Perez of HR’s inimitable style, “through the use of broken color strokes, juxtaposed very much like the Impressionists.” Always, as in this work with fascinating combinations of shade and hue, H.R. Ocampo would triumph “in no longer attaining a semblance of reality nor the capture of atmospheric effects… but to intensify colors and make them vibrate with feelings.” In this regard, Dilemma captures the brave spirit of a new Filipino generation. Most senior in their respective organizations, we won their deep professional respect simply by having Larry beat the daylights out of them at the poker table. “When martial law came, I became Secretary of the newly created Department of Public Information in addition to being Press Secretary, and Larry became in addition to his old job the Director of the Bureau of National and Foreign Information (BNFI). It was here where he first unleashed his creativity as an information manager.” Lorenzo “Larry” J. Cruz, was none other than the son of E. Aguilar Cruz, journalist, artist and the man who conjured up the name “Neo-Realists” for the abstractionist elite led by his closest friend Hernando R. Ocampo and whose home was the legendary Philippine Art Gallery. Fely would recall that their home and Larry’s would be used interchangeably for artists’ gatherings as well as painting sessions, making alive the promise of the Filipino ‘Young Turks’ in arts and letters. The artists would include not only H.R. Ocampo and Cesar Legaspi but also Jose Joya and Malang Santos, whose wife had put up a gallery of her own. The work at hand, Dilemma, falls squarely into the characteristic motifs of the period, the mask and the shield. It is a sinuous allegory of temptation — the twinheaded snakes with a scorpion tale that have already captured three manlike shapes; other men struggle to flee and take refuge in a mountain of reflective, mirrored vanity or arrogant flight. The ‘highly organic composition in fluid, organic forms and scintillating colors’ was achieved, notes art critic Rod Paras-Perez of HR’s inimitable style, “through the use of broken color strokes, juxtaposed very much like the Impressionists.” Always, as in this work with fascinating combinations of shade and hue, H.R. Ocampo would triumph “in no longer attaining a semblance of reality nor the capture of atmospheric effects… but to intensify colors and make them vibrate with feelings.” In this regard, Dilemma captures the brave spirit of a new Filipino generation.