PROPERTY FROM THE DON VICENTE “TIKING” H. LOPEZ COLLECTION

Provenance: A gift from the artist to Don Vicente “Tiking” H. Lopez, Jr.

Literature: Tiongson, Nicanor G., ed. Artista ng Bayan 1991. Cultural Center of the Philippines. Manila. 1991. Listed on page 37 as “338. Karnabal” under H.R. Ocampo’s List of Paintings (Partial)”.
Hufana, Alejandrino G., ed. Pamana 13 June 1974: A Cultural Quarterly Published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1974. Listed on page 20 as “333. Karnabal (oil, 32” x24”, 1971) owned by Vicente Lopez, Jr.”under the artist’s list of paintings.

ABOUT THE WORK

The Visual Melody Period (1968 to 1978) of Hernando R. Ocampo was a sustained endeavor in pursuit of an elusive path towards capturing the sublime qualities of music in painting. In particular, Ocampo's venture into his Visual Melody stemmed from a deep appreciation for pure music. It was the peak of his Neo-Realist identity, in which he emphasized a kind of music naturally soothing and intimate in character, echoing the original Neo-Realist manifesto based on the words of Francesco de Santis, "To create reality, an artist must first have the force to kill it. But instantly, the fragments draw together again, in love with each other, seeking one another, coming together wit h desire, with the obscure presentiment of the new life to which they are destined." Thus, in Ocampo's Visual Melody, the indulging experience of listening to music transforms into a palpable vision of harmony. Above all, the Visual Melody sees Ocampo at his rawest, showcasing the inherent beauty in emotional vulnerability and authenticity. This 1971 work, Karnabal (Carnival), was Ocampo's gift to his leading patron and beloved friend, Don Vicente "Tiking" H. Lopez, Jr., whose name is given special distinction for being included in Ocampo's list of collectors published in the monograph written by his biographer, Angel G. de Jesus. At the back of Karnabal lies a tender handwritten dedication by Ocampo that says, "To Tiking, Art patron, best above all, a good friend. Nanding March 15, 1971 It is interesting to note that when Ocampo made this work at the height of his Visual Melody Period, Don Tiking had yet to rediscover his first love—music. It would only be seven years later that Don Tiking would find joy again in music, with Woman's magazine noting in its December 14, 1979 article "This Cellist Plays for Fun": "But last year, Tiking felt the urge and yearning to strum his 200-year old cello, which, for 16 long years, was neatly tucked in his Ermita penthouse." The article adds, "Then, confident of himself after several months, he formed the Elena Piano and String Ensemble… After all these years, Tiking has come back to his first love." A June 26, 1971 article from The Manila Bulletin describes Don Tiking not as a music appassionato but as "one of the country's avid art collectors." "He has recently converted his hacienda in San Carlos City into a haven for artists who devote themselves to perfecting techniques," the article notes. "Lopez today boasts of one of the biggest collections of Filipino paintings in the country today. His office at the Elena Apartments in Ermita has become converted into an art gallery." "Unlike many of his contemporaries who collect for speculation's sake, Tiking loves his collection to the point of being thoroughly emotional about every single piece," writes the print media titan Julie Yap Daza in her December 22, 1971 Manila Bulletin article titled "In search of a voice." In Karnabal, Ocampo employs an exuberant profusion of colors to capture the festive atmosphere of the carnival. Colors bursting at the seams and the organic abstracted forms characteristic of Ocampo's art in the immediate postwar period and fully realized during his Visual Melody Period instantly recall a carnival scene brimming with life, where merriment never ends. Colors bursting at the seams yet confined in a singular canvas evoke the intimate setting of chamber music, in which Ocampo and eventually Don Tiking would both take delight. A December 22, 1979 Times Journal article by Julie Yap Daza says, "These days, however, Tiking is more keenly tuned to chamber music," signifying the haciendero collector's reconnection with music. Chamber music was dubbed "the music of friends" by the prominent English composer and pianist Richard Henry Walthew in a 1909 lecture to succinctly capture its distinct character of being played by small ensembles in private, intimate settings. When this is contextualized with Karnabal, Ocampo warmly reminds his "good friend," Don Tiking, to once again indulge in the blessings of music, where the evocative and moving intonations of humanity's soul reside. (Adrian Maranan)