Ambayec, Mounicha July 25, 2018

12- Our Lady of Grace Contemporary Arts

ANG KAPALIT NG KAUNLARAN

The Compensation of Progress
Art Critiquing
“Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan”, Delatova 1978

At first glance, what can vividly capture our attention

in Delatova’s painting is a man in a seemingly weak
slouching position with his right arm holding his left arm,
showing a very distressed face. He is wearing a blue
collared ¾ polo paired with denim jeans. Behind him is the
company title of Coca Cola in a dominantly red background
painted like a graffiti on the wall of a street. Going into
details, a dagger-like tail of the letter C in the company’s title
seems to point at the man’s heart. Imagine that you are
riding a moving car in a road and you happen to pass by a street and see a cemented wall painted
with the title Coca Cola on a red background and in front of this wall appears a man who is walking
weakly in a slouching stance with a gloomy and sad face—this is an imaginative portrayal of
Antipas Delatova’s masterpiece “Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan” wherein the man personates Mang
Juan. Mang Juan, with his physical features such as the natural tan Filipino color and his portrayal
as an oppressed worker, represents the Filipino workers who possess complete submission to the
dominion of influential capital businesses such as the most popular Coca-Cola company. On the
other hand, the background contains splatters of dark and light shades of red which is the universal
brand color of Coca-Cola company.

Delatova’s Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan is a realistic depiction of the negative effect brought
about by neocolonialism in the Philippines. Neocolonialism, embodying capitalism and
globalization, suggests an indirect form of control through economic and cultural dependence. The
Coca-Cola logo, represents capitalism or “cultural enslavement” as termed by Delatova. It centers
on the idea that very large international businesses existing in the Philippines particularly the Coca-
Cola company is aggressively manipulating the economy of the country and Filipinos’ lives
deceiving Filipinos to patronize company’s products then regard them as “needs” even if they’re
just basically our “wants” in lives. Mang Juan, who embodies Filipino workers, completely portray
one significant effect brought by neocolonialism to Filipino workers which is the agony of workers
(represented by the dagger-like tail pointing at Mang Juan’s heart) against the economic control of
these companies submitting themselves to whatever rules and forms of monopolization the
companies are actualizing. This exact scenario reminds me of how we, Filipinos in general, are
entirely consumed with Western Influence. From the way we dress, the way we speak to the way
we live has a significant trace of colonial influence subtly referring to the latest international trends
that we are into today. Delatova, as a social realist, managed to bring into focus the economic and
political relationship between the logo and Mang Juan’s body and raises a relevant social concern
which existence we often don’t recognize and attend to in the first place.
 Undeniably, the type of society that is reflected in this painting is an underdeveloped society.
Philippines, belonging to the Third World countries, is apparently exposed to the negative impacts
of neocolonialism. The title itself written in Filipino language, indicates how that dagger-like tail
pointed at Mang Juan’s heart strengthens the message that is intended to be delivered by
Delatova. It vividly represents the struggles, difficulties and the plight of Filipino workers suffering
under the economic control and manipulation of colonial companies. The clouding and striking
reality then is the continuous existence on the issue of neocolonialism in Philippines today
apparent in how the growth and progress of the country is dependent on international forces and
assistance simply to serve both the interests of its citizens and the interests of its foreign masters
which sends the idea that even if Filipinos have gained their independence, there are still these
fragments left in the scene and as long as neocolonialism exists, Philippines’ progress will always
be parallel to a compromise in its system and welfare of the Filipino citizens.

Delatova’s artwork utilizes all elements of art in such a way that the intended message will
be clearly delivered and understood by the viewers. The colors embodied carry significant
relevance particularly the background. Aside from red being the universal brand of Coca-Cola
company, it can also be associated to “splashes of blood” produced by the dagger. These
“splashes of blood” are used to symbolize the grievances and struggles of Mang Juan in facing the
oppressive influence of Coca-Cola company to Filipino lives and society. On the other hand, the
crumpled paper-like texture embodied can also symbolize the ridges and difficulties encountered
by Mang Juan in dealing with the realities of neocolonialism as a social issue in his country. The
size of Mang Juan in the painting gives clear emphasis to Mang Juan as its subject or we,
Filipinos, as the major stakeholders who are tremendously affected by this issue. Moreover, the
principles of design that are more dominant in the painting are balance, proportion and harmony.
The colors, shapes and lines used have something to do with what the painting represents and
visual equilibrium is evident as there is a symmetrical placement of Mang Juan in the painting not
too big and not too small enough for the background to be also given emphasis with.

Mirroring the social concern depicted in the painting, I will express “Ang Hapdi sa Galak
ng Kaunlaran” as another title of the artwork simply because of how every form of progress such
as the positive impact of globalization in the innovation and promotion of Philippines equates to the
negative effects it bring to the Filipinos and Philippine society that are often undermined due to
how we are overly secured and overly-appreciative of what other countries are contributing to our
growth. “Hapdi” is the Filipino version of wound/pain while “Galak sa Kaunlaran” means the joy and
satisfaction in attaining progress. If I were inside this painting, I would really feel an extreme
emotional attack to the sense of Filipino identity that I’m feeling as the issue on neocolonialism is
against the Filipino value that we are constantly advocating which is “Nationalism”. Driven by the
influences by our past colonizers and even contemporary ones, we often disregard the notion of
“nationalism” because we opt to find comfort and satisfaction in uplifting things we don’t claim as
ours and this is the main purpose of Antipas Delatova: to open our eyes not just to the luring
contributions of globalization but to realize that history is slowly repeating itself (déjà vu) and if
such oppression and economic control continue, Philippine independence will just be an illusional
entity of mind but not a reality that we all seek and fought to fulfill.