{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":21915,"auction_id":23,"set_id":42,"lot_number":"9","artist":"Elmer Borlongan (b. 1967)","title":"Abot-Tanaw","starting_price":2000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2003 (lower left)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"48\" x 36\" (122 cm x 91 cm)","property":null,"coa":"León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":"West Gallery, SM Megamall, Deboto, Mandaluyong City, 2003","literature":null,"write_up":"Elmer Borlongan's virtuosity revolves around an unrepressed empathy for the everyday struggles of the urban poor and the proletariat. As an artist exposed to the slums of Tondo in Manila and Montalban and Antipolo in Rizal, where he apprenticed under Fernando Sena, Borlongan wholeheartedly enlightened himself to the struggles of the underprivileged Filipinos—thus consequently developing his rapport with the masses. And it is in this feeling of compassion that Elmer Borlongan uses his paintings to communicate with the ordinary Filipinos. He told in a BusinessWorld interview in 2018,
“Gusto ko kahit ang karaniwang tao, nakakarating sa kanila ang ipininta ko. [Mayroong] passion sa pangkaraniwang tao, na kahit maliit sila, Malaki ang kontribusyon nila sa society at gusto ko ding ipakita na kahit mahirap, nandoon pa din ang hope (I want my paintings to reach even the ordinary people. I have a passion for the ordinary Filipino, that they, too, make significant contributions to society. I want to show that they may be poor, but there is still hope).”
\nIn Abot Tanaw, Borlongan depicts two devotees of the Black Nazarene dressed in the traditional marooncolored shirt attributed to the devotion and standing atop the branches of a tree. They are seemingly gazing towards the direction of the Traslación. In the Filipino sociological context, the masses' devotion to the Black Nazarene is their yearning for better days. Thus, it is not surprising that its most zealous devotees are the urban poor.
\nThe devotees see their struggles in the face of the suffering Christ. But to a greater extent of understanding, the depth of the people's devotion lies in their solidarity within the confines of their collective struggles; the devotees find their strength and solace in the comforts of one another. They all participate as believers with rapport among themselves in light of their shared experiences of destitution and sorrow; they all seek a miracle. For the toiling devotees, one touch to the objects attached to the image – the andas, the rope, its wardrobe, or the image itself – translates to healing and hope. But even without this action, their mere participation in the devotion even from afar gives them the courage and resilience to face life's greatest adversities.
\nThis work also serves as a visual critique of the ills of Filipino society; how those in power take advantage of the masses' resilience to hide their incompetence in advancing the socio-economic welfare of the people. In conjunction with fervent prayers and collective devotion exist the contradictions brought by systemic issues. The masses then use religion and their faith to cope with the system's failure and oppression brought by the powers that be. Quoting from Karl Marx, \"religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress & also the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of spiritless conditions.\" From this perspective, the devotion to the Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno and the resounding chants of Viva! Señor Jesus Nazareno! by the devotees are their rallying cries – an act of reclaiming their inherent rights and its assurance of security and prosperity.","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Elmer Borlongan (b. 1967) Abot-Tanaw signed and dated 2003 (lower left) oil on canvas 48\" x 36\" (122 cm x 91 cm)