{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":50146,"auction_id":99,"set_id":131,"lot_number":"58","artist":"Ramon Orlina (b. 1944)","title":"Mt. Makiling II","starting_price":6000000,"signed_dated":"signed 2007","medium":"carved green glass mounted on lighted base","size":"sculpture: \n11 3/4\" x 34 3/4\" x 8\" (30 cm x 88 cm x 20 cm) \nbase: \n2 1/2\" x 32 1/2\" x 5\" (6 cm x 83 cm x 13 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist \nconfirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"The town of Taal, Batangas brought to consummate realization the environmental awareness and activism of Ramon Orlina. As a young boy in Taal, Orlina grew up identifying with the lush landscapes and the diversity of flora and fauna that populate the ecosystem. As he matured, Orlina actively participated in promoting, protecting, and preserving our environment. In a 2013 interview with ANC for the program 'Green Living,' Orlina delved deep into his various ecological engagements. \"I belong to the group named 'Ramon.' We plant trees...I think right now we have maybe planted more than 300,000 trees all over the Philippines,\" Orlina shares. \"I was also a member of the 'COCAP.' It's the 'Concerned Citizens Against Pollution.' We lobby Congress not to continue with the incinerator because these are against our Mother Earth.\"
It comes as no surprise that Orlina has also depicted the sublime beauty of nature in many of his majestic glass sculptures. Such is the case with the work at hand, Mt. Makiling II, from the artist's ‘Mountain Series.’ The greenness of the glass encapsulates the mountain's lush vegetation and dynamic animal species. The sculpture is mounted on a lighted base, which evokes spiritual light, perhaps an allusion to Maria Makiling as the protector of the mountain. The piece embodies Orlina's relentless activism and resounding advocacies.
Mount Makiling is an inactive stratovolcano located in Laguna and Batangas. Named after its guardian diwata, Maria Makiling, the mountain is a popular hiking destination. Makiling was initially proclaimed as the Philippines' first national park under Proclamation No. 552 (1933). On June 20, 1963, it was decommissioned as a national park. Jurisdiction was transferred to the University of the Philippines pursuant to Republic Act No. 3523, signed by President Diosdado Macapagal, \"to carry out a program of public education and information in forestry.\"
Mount Makiling is home to 148 tree species, of which 87 are indigenous and 44 are endemic. The parasitic plant Rafflesia manillana can be found in the mountain. Makiling is also populated by 84 species of birds, 21 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 12 species of mammals. Worth mentioning are the Philippine Eagle- Owl, Philippine Hawk Eagle, Luzon Bleeding Heart Pigeon, Philippine Forest rat, Green-faced parrot finch, and the Philippine pygmy fruit bat, all of which are endemic to the country.
In using glass to render a three-dimensional abstract likeness of Mount Makiling, Orlina points to the robustness of nature as the sustainer of life and its menacing fragility due to human exploitation. Through this work, Orlina sheds light on our collective responsibility for conserving nature, our shared lifeblood as human beings. (A.M.)","lot_group":"SCULPTURE","lot_details_html":"
Ramon Orlina (b. 1944) Mt. Makiling II signed 2007 carved green glass mounted on lighted base sculpture: 11 3/4\" x 34 3/4\" x 8\" (30 cm x 88 cm x 20 cm) base: 2 1/2\" x 32 1/2\" x 5\" (6 cm x 83 cm x 13 cm)