For centuries, Paete, a small art town in Laguna, Philippines, has thrived as a mecca for master carvers who breathe life into wood.
Words & Photography: Potpot Pinili
Thumping mallets, gliding chisels and scratching gouges create a faint symphony as I walk through alleys of artisan shops in Paete, a quaint lakeside town in Laguna, about 115 kilometres southeast of Manila.
Sculptor Mario Baldemor works on an image of the crucified Christ.
Hailed as the wood carving capital of the Philippines, Paete takes its name from the tool that popularised it as the home of the finest woodcrafts – paet meaning chisel in Tagalog. Paete is the home of generations of Filipino master sculptors known as manlililok or more casually as mang-uukit.
Paete has been a major producer of finely carved statues of santos (saints) since the early 19th century.
Travelling across the Philippines, it is not uncommon to find Paete masterpieces adorning historical sites, colonial churches, museums and homes. Paete’s exquisite artworks have even travelled as far as St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, San Cayetano Church in Mexico, St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, St Joseph’s Shrine in Sta Cruz, California, and the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, as well as royal households around the world.
AGE-OLD ARTISTRY
At the Kape Kesada gallery, curator Dr Nilo Valdecantos, a staunch supporter of local art and emerging artists in Paete, explains the history of carving in Paete. According to him, the Paeteños, as the people of Paete are called, have been carving since pre-historic Philippines. In the beginning, they carved non-Christian idols called anitos on tree barks and stones, as representations of their deities, nature spirits and ancestors. Their homes were decorated with carved ornamental beams and posts depicting motifs from nature. Marks of their tribe’s identity were inscribed on their weapons, musical instruments and work tools.
Santiago de Apostol is one of the best-preserved heritage churches in the Philippines.
When Spanish friars arrived in the Philippines in the late 16th century, they employed art to introduce Catholicism to the local people. They used well-sculpted and painted images of the life and passion of Christ to illustrate religious teachings. As the Paeteños embraced Christianity, so too did their indigenous art forms.
Sculptors in Paete start to train at a young age by creating simple pieces.
The Church refined the ethnic art of the Paeteños by introducing western techniques for creating and perfecting human anatomical proportions using carved religious icons as models. Painting was also taught, and over time, the craftsmen of Paete mastered the aesthetics of this fine art, and handed this knowledge down from generation to generation.
By commissioning images of saints, ornate bas-relief altars and pulpits, and massive church doors, the colonial Church in the Philippines drove the art of wood carving in Paete. It midwifed the concept of patronage from religious orders, and later, from the illustrados or ‘enlightened ones’, referring to educated middle class Filipinos during the Spanish colonial period.
IMAGES OF THE SAINTS
A predominantly Roman Catholic country, the Philippines is home to one of the world’s largest Roman Catholic populations. Here, religion plays a central role in the lives of the people, and saints are revered as holy intermediaries between the people and God.
Santiago de Apostol is a living museum showcasing Paete’s age-old artistry in woodcarving and painting.
Life-like images of saints are seen all over the country and these religious images are what most workshops in Paete produce. These artworks are commissioned by Catholic churches the world over, as well as individual devotees and religious stores around the country. Among Paete’s famous workshops specialising in these religious sculptures are that of Paloy Cagayat and Leandro Baldemor.
The town’s church of Santiago de Apostol, built in 1646, is a repository of Paete’s delicate handiworks. Its retablo or the church centrepiece is elaborately carved and gilded, housing the tabernacle (the niche containing the Blessed Sacrament, which refers to the consecrated bread and wine that Catholics believe are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ) and flanked by age-old statuaries of their patron saint, the Virgin Mary, St Thomas Aquinas and St Joseph. On the walls of Santiago de Apostol Church hang massive murals of one of the earliest known Filipino painters, Luciano Dans, titled Langit, Lupa at Impierno (Heaven, Earth and Hell) and Purgatorio (Purgatory). These prized visuals, which date back to the 1850s, require serious restoration; still, they stand testament to the long artistic tradition of the Paeteños.
In the nearby town of Pakil, about 10 kilometres away, is the St Peter of Alcantara parish, a heritage church dedicated to Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Turumba or Our Lady of Sorrows of Turumba. The artistic skills of the Paeteños are evident in the magnificent carvings of the saints at this stone church, as well as in the wood statue of the Virgin. This church is a popular pilgrimage site, as it is home to an oil painting that is believed to be miraculous. The faithful, who come here to pay homage to the Virgin during festivities in honour of Our Lady, receive shredded pieces of old vestments for the statue; these are also believed to have miraculous powers, protecting against harm.
CARVING ART, SHAPING DREAMS
This art town looks to master carver Mariano Madriñan – whose life-like masterpiece Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother) received praise from the King of Spain in 1883 – as their hero and mentor.
Since the early 19th century, many families have kept the art of woodcarving alive. Among the notable families are those of the lineage of Rufino Aponggol, Justino Cagayat, Jose Caancan, the Faduls and the Baldemors.
Many of their descendants are celebrated contemporary artists like Dominic Rubio, Jojo Fadul, Luis Ac-ac, Bisoy Iglesia, Ben Dailo, Julie Agbada, Obet Acquiatan and the Cagandahan siblings Odette, Glen and Tintin whose works are much sought-after by art patrons.
Art is a communal experience and it has sustained many families for generations, allowing them to realise their dreams for better lives. Paete is a small and close-knit community where everyone seems to come from or have a family member who is in the arts. It is natural for the people to pick up the skill because carving is everywhere.
According to Bert Baldemor, a respected elder in woodcarving, many of Paete’s best artists remain unrecognised, toiling anonymously in the workshops of big art shops and creating mass-produced pieces for souvenirs and home decor.
If you ask Paete’s carvers, painters and moulders how many pieces they have produced over the years, chances are, they’ll find it difficult to recall the countless specially commissioned projects they have worked on, much less where these works have travelled to.
CHISELLED TO PERFECTION
To learn about the process of wood carving, I visit senior Paeteño sculptor Peping Balquietra, known to locals as Ka Peping. He explains that the sculpting of all masterpieces – big or small – begins with selecting the right kind of wood. Although all woods are fibrous, the artist’s preference for lustre, plasticity and strength are to be taken into account. Many artists work with acacia, batikuling, tipolo, mulawin and molave woods, which are valued for their lustre and durability.
Carving in Paete is a communal activity, and mothers usually take charge of polishing the artworks.
Once the right wood is selected, it is skinned to expose the grain and portioned according to the size required for the image. A faint stencil is laid on the block of wood and the sculptor moves a chisel slowly along the grain until the desired form emerges. The rough image is then sun-dried for days to bring its shape into a crisp and solid structure. The sun-drying process removes any liquid in the wood fibres. Once completely dry, imperfections (like little cracks and gaps in between the grain) will be revealed, and these are covered with filling materials like wood putty. Then, the rough sculpture undergoes a series of polishing sessions using buffing pads like sandpaper till its entire form has been smoothened and its smallest features – from the eyes to the contours and lines of the face – are perfect. Although the artist continues to chisel the image during this stage, it is usually heavy-duty buffing pads that bring out the details. Lastly, oil or acrylic paint is applied and the sculpture is lacquered to bring the image to a life-like gleam.
Becoming a full-time manlililok requires more than just skill; it calls for sincere dedication. Paeteño artists carve images of saints from memory. They brandish their paint brushes instinctively, with practised hands, movements honed from years of experience. They mould masks and decorative items as if these may be their last masterpieces.
ART EVOLUTION
With the rise of environmental consciousness, especially with regards to saving the denuding forests of the Sierra Madre (the longest mountain range in the Philippines), the government of former President Corazon Aquino enacted a law prohibiting illegal logging in 1992.
This strict clamp down saw an increase in the price of various hardwoods, which led to a decline in its use as a major medium for sculptors. In the wake of this ban, many artists turned to more sustainable softwoods like that from easily replanted fruit trees, as well as alternative materials like resin, fibreglass and stone. Although, hardwood is still occasionally used, hardwood sculptures are reserved for clients who are willing to pay high prices for this rare material.
Regardless of material used, what is clear is the uncompromising quality of craftsmanship in Paete. Paeteño artists continue to create exquisite images using whatever materials are available, taking pride in their creativity, skills and attention to detail.
Today, many mixed-media Paeteño works combining wood and metal, vegetable and ice, or even recycled plastic and resin are sought-after by personal collectors and galleries. Paeteños are also known for their ice, fruit and vegetable carvings, with many artists working with top-notch restaurants and cruise lines to create delightful edible art.
KEEPING THE ART ALIVE
While there may be no shortage of artists in Paete, it is keeping the art alive that matters most. The Paete Artist Guild is hopeful that patrons will continue to appreciate their expertise, which takes years to master.
There are only a few art galleries in Paete, as the entire town itself is already a living museum; its townsfolk breathe art. The artists that I meet in this town have one great dream: to sustain the interest of the dynamic younger generation in creating Paete’s famous art.
Lacquer is applied to give a sculptor its desired lustre.
Walking around Paete is a cultural experience. Workshops, which are usually just extensions of homes, are everywhere. I see craftsmen quietly shaving blocks of wood, mothers polishing images and painters working on their canvasses. The fragrance of burned sawdust fills the town like incense.
In the late afternoon, people usually gather around the church area for chit-chat or to watch a basketball game while waiting to pray the Angelus (a devotion commemorating the Incarnation, the belief that God the Son became flesh when Jesus Christ was conceived in the womb of Mother Mary) at six o’clock. Here, in a town brimming with priceless artworks, life remains simple.
Every November, the Paetaka festival is held to celebrate the town’s age-old artistry. Parades and street parties arouse festive cheer but art remains the focus of the revelry, with exhibitions and trade fairs showcasing Paete’s masterpieces. During Holy Week (the last week of Lent), some of the finest personal collections of saint sculptures can be viewed, when the statues are put on parade around Paete.
This is a town of paradoxes; its dreamlike artworks and spiritual roots offer a great contrast to the worldliness of its art scene, where works travel the globe. And, Paete’s small town vibe belies the treasure trove of masterpieces housed under its simple roofs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, was also a famous sculptor; he studied under Jose Caancan, a master wood carver from Paete.
Mariano Madriñan is Philippines’ most celebrated sculptor of saints; he won a gold medal in the 1883 Amsterdam Exposition for his work Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother).
The earliest known Filipino sculptor was Juan delos Santos (c. 1590), a silversmith from San Pablo, Laguna. His works are housed in the convent of San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila.
SOURCE: The National Commission for Culture & the Arts
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