PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” M. LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION
Tis the Season of Political Copulation
signed, titled, and dated 8.5.97 (lower right and verso)
oil on canvas
54" x 45 1/2" (137 cm x 116 cm)

THE LOPEZ LEGACY COLLECTION :A MICROCOSM OF GREAT PHILIPPINE ARTPolitically Charged Painting by NavarroAn Important Touchstone to 1997 Political Crossroadsby L I S A G U E R R E RO N A K P I L

IIn this rare work with a political theme, J. ElizaldeNavarro must have found the prospect of ‘CharterChange’ — which the Filipino’s acerbic wit woulddub ‘the Cha-Cha’ — irresistible to depict. (It is also easyto imagine how equally irresistible it was to Don GenyLopez, a seasoned power-player in all its fronts.)It was 1997 and the Philippines was at anothercrossroads. On the one hand was the highly effectivesuccessor to President Corazon Aquino, Gen. Fidel V.Ramos; on the other, was movie star Joseph “Erap”Ejercito Estrada. It was a year buffeted by the AsianFinancial Crisis but that paled in comparison to theprospect of the impending 1998 Presidential elections.The solution, purportedly crafted by Ramos’ all-powerfulsecurity adviser Jose Almonte, was a change to theconstitutional provision limiting the presidential term tojust six years.In the mix was the People’s Initiative for Reform,Modernization and Action (PIRMA), which soughta parliamentary system of government and theamendment of the 1987 Constitution. Cardinal JaimeSin threw his influence behind the signature campaignwhich was eventually rebuffed by the PhilippineSupreme Court.Navarro’s inimitable style — an overwhelmingly brightpalette, his dynamic flourishes and unmistakableenergy — is particularly suited to the temper and thetemperature of this diatribe. Six faces covered in masksas elaborate as his Balinese dancers, flail about in amob of legs, arms, even high-heeled shoes. There isa sense of confusion, elation, as well as mad passionand it is plain that it is not love but power that is themeasure of the lusty emotion.As a young man and a graduate of the University of Sto.Tomas’ College of Fine Arts, he would begin his career inthe Philippine Art Gallery, mentored by its many greatsamong the Neo-Realists. He would be named NationalArtist for the Visual Arts in 1999, reflecting severaldecades of a wide and rich artistic practice in paintingand sculpture.