Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 135

BEHOLD A CITY. Why is it that when we talk of Manila, we do so in the past tense? Partly because a major part of it was des...

BEHOLD A CITY.
Why is it that when we talk of Manila, we do so in the past tense? Partly because a major part of it was destroyed in 1945 and the city was ironically ravaged further by random reconstruction.
This poignant work on paper by Ryan Villamael, from 2019, showing Manila City Hall in ruins is one of my favourites. My choice further validated by Villamael's inclusion in the prestigious 2021 CCP Thirteen Artists Awards.Congratulations and belated happy birthday Ryan Villamel!

...

A Rizal portait like no other reminded me of the comedian Babalu. Introduced Freud to a faithful portrait of Rizal painted ...

A Rizal portait like no other reminded me of the comedian Babalu.
Introduced Freud to a faithful portrait of Rizal painted by Telesforo Sucgang in 1891. Rizal’s prominent jaw is represented because Sucgang painted Rizal as a friend not as National Hero.
Paz Zamora de Mascuñana acquired the portrait in Madrid in 1951, from the heirs of Francisco Pi y Margall, a Spanish politician sympathetic to the Philippines and the Filipinos. A street in Sampaloc was named in his honor but is som...

RIZAL MONUMENT UP CLOSEreveals two signatures of the sculptor Richard Kissling (Right: Top and Bottom) and on the Left the titl...

RIZAL MONUMENT UP CLOSE
reveals two signatures of the sculptor Richard Kissling (Right: Top and Bottom) and on the Left the title of the book is Noli me tangere, not as some sources claim a symbol of Rizal's three published books: Noli (1887) Morga (1890) Fili (1891).
My Inquirer column today is on my climb to the monument and three critical views of the monument when it was new.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/141678/t...
Thanks to NHCP Conservation Team: Rommel Recuerdo Aqu...

I thought I would never miss lockdown but compare the view from my work area. Top taken today 2 July 2021 and Bottom 1 June 2020...

I thought I would never miss lockdown but compare the view from my work area. Top taken today 2 July 2021 and Bottom 1 June 2020. I don’t think Taal is completely to blame, air pollution and traffic are slowly returning to pre-Lockdown levels.



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

While window shopping for new glassware I saw coupe glasses. Was reminded of the myth that these champagne glasses were pattern...

While window shopping for new glassware I saw coupe glasses. Was reminded of the myth that these champagne glasses were patterned after Marie Antoinette’s breasts. #ambethocampo #thefilipinohistorian #lookingback #AskAmbeth #marieantoinette #champagne

[image error]

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Stirring up a hornet’s nest

Last Wednesday I raised a correction to official press and social media accounts of the Archdiocese of Manila and stated that Cardinal Advincula is the 33rd Bishop of Manila, the 32snd Archbishop. It seems their tainted source was a manuscript in the Archives that is at best unreliable in parts and based on my quick research makes Cardinal Advincula the 30th Archbishop as at least one died before reaching Manila.
My Inquirer column today may be too technical for a general reader's taste but s...

Freud went out to visit the empty Ateneo campus with me today. I introduced him to Horacio de la Costa, great Jesuit Filipino hi...

Freud went out to visit the empty Ateneo campus with me today. I introduced him to Horacio de la Costa, great Jesuit Filipino historian, whose name is on the Humanities building and the Makati Street where an Ateneo campus is located. #ambethocampo #thefilipinohistorian #lookingback #jesuit #historian #ateneo #freud



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

View from my work table this morning at 6.30 am. Second day I noticed unusual haze over the city. Friends warn me its “vog” from...

View from my work table this morning at 6.30 am. Second day I noticed unusual haze over the city. Friends warn me its “vog” from Taal volcano acting up again. Good excuse to skip my morning walk and return to bed.



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Researching in Kawit.This grand living room may have been spruced up for last June 12 Independence Day, but it always looks thi...

Researching in Kawit.
This grand living room may have been spruced up for last June 12 Independence Day, but it always looks this way. And must have looked this way when Emilio Aguinaldo lived here.
How many staff does it take to keep the hardwood floors, walls, and furniture shiny?



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Why does Rizal wear a heavy winter coat in the tropics? My father asked me that when he brought me to Luneta for the first...

Why does Rizal wear a heavy winter coat in the tropics?
My father asked me that when he brought me to Luneta for the first time and introduced me to the Rizal Monument. Aside from the fact that the statue is based on Rizal's favorite 1890 studio photograph, maybe Rizal wears a coat in Manila because the monument was made in Switzerland.
These photos, taken in Richard Kissling's studio, were sent to Manila by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo who was asked to check on its progress. For scale...