Marc Yrus Parreño

12-Javier B

Instructions: Study the artwork and answer the following questions in a (one) paragraph
form.

Title: Bombom

Artist: Michael Bacol

Year: 2012

Michael Bacol is the artist of the painting entitled, Bombom. He was born in 1977
in General Santos City, Michael Bacol is a painter who studied Mechanical Engineering
at the Mindanao Polytechnic State College from 1994 to 1997. He is an active member
of Oro Art Guild Inc. His works combine sensitivity and mastery in craft, resulting in
works with a very strong socio-political, socio-economic, and religious orientation. He
has participated in numerous exhibitions in Mindanao, Manila, and even outside the
country, and his work has received high critical acclaim. For the past few years, he has
won national recognition as a finalist and semifinalist in Metrobank’s “MADE” art
competition, and in 2003 he was selected to participate in Sungdu-an 3, a major
traveling art exhibition organized by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.
After the onslaught of Tropical storm Sendong, Typhoon Pablo (international name,
Bopha) wreaked destruction across Mindanao on the first week of December 2012.
Hence, it contributed to the message of Bacol’s painting as it was the same period
where a series of typhoons rummaged Mindanao. The purpose of making the painting is
that, As series of typhoons occurred, families lose their loved ones in Mindanao
because Mindanao has become a multicultural melting pot of grievances—and violence
has necessarily become the language of the dispossessed, the alienated. Far from the
corridors of power, some people in Mindanao have turned to bloodshed as a way to air
their grievances, or suppress others’ complaints, or avenge their misfortunes. The social
status depicted in the painting could be a low-class boy situated in an atmosphere with
their way of life, which is poor and impoverished. The things that I considered when
inferring the status of the child is his way of standing up and the setting he was placed
in. A prevalent trait of a Filipino that is being portrayed by the child is to remain happy
and wearing smiles regardless of the status in life. The painting portrays an entirely
good concept because the artist utilized real life situations which makes it safe to say
that the painting is realistic from the way it looked and perceived by other people. It
serves as a universal awareness-like masterpiece despite varied classes in the
community. Upon deciding if either this piece is an art or not, I make sure that the piece
gives interpretation and perhaps gives purpose to a certain group of people or
individuals. Hence, this piece is considered to be art. The painting itself reflects our
community as there is a presence to this kind of people which is also explicitly depicted
as they can be seen in places where they need necessities, and their primary source
would sometimes be the people around them. The painting reflects the suffering,
challenges, and poverty of Filipinos especially the poor ones. Values portrayed in the
painting is the style of how these people respond to circumstances they are facing right
now. They prefer to have a full positive outlook on their situation rather than a negative
outlook. Essentially, that style they are upholding is a great way for them to continue
wearing those smiles. I was able to identify the values through observation and
analytical procedure as they can also be seen and understand easily with a blink of an
eye. Based on my prior knowledge, elements of texture and color were used in the
painting. With the right choice of color and texture, it strongly depicts a piece of bold art.
In a nutshell, the painting is considered to be creative. The piece is creative as the artist
correlates with the message and interpretation of the piece to other people.
Furthermore, it is creative when a moment it was created, it was also a moment an artist
can never forget what he/she accomplished to do and achieved their objectives.