by Noel Almendras
Discussed Text: Gabriel Marcel, "Introduction," The Mystery of Being
July 25's lecture was unlike most of the others because, in addition to the very entertaining introduction by Dr. Garcia, it was a very personal one. I think that day had one of, if not the most, number of recitations, as people were all sharing personal stories and experiences about the assignment from last Tuesday where they had to go look for a kind of revelation in the Ateneo art gallery. The lecture was also very minimal since it was mostly a review of what was discussed last meeting. So instead of me repeating a lot of the same things said by the previously assigned writers, I would like to start my entry with a story of my own.
I was very fortunate to be able to travel to Europe with my family after I graduated from high school. During our short stay in Paris, we were able to visit the Basilique du Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. It is a huge white beautiful basilica located on the top of a hill. It was really an amazing sight to behold but not as amazing as the elevator on the side when I saw the number of steps I would have needed to climb. Once you get to the top, there is small square to the left of the church. The only way for me to describe it is simply by saying it is the single most "french-y" looking place I have ever seen. Here are some pictures to help. Credit goes to the blogs where I got them from.
The air was filled with the scent of crepe. The square was lined with small cafes where people were drinking their coffee and eating croissants. My mom insisted that one of us had to get our portrait painted as a souvenir. My sister ended up posing for a sketch that cost us an arm and a leg. I was also pretty sure lady who was sketching her was pretty drunk on whatever was in her glass at one in the afternoon. Halfway through the sketch, my mom asked me in Tagalog if the drawing looked like my sister. "Hindi naman niya kamukha eh!" My Mom was already thinking of asking the artist to change certain features of her sketch but I advised against it because the artist might get offended. I said that if she wanted an exact copy then she should have just taken a picture of my sister instead, besides, medyo kahawig pa rin naman. The whole point of having your portrait painted was for it to look like you, but at the same time be different.July 25's lecture was unlike most of the others because, in addition to the very entertaining introduction by Dr. Garcia, it was a very personal one. I think that day had one of, if not the most, number of recitations, as people were all sharing personal stories and experiences about the assignment from last Tuesday where they had to go look for a kind of revelation in the Ateneo art gallery. The lecture was also very minimal since it was mostly a review of what was discussed last meeting. So instead of me repeating a lot of the same things said by the previously assigned writers, I would like to start my entry with a story of my own.
I was very fortunate to be able to travel to Europe with my family after I graduated from high school. During our short stay in Paris, we were able to visit the Basilique du Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. It is a huge white beautiful basilica located on the top of a hill. It was really an amazing sight to behold but not as amazing as the elevator on the side when I saw the number of steps I would have needed to climb. Once you get to the top, there is small square to the left of the church. The only way for me to describe it is simply by saying it is the single most "french-y" looking place I have ever seen. Here are some pictures to help. Credit goes to the blogs where I got them from.
Okay, natapos din yung story. So what is its point? It reminded me of the first question in class that day. The topic of how something could be universal and personal at the same time. In my opinion, art is always about expression. The artist's expression is put into a certain form for the rest of us to experience. The artist's impression of my sister resulted into the final portrait because of a lot of things. What these things are, I am not completely sure of, maybe it was because of all the wine she had been drinking. This is the personal aspect. However, the universal part of it would be due to my sister. Maybe it was because of her darker skin tone. Maybe because of the clothes she was wearing. Maybe it was because of her messy hair due to the strong winds.
