First published in 1986 and long out of print as "The Paintings of E. Aguilar Cruz" the book is reissued by RPD Publications under E. Aguilar Cruz: The Writer as Painter.
In these beguiling essays on what lies beyond the fringes of Philippine recorded history—whether pointing out the laughing carabao on the margins of a centuries-old map, or combing for shards of Ming porcelain on a coral beach—Ocampo reminds us that the endless gathering and joining and breaking apart of apparently 'useless' bits is, after all, what makes us what we are, and connects us with others in their own quest for identity.
In this book, besides offering the usual juicy titbits, he looks back not just at our history but also on his life as an historian, this book being written for his 50th birthday. His introduction alone is already worth the price of admission.
This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition SPLENDOR: Juan Luna, Painter as Hero, a multimedia exhibition mounted in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood. The exhibition and accompanying publication aim to capture a watershed moment in our history through the analysis and investigation of the long-lost painting by Juan Luna, Hymen, oh Hyménée! which received a Bronze medal at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. Organized around three main themes, namely: the world of 1889, the complex imagery of Hymen, oh Hyménée!, and the painter as hero, the exhibition hopes to be both a fitting introduction to this important cultural treasure and a compelling prompt to revisit our country’s journey to nationhood, amid a radically and rapidly transforming world surrounding it at that time.
In this book, besides offering the usual juicy titbits, he looks back not just at our history but also on his life as an historian, this book being written for his 50th birthday. His introduction alone is already worth the price of admission.
In these beguiling essays on what lies beyond the fringes of Philippine recorded history—whether pointing out the laughing carabao on the margins of a centuries-old map, or combing for shards of Ming porcelain on a coral beach—Ocampo reminds us that the endless gathering and joining and breaking apart of apparently 'useless' bits is, after all, what makes us what we are, and connects us with others in their own quest for identity.
Ambeth Ocampo always makes historical figures come alive, blemishes and all, and with his curious eye, make our heroes very human and not the mythic figures that we want to make of them. [He] makes history enjoyable reading while at the same time makes it anchor us to the past and therefore, and hopefully, prepares us for the future.” – F. Sionil Jose, National Artist for Literature
Hindsight is the lowest form of intelligence–except for historians. In this handy collection of Ambeth Ocampo’s “Looking Back” column pieces, the popular historian digs deep and looks back carefully at events, places and important people who make up the country’s history.
Ambeth Ocampo on the inspiration behind this collection of essays: “Chulalongkorn’s elephants are the bronze elephants the King of Siam gave to Singapore and Java as gifts during his travels in 1871. I met the Singapore elephant first as I traced Rizal’s footsteps and found a reference to it in his diary. It was upon meeting next the Jakarta elephant that prompted me to compile this collection of essays that begins and ends with an elephant. More reflective than usual and going beyond Rizal and my 19th-centuray comfort zone, these explorations still carry my trademark irreverent humor.”
The cause of history writing owes Ambeth Ocampo a great deal. By his extraordinary use of a relatively new genre, he has rescued history from the cold, forbidding halls of academe. He has made of history something amusing, entertaining . . . as immediate as a newspaper headline, as relevant as a rapper’s song.”– Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil
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