Anecdotes in caricatures. That’s what I call Filipino illustrator and 2018 National Artist for Visual Arts Lauro “Larry” Alcala’s extensive work that dates back to 1946, while he was still attending school.
I grew up looking forward to the next newspaper or magazine issue that carried his Slice of Life illustrations, eager to find his caricature with that signature thick mustache, inconspicuously hidden somewhere in one of his cartoons – either in the bark of a tree or somewhere in one of the tires of a Sarao jeep. Doing crossword puzzles and reading the comics section of newspapers and magazines were the source of entertainment (aside from playing piko, tumbang preso and other traditional Filipino games) of kids my age in the 80s when the Internet and social media were many many moons away from becoming popular pastimes.
Asiong Aksaya and Kalabog and Bosyo are among my favorite characters created by Alcala. These and his many other cartoon characters featured in his Slice of Life artworks which first appeared in the 1980s featuring large crowds of everyday people. His series of illustrations helped keep the Filipinos’ ability to laugh at themselves through art and humor.
Seeing up close Alcala’s humorous and satirical cartoons in an exhibit that opened at The Negros Museum Monday, took me back to those days when I would marvel at the intricacy of his work and the richness of his storytelling despite the absence of dialogues. He was not just any other illustrator or cartoonist, he was a very good storyteller despite very limited use of words.
Armita Rufino, president of the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc. emphasized in her speech at the Slices of Life, Wit and Humor Exhibit Tour 2023 opening program, that little did Filipinos know that the man was not just a pioneer in cartooning but was also a writer.
“He was a TV commercial writer and product endorser. He had almost 15,000 published pages, 500 cartoon characters, 20 comic strips, 6 movies and 2 murals,” said Rufino.
No wonder he was such a very effective storyteller – how he pictures a day in the life of Filipinos including the village’s Mariteses or gossip girls in the neighborhood, Manila’s busy and polluted streets, how warm tropical Philippines look like and how elaborate and fun town fiestas are in this part of the world. Indeed, prodigious is the most accurate adjective to describe the works of this brilliant artist who explored and depicted the daily lives of Pinoys in a manner that was both lighthearted and critical.
In theater parlance, slice of life refers to naturalism while in literature, it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a character’s life is presented.
When the title National Artist for Visual Arts was bestowed upon him posthumously, the Cultural Center of the Philippine said Alcala’s work “served as a mirror of Filipino society, exposing society’s ills while also projecting the best in our people and country”.
One of my favorites in the exhibit tour is his MassKara Festival 1992 and the iconic Bacolod City Plaza Bandstand illustrations – so rustic, accurate, vivid and nostalgic! It was like I was taken back to these icons of the city 31 years ago. It felt like I was in a time warp and I was seeing everything from the eyes of 15-year-old me. Anyone from Bacolod will feel sentimental upon seeing the illustrations of MassKara Festival dancers, merrymakers, people climbing up trees just to witness the performances and of course, the very famous and delicious Bacolod Chicken Inasal (chicken barbeque) being grilled by the side of the road. Vendors selling souvenirs around the plaza did not escape from the artist’s perceptive eyes.
His son, Engr. Lauro, Jr., remembers his late father as a very observant person. “At least, once a week, we would travel to a town with the whole family. That’s where he gets ideas while we enjoy the scenery. I still went with him until I graduated from college. He’s very observant. He notes down some things that I would have not noticed. He would ask me, did you see that man there? There is always a story,” he recalled.
Alcala spent three decades in Bacolod. “My uncle transferred here back in the 60s. So, my uncle invited him to retire in Bacolod. He loved to eat, especially Bacolod delicacies,” added Lauro Jr.
Lyn Gamboa, president of the Negros Cultural Foundation considers Alcala as one of the most celebrated and most-loved comic artists of the Philippines.
“This exhibit pays tribute to Larry Alcala’s remarkable contribution to art and literature, as well as his legacy that continues to inspire Filipino artists to this day. Through his exciting works, Mr. Alcala captured the essence of Filipino life with his wit, turning everyday moments into visual masterpieces,” said Gamboa.
The exhibit features some of his original works, memorabilia and an interactive display that enables one to be entertained, and at the same time, inspired by the richness of Filipino culture depicted through his diverse collection of comic strips, illustrations and sketches that tell a lot of stories. These caricatures, illustrations and comic pages that are carefully preserved in print and digital form, shall continue to tell stories not just about us Filipinos but also about our heritage, through art. Larry’s living legacy.*
