Our English Professor Pilot writer has a new camera. Clearly, he has been enjoying it. This is the guy who looked at airplane books all day at the age of 1, and who learned to say “SR-71 Blackbird” before he could say “bookswagen”.
Somewhere in this city, there is a brilliant artist whose name nobody knows.
He may be rich or poor. He may be one person or a whole group. He may be a she. All that we know is that his artwork adorns jeepneys across Manila.
One hardly expects to find artistry among the noisy, notoriously polluting, and haphazardly driven avatars of Manila’s road scene. But it is there if you care to look. We’re used to thinking of jeepney art as slapdash and ramshackle, but the decorations on the sides of our jeepneys have changed. Some time in the past ten years, somebody decided to put some professionalism into it – the art is surprisingly well done in many cases.
There are the usual religious figures and scantily clad women, often hilariously side by side, but increasingly, there are replicas of art from movies, scenes from nature, and even images from video games. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the provocatively dressed vixen on the jeepney beside me was a World of Warcraft night elf.
Because it is a visual medium intended for the masses, and people tend to think visually, jeepney art is a reflection of what urban Filipinos are thinking about. So it’s a heartwarming experience for me to see, between the mynxes and madonnas, the occasional airplane.
Posted from Manila, Friday the 13th, January, 2012.
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When I saw the e-mail to this new post, my first reaction was, “Uh, oh! Has Tonet gone crazy?” That was because of the title and the category “Romance.” Little did I know it was about Jeepney art! And it was written by Carlo. LOL! Mea culpa!
We got your attention, didn’t we?
Good to see you here in Flying in Crosswinds, Raffy.
We hope you enjoy our writing! More coming soon.
This gives me hope. I’m waiting for the day a violin to appear on Jeepney art.
This paint brush artist is good, isn’t he(she)?
Hi, long time no hear! Yes, the artist is good. You almost think it’s a photo-real transfer, but it’s just painted. That’s the old Boeing 707 Air Force One, too, serial 26000 or something like that. Kennedy, Johnson, I think Nixon? Not sure when they transitioned to the B-747.
26000 served from Kennedy (the iconic photo of Lyndon Johnson being sworn in with Jackie Kennedy beside him was taken onboard) all the way to Bush Senior. Its Nixon-era pilot, Ralph Albertazzie, passed away only a few months ago.
Hey Kevs, you are right! They didn’t change to the new B747 equipment until the 1990s! I saw old 26000 when I visited the Museum of Flight at Seattle’s Boeing Field. Come to think of it, Carlo was with me! Tight airplane, but they did manage to squeeze a small office and private room in there.
Someone should do a coffee table book on jeepney art. Carlo?
Hmm, I never really look at jeepney art, probably because I’m used to the plain jeeps of UP Diliman. Will keep my eyes peeled from now on.
Great idea, Kevin! You’ve planted the seed of an idea…. hmmm, if this works, I shall be sure to credit you.