The Cover

The Cover
Postmodernism eschews grand narratives; postmodern art,

represented here by the work of Eric Adalla Carbon (originally
representing Bangan Oda National High School, now an
education major at the Pangasinan State University-Lingyen;
28.5” x 22.5”, pastel on cartolina, winner of Panagdayao Festival
2018 art contest), turns to collision, collage and fragmentation in
subverting conventions. One could also read pluralism and
diversity in postmodern works and Carbon’s winning entry is an
elegant pastiche which draws heavily from the figurative art
movement led by the likes of today’s contemporary standouts in
the artistic firmament: Elmer Borlongan, Ivan Roxas and Patrick
Flores. It appears that, whether consciously or subconsciously,
Carbon parlays his instincts to the hilt, and the deployment of his
art is partly tempered and driven by the seeming influences of this
movement.
Figurative art is representational (Whang, 2015) and Carbon

dives deep deftly into his rustic milieu and experiences; even
taming an activist ideology, as if half-thinking about a pleasant
memory.
One stark look into Carbon’s work of art will not reveal the
hidden meanings. That’s the beauty of figurative art – the irony is
both muted and mysterious; visceral and vicarious. The
disoriented, disfigured or altered figures and anatomy foreground
the material. It takes volumes of semiotic reading and a constant
negotiation to see the pristine, distilled message. By and large, however, the work embodies a watermark of conflated
artistry and intellect built on faith.
While Carbon plays to the trope and conventions of figurative art, there are three things which make his work entirely
his own. The artist reimagines the role of the church in postmodern times, certainly not as an ideological apparatus but a
breathing and living institution that draws its vitality from the youth. His work argues: it is in the context of celebration of
the faith that spiritual power becomes all-encompassing. The central message is palpable and clear: the mind and heart
work together—especially of the youth—for a purposive mission. The Church is, despite the multiplicity of voices, is alive –
Carbon’s work declares, as represented by the central image of a spiritually engaged and faith-enabled youth iconography.
At its core, Carbon’s work speaks to the people in theological terms as it succinctly articulates Pope Francis’ Post-
Synodal Apostolic Exhortation entitled Christus Vivit. The Holy Father opens it, thus:
“Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches
becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to very young Christian are these:
Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!”
The art work also speaks of the youth as deep reservoir of empathy, compassion and love and captures these in line
with the following stirring words: In a word, true youth means having a heart capable of loving, whereas everything that
separates us from others makes the soul grow old. (Pope Francis, 2019)
And finally, Carbon’s vision manifests itself and intersects so beautifully and majestically with the following text from
the Post-Synodal document:
[Jesus’] youth teaches us. Jesus does not teach you, young people, from afar or from without, but from within your
very youth, a youth he shares with you. It is very important for you to contemplate the young Jesus s presented in the
Gospels, for he was truly one of you, and shares many of the features of your young hearts. We see this for example in the
following: “Jesus had unconditional trust in the Father; he maintained friendships with his disciples, and even in
moments of crisis, he remained faithful to them. He showed profound compassion for the weakest, especially the poor, the
sick, sinners and the excluded. He had the courage to confront the religious and political authorities of his time; he knew
what it was to feel misunderstood and rejected; he experienced the fear of suffering and he knew the frailty of the Passion.
He turned his gaze to the future, entrusting himself into the Father’s safe hands in the strength of the Spirit. In Jesus, all
the young can see themselves.
Clearly, the theological underpinnings of Carbon’s art lend truth to this aphorism: a painting is complete when it has
the shadows of God. (Nemo, 1975)
To make the critique complete, it is necessary to train our sights on the artistic direction of the techie artist Marvic
Justin Garcia Napata. In this digital rendering, the sense of balance is instructive and his choice of typography stands out
as his greatest suit—it plays, in indirect proportions, to the strength of the main image. Garcia’s aesthetics leans towards
sophistication that is derived from simplicity and minimalism.
In sum, the overall vibe of the visual copy leaps off the cover page. Without doubt, Carbon’s artistry fits the leitmotif of
the Panagdayao Festival: seminal and subtle yet spiritual and soulful. The least one could say is that it is not a carbon
copy, but is, in fact, Carbon’s copy.
_________________________________
Art critique essay by Jerry Benedict Cabantac Rosete. The author is a documentarist-filmmaker-film critique (MA candidate, MA in Media Studies-
Film, UP Film Institute, UP Diliman), writer, multimedia practitioner and lecturer on gender and cultural studies, thesis consultant and adviser on
economics, business and film. Mr. Rosete is the first and only Agnoan to have landed an editorial post in a nationally-circulated publication (ABSCBN
Publishing, Inc.). At present, he works as an information officer at the Office of the Ombudsman-Media Bureau. He is also designated as the Executive
Chairperson of the forthcoming Agno Town Fiesta 2020.

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Postmodernism eschews grand narratives; postmodern art,

Figurative art is representational (Whang, 2015) and Carbon

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