PAMANA: FILIPINO MASTERS LEGACY TO THE ART WORLD

It's not every day that we get to see so many Filipino masters (whose imprint on the art world over the decades will be hard to erase) in one room, let alone in one exhibit.

- CHING M. ALANO

But here they are - all nine of them in a happy huddle one balmy afternoon at the Drybrush Gallery, SM MOA Square.

"We were lucky they trusted us in putting up this special exhibit," says Jojo Liaoo of the five-year-old Drybrush Gallery. "They're all National Artist nominees who have reached a certain age (70 years old and up) and have already made it, so what's their next step?"

Jojo elaborates, "This exhibit is not just a celebration of how exceptional these old masters are but also what they can share with the next generation of artists - like passing the torch on to the youth."

MEET CORY'S TEACHER

Amid the crowd, in this tony but cozy gallery, we meet Fernando Sena, known as the Father of the Philippine Art Workshop. And yes, we also know him as the art teacher of the late President Cory Aquino.

"I taught Cory's group who included Justice Conchita Carpio Morales and Lilian de Lima, niece of Leila de Lima," Sena relates. "I was supposed to teach Cory at her home, but she was too busy, being president at that time.

Magaling sya (she was good), she found the time to paint even if she was very busy and she showed a lot of interest. Her works, like her flowers, were colorful."

Perhaps for Cory, Sena adds, painting was a form of relaxation, a stress reliever of sorts. "In painting, there's no unemployment, no retirement. When she was no longer president, she could always paint."

Sena, who looks as agile as the koi fish depicted in his latest works, declares, "At my age (turning 77 on March 30), I have no diabetes, no rheuma, no heart disease because I move a lot. My only two vices are I paint and I teach."