Alfredo Liongoren (Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

Some say that artists revolve around a world that’s entirely their own – a place of existence purposely detached from the futility of life. A world where opinions are relayed through ambiguous representations of reality and predispositions are shown in ways that elude the competence of the simple man.

Artist Alfredo Liongoren entered the art scene with his early innovative works and dramatic renditions expressed through abstractions. His works are loaded with subtle messages relayed through layers of strokes and textures often overlooked by even the brightest critics.

Although his pieces illustrate profound dispositions on art and life, Liongoren has not limited himself with the notion of his dominant medium of abstractionism. Nor does he distance himself from the state of the nation. Far from it.  Liongoren has consciously engaged issues with works that appeal not only to the intellect but affect the emotions as well.

“I’m generally known as an abstract artist or modernist as some would call it. But I’m not a modernist through and through. I take my cue from the seasons and the spirit of the nation. As it goes, so I am affected. As I get affected, then I switch,” Liongoren shares. This innate sense to commune with the times has given Liongoren a dynamic outlook on how to go about doing his endeavors. “There is no dominant style or approach, because I would reinvent style to whatever (is the) content at that point,” Liongoren adds.

As a kid growing up in South Cotabato, Liongoren’s exposure to the arts was scarce. Despite limited influences, Liongoren’s insatiable thirst for the craft took him to an unlikely source of inspiration.

“Believe it or not, my first mentor was a sign painter. There is really nowhere else to go to. It’s still related because it still involves hand manipulation,” Liongoren recalls.

It was also this mentor who pushed Liongoren to pursue his passion by eventually taking up Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. With the knowledge and trade secrets that he gained from the craft, Liongoren excelled among his peers and was soon the toast of his alma mater.

As Liongoren consistently topped competition after competition, his name in the art scene catapulted him to the top of the heap. At 22 years of age, Liongoren was dubbed by Asia Magazine as an Asian to watch in painting.

Attention and accolades soon poured in leaving a young Liongoren distraught with the pressures of fame. “That was a success that I ran away from. I got bothered by the easy success. I developed a critic inside me,” Liongoren shares. He found himself losing the edge that he once had in dealing with the expectations. “I was maimed. Painting became tightrope walking, balancing and all that, because I already had an audience to please. It wasn’t self-expression anymore,” Liongoren adds.

In order to preserve himself, Liongoren retreated and went back to his hometown of South Cotabato to get away from the pressures brought about by his new reputation. During his hiatus, Liongoren seldom worked on his art thereby hindering his access to creativity.

It was not until 1971 when Liongoren came out with his first one-man show, five years after his self-imposed exile from the art scene. The exhibit entitled Panaghoy, as Liongoren would put it, was a collection of laments for the nation. The series was an insightful look at the struggles of the times depicted through his subtle abstractions.

On hindsight, Liongoren ponders that the series was a pre-emptive manifestation of what was to come during the height of the Marcos regime. “Even before martial law was declared, I could feel it. I have radar for that kind of spirit,” Liongoren says.

During his journey through the arts, Liongoren came to embrace Christianity and his reverence for his Maker grew. His renewed belief also brought new outlooks both on life and his art as well. “The image I used had satire, barb, and witticism. When I became a Christian, it became moderated and modulated. I’m now appealing to the source of real power,” Liongoren shares.

Liongoren admits that he is currently in a transition, a transition that was triggered by a passage from the Holy Scripture. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

The passage left a profound impact on Liongoren as it resulted in a shift of approaches. “I realized that I was more of a nationalist than I would openly grant. I really want our nation to move on,” Liongoren says. From abstraction, Liongoren now focuses on figurative works; a transition that he felt was necessary in order to reach the sentiments of the masses. “There is a human potential in everyone. But sometimes, it gets camouflaged and distorted by the values of this world. That’s why I underwent a transformation,” explains Liongoren.

His transformation is best illustrated by a remake of his work in 1971 to commemorate 400 years of Philippine Christianity entitled Pagdidili-dili or Reflections. The original image was a quadropic illustrating a murky state of Christianity in the country. Although it won first prize in a competition, his audience, as well as art critics, failed to digest the sentiments that Liongoren wanted to convey.

Pagdidili-dili, on the other hand, annotates the work through a new rendition using the figurative medium of photography. Utilizing the same composition, Liongoren used images from his performance to illustrate the struggle and uncertainty in a way that engages his audience in a more tangible manner.

With his skill in mechanics, Liongoren now busies himself with discovering ways of using renewable resources. “I look around and instead of an eye that looks for scarcity, I think abundance. Artists are gifted. Anyone who is engaged in the creative arts has an inventive mind,” Liongoren shares.

At this point, Liongoren has progressed to a stage where personal aesthetics are overtaken by his sentiments on nation-building. His story is one of passion and how it shifted from self-expression to communal growth.

It’s true that an artist creates a world of his own. But an artist’s innate longing to create is also empowered by his fervent need to share, to commune with the people, and unite towards one goal. Such is the case with Liongoren.