“Alcuaz is an enigma. He can recite lines or rattle off entire sections of poetry he learned during his school days, and just as easily forget the name of a person he just met. He has difficulty remembering the name of the Walled City of Manila (Intramuros) and important dates; although he remembers places and details of landscapes he has painted in the past.
Once he leaves his studies, he does not believe in thinking about his pending paintings or bringing hi work mentally with hi, outside the studio. Alcuaz believes that this affords him an entirely new perspective or a fresh look at the work. During the latter part of this day, he can usually be found at his favorite hotel lobby armed with a battery powered portable Casio keyboard (organ), a gift from the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee. He tries to accompany whatever orchestra or string ensemble a hotel may have.
He does not believe of letting go of his artworks except to people he takes a fondness for, and usually at rather high prices. Yes, he will not balk at helping causes or supporting fundraising activities by donating several valuable artworks. In some instances, he has donated entire collections to the institutions he had been a part of, among them his former schools – San Beda College, the Ateneo or the University of the Philippines. His generous donations have raised funds for numerous causes, among them for professorial chairs at the Ateneo College of Law, for endowment funds of the Ateneo de Manila University, the San Beda scholarship fund, for the University of the Philippines, s well as for the UP College of Fine Arts Alumni Foundation scholarship fund.”
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
By Jack Teotico
Edited by Tara FT Sering
2007 by Galerie Joaquin
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