Manila’s skies through Betsy’s eyes

Manila’s skies through Betsy’s eyes

Written by Marane Plaza

Manila Standard Today, 14 January 2013

Perhaps one of the most interesting ways to view Manila is from the eyes of a well-celebrated Spanish painter who has staged exhibits in Spain, Belgium, London and New York for 40 years.

Betsy Westendorp is well know, for her photos of members of royalty, including Queen Sofia of Spain, the Princess of Merode of Belgium, Princess Margaret- Contess of Snow (Great Britain) and political figures like Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos and The Duchess of Alba. The self-taught artist, who has Dutch ancestry and was raised in Spain, has always been internationally loved for her deep adoration for the Philippines.

Then 20-year-old Betsy first started her love affair with Manila in 1951. It was the same year that she started a family with her Filipino-Spanish husband Antonio Brias. With two equally-talented daughters, the young family resided in the old Ermita.

Westendorp has been smitten by the timeless beauty of Manila Bay for years, and such charm is the very subject of her latest art exhibit in collaboration with Manila Contemporary and Galleria Duemila.

Betsy Westendorp: Portrait of an Artist, Manila Contemporay’s first show for 2013 and Westendorp’s first personal exhibition, was inspired by the picturesque Manila Bay. Betsy has shared the love for the sunset of Manila Bay with Valentine Willy, founder of Manila Contemporary.

Eva McGovern, curator of Manila Contemporary, is amazed by how much of the artist’s persona and her love for the skies of Manila has been translated into their collaborative collection with Westendorp.

“The collection is like a window to Betsy’s emotions- an abstract representation rather than a straightforward depiction. Betsy’s cloud paintings are accessible for everyone because all of us can relate to the skies, “ said McGovern.

She explained that Betsy’s collection is like the marriage of the old and new in the art world.

“The collection is classic and romantic in terms of its aesthetics, yet it is set in a modern, domestic background designed by Arch. Ramon R. Antonio. That gives a new experience to the audience. Westendorp has been painting portraits of various famous people, but this is the first time ever that her collection is about who she really is as an artist,” said McGovern.

Much has been said about her brilliance in painting portraits of international icons, exotic flowers and beautiful landscapes, but not one piece has represented Betsy Westendorp’s susceptibleness as a woman and human being.

Manila has indeed magically pulled the heartstrings of this studio-based artist to finally express herself through her art. As the clouds of Manila Bay are celebrated through the 50-piece skyscape paintings collection, so is her love poetry.

“This collection has been emotional for me as it is rewarding,” Betsy shared. “My paintings in this showcase are all from Manila Bay. I paint from memory.”

The artist recalled how, way back in the fifties, she was the young bride who had chosen to return and stay in her husband’s homeland.

“I have used more of the transparency of the white and used it over other colors in this collection— it is like putting veils in the skies,” said the artist . The Manila skies, Betsy’s very subject in her Manila Contemporary collection, were witnesses to her tales of love.

“Manila Bay’s beauty was more astounding before the reclamation. I had the best view of Manila Bay just outside our window in our old apartment along the old Roxas Boulevard,” said Betsy. “I love the surroundings of Manila Bay, even its heat and humidity.” I used to take long strolls and drives with my husband along the former Dewey Boulevard to see the sunset and the skies. We loved watching the sunset together. I also used to ride bancas with my daughters and be amazed by how the sunrays hit the waters. The sea is much farther now from that old apartment of ours. Now, our old house has the view of Macapagal Highway instead of the sea.”

Today, the artist still sometimes visits the bay and usually takes a picture of the skies and the sunset. She makes notes of the color and her mood, she scans and views the picture from her computer whenever she translates it into her canvas.

The collection’s pieces are like words from a personal conversation with the artist—the kind that truly introduces Betsy Westendorp as a vulnerable, romantic and timeless woman who has the ability to create works that transcends from their own beauty and emotions. It represents a more psychological entry point into Westendorp’s own personality. The personally imagined mindscapes and passionate vistas of Betsy convey states of contemplation and reflection, not only on her physical surroundings but her feelings of anxiety and happiness to become a type of alternative self portraiture.

The oldest piece in the collection was first painted in 2003, and was finished after five years, when Betsy had come back to the country after staying in her hometown Madrid for a while. “There’s no definite time for me to finish an artwork, especially for this highly personal collection. It is something that comes from the inside, and if something does not belong, I remove it.”

The artist affectionately calls the collection’s pieces “atmosferografias”.

“A friend of mine, Elena Florez, called my cloud artworks atmosgrafias, a term she personally dug in from a number of dictionaries in Spain. The old Spanish word, which means ‘condition in atmosphere’, sounded so perfect, and she found it listed in the Royal Academy dictionary. The word is now no longer commonly used,” said Betsy.

Betsy Westendorp: Portrait of an Artist will be featured from January 17-February 10, 2013 in Manila Contemporary, located in 2314 Whitespace, Don Chino Roces Ave. Extension (formerly Pasong Tamo Extension), Brgy. Magallanes, Makati City. .For general inquiries, please contact Iris Ferrer thru +632-576-5024, i.ferrer@manilacontemporary.com and www.manilacontemporary.com.