The musical movie Ang Larawan is the latest adaptation of National Artist Nick Joaquin’s three-act English play, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1955). It’s a must-see, here’s why:
The plot revolves around the much talked-about painting of the high-profile artist Don Lorenzo Marasigan, his refusal to sell it, and the dilemma it imposes on his two spinster daughters, Candida and Paula.
When the play the opens, the family that once led a life of luxury and elegance is now living in reduced circumstances. Don Lorenzo has not produced any painting in years, and for financial support, the sisters have become dependent on their more fortunate siblings, Manolo and Pepang, who want to sell the house. To maintain a steady income while keeping the house, to which Paula and Candida are sentimentally attached, they take in a boarder - Tony Javier, a self-indulgent pianist who brings floozies to their home.
Soon afterwards, it is revealed that Don Lorenzo has made one painting – possibly his last. Entitled Portrait of a Filipino, the painting features the mythological Greco-Roman hero Aeneas carrying his father Anchises out from the fire-engulfed city of Troy. Don Lorenzo’s work attracts an array of characters, all vying for its ownership. The sisters must decide on the painting’s sale, which, in turn, will decide their fate.
A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino remains to be one of Nick Joaquin’s most famous works. It has been staged for years, here and abroad. Ang Larawan, its film adaptation, is based on the musical of the same name, with the libretto written in Filipino by National Artist for Theater Rolando Tinio and the music composed by Ryan Cayabyab.
