WHY JUAN NAKPIL DO NOT DESERVE TO BE A NATIONAL ARTIST
The Order of National Artists is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts; namely, Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts.Being a national artist is someone that has a big contribution in art and architecture.A person who has the ability to make a work of art or a piece that can appreciate by others.An award of being a national artist is a privileged to someone who is worthy ,fit or suitable for this kind of reward or requital and this person will be recognied as they deserved.
There are four national artist That I know in the fielde of architecture.Leandro Locsin, Pablo Antonio, Juan Nakpil and Idelfonso Santos. One of them which is Juan Nakpil is a Very Famous and Legendary Filipino architect and one of gist famous work was the University of the Philippine Diliman Quezon Hall.
Who is Juan Nakpil?
Julio Nakpil was born as one of twelve children from a well-off family in the quiapo district of manila. His parents withdrew him from Escuela de Instruccion Primaria after two years and had him take over the family stable, making sure that their coachmen and stable boys were doing their work smoothly. Julio educated himself at home and eventually learned how to play the piano, as was proper for traditional families during that time. His passion for music was largely self-taught. In his desire to continue learning, he read Spanish books, novels, history books, the writings of jose rizal and music discourse. His skill in playing the piano earned him an audience among the affluent, becoming a regular pianist malacania social functions. On April 27, 1888 he composed his first short polka piece for the piano called “Cefiro,” which was followed with other pieces such as “Ilang-Ilang,” “Recuerdos de Capiz,” “Pahimakas,” “Pasig Pantayanin,” and “Biyak-na-Bato,” to name a few. Nakpil later became a piano teacher and composed regularly.
Juan F. Nakpil, architect, teacher and civic leader, is a pioneer and innovator in Philippine architecture. In essence, Nakpil’s greatest contribution is his belief that there is such a thing as Philippine Architecture, espousing architecture reflective of Philippine traditions and culture. It is also largely due to his zealous representation and efforts that private Filipino architects and engineers, by law, are now able to participate in the design and execution of government projects. He has integrated strength, function, and beauty in the buildings that are the country’s heritage today. He designed the 1937 International Eucharistic Congress altar and rebuilt and enlarged the Quiapo Church in 1930 adding a dome and a second belfry to the original design.
Among others, Nakpil’s major works are the Geronimo de los Reyes Building,Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village Hotel,University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, the reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna and the famous Quezon Hall at the UP DILIMAN.
With regards of the gossip and sayings of other that Juan Nakpil Do not really deserved to become a national artist, in my own opinion, May be in some way Juan Nakpil is worthy of the award of some of his work. We already knew that The Quezon Hall which he designed has its alike in form in another school at the cranbrook Art museum. Because of this, people thinks that he do not deserve the award for he copied his designed of Quezon hall from other countries. For me, Yes it is wrong to copy design from other because it means that uniqueness and originality has not in you. As an individual, architect creating our own design is our job and through this we can say that the design that we create is our very own.
Being a good architecture and a good example to others you must do something you really done by your own. In the case of Nakpil getting the idea and concept of Cranbrook Art Museum to make his famous Quezon Hall, he is indeed a good architecture but not a good example for the future architectures. Because architecture is a passion, a vocation, a calling, it has been described as a social art and also an artful science. Passion means being architecture you must have a vision of uniqueness, which in something that in a simple form you can make an extra ordinary thing that everybody would be proud of to see. A vocation which a person is specially drawn or for which he or she is suited, trained, or qualified, a talent let other saw and as for you to be explored. A calling means, there are signs that you can do something or better that can help other in the carrier you choose. Those qualities must have by any architecture to make them to be a better person. Some of those qualities are not apllied by Nakpil in making the Quezon Hall, and that is the passion. Even thou he make some very amazing artwork, copying the concept and idea of Cranbrook is not a symbol of being uniqueness.
Juan Nakpil is a famous Architect And his legacy was remain through his many notable works maybe if not because of QUEZON HALL and CRANBROOK thing, he will be worthy of the National Artist Award with no doubt.
rafaelbiay 