Artist Defined

I am not privy to the nitty-gritty that goes behind the selection of our National Artists. Whether this year's selection is supposedly preferential, or perhaps just a result of a confused definition of what/who an artist is, it brings to mind something I heard escape the lips of the renowned and venerable artist Juvenal Sanso.

One Sunday afternoon, he shared with us his early years in the Philippines, his travails during WWII, and his evolution as an artist as he ventured in different parts of the globe. Then, pensively, he singled out the word "artist". He said humbly, "There is a big difference between being an artist and a painter, the same way that there is a difference between being a mystic and a magician".

"I am merely a painter, not an artist", he said matter-of-factly and smiled.

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