A UAE resident celebrates the 42nd National Day one portrait at a time
Esmeraldo Pangilinan is literally counting down the days till National Day – and for good reason. Every day that passes is one less for him to complete his ambitious challenge – create 42 portraits of the movers and shakers in the UAE in time for the 42nd anniversary of the nation.
The bright, rainbow-hued portraits are already making a splash within Abu Dhabi. On his dedicated Facebook page followers and friends can see the status of his challenge, as the candy-coloured images appear on the feed.
Esmi, as he is known, has lived in the Emirates for eight years and considers Abu Dhabi his second home. Originally from the Philippines, the idea for this challenge came about organically. “One of my tasks is to involve myself in art change. In the beginning I thought I’d do a tribute for National Day to give back all that I had received here and also express my gratitude,” says Pangilinan.
Inspired by a visit to Australia’s parliament where he glimpsed an entire array of portraits of figureheads from Down Under, Pangilinan decided to capture the images of modern rulers and leaders in the UAE. His portraits will include all seven rulers of the Emirates, over twenty-plus cabinet ministers and popular Sheikhs and leaders in various organisations throughout the country.
“I call my collection the ‘Visionaries of the UAE.’ The logo for the Spirit of the Union features the forefathers of the nation and with this collection I am illustrating the continuation of that spirit from the new generation of leaders in the country.”
Using pastels to create each piece, Pangilinan follows the method of ‘Spontaneous Realism.’ A contemporary approach, which is heavily inspired by pop culture and pop art, the work focuses on the process of using quick, snapshot like impulses and large displays of colour.
Influenced by Spontaneous Realism devotees Voka and Francoise Neilly, Pangilinan has created his own style for each portrait using chalk pastels. He says, “It’s my version of this technique but I’m still in the process of developing it.”
Working full time as a creative director in an advertising agency and teaching sketching to students in his down time, not to mention spending time with his family, Pangilinan already has a packed schedule. To be able to complete the challenge by 2nd December, the artist has developed a system to finish the large volume of images in the timeliest manner.
“Uninterrupted, each portrait can take me up to five or six hours. But since this is a challenge I had to develop a certain system to finish these,” he adds. Weekends are reserved for the initial sketching of portraits; with the rough outlines finished the rest of the paintings develop over the working week. Waking at 5am every day to help his eight-year-old daughter Tala get ready for school, Pangilinan paints for three hours getting
the basic colours and ideas on the page. When he returns from the office he defines the portraits with highlights and shading and keeps the final touches for each piece for the next morning.
He is the first to admit the schedule isn’t easy. “On a personal level painting is my hobby and also my therapy at the same time. I always say sketching and drawing has brought magic in my life. I am trying to show others that anyone can do this, or commit to a challenge. I’m trying to harmonise all aspects of my life – my career, my hobby, my family, etc. I still have to manage life so when I’m going camping or fishing with the family I even bring all my art supplies with me!
“For National Day I hope this idea will be picked up by other people who are passionate about the culture and leadership of the UAE, inspire them to give back somehow in their own way. For me this is a personal thing; it is my collection, but it would be nice for people to have the same passion to deliver a message of gratitude.”
Beginning the challenge on 18th October, Esmi has currently completed 34 portraits and aims to finish the remaining eight by the end of this week. Afterwards he hopes to find a venue to exhibit his works in time for the holiday.
“It is all about National Day but for us, everyday should be like National Day. That means giving gratitude for whatever we get in life. In a small way or a big way, let us give gratitude.”
