Architect Juan Marcos de Guzmán Arellano Juan Marcos de Guzman Arellanois known as one of the Philippines founding fathers of architecture. Among his most famous works are Manilas Metropolitan Theater (1935), Executive House (1926) (now houses the National Museum of the Philippines), the Manila Post Office Building (1926), and Jones Bridge. He made use of various architectural styles, from Neoclassic to Art Deco. Early life and education Juan Arellano was born on 25 April 25 1888 in Manila. He attended the Ateneo Municipal and graduated in 1908. He first took an interest in painting, studying under Lorenzo Guerrero, Toribio Antillon, and Fabian de la Rosa but his art leaned towards expressionism, leading to his being considered as one of the first modern artists in the Philippines. He later went to the United States to study architecture on scholarship as one of the first pensionados in the field. He began his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1911 and completed his BA Architecture course at Drexel, trained in the Beaux Arts manner, which required exposure to all the arts as well as to architecture. He worked first at George B. Post & Sons in New York City, where he worked under Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. He then took a grand tour of Europe, where he was able to sketch monuments and landscapes. Career highlights He returned to the Philippines to set up an office with his brother, Arcadio, also an architect. He later chose to join the Bureau of Public Works just as the last American architects, George Fenhagen and Ralph H. Doane were leaving. He was supervising architect along with fellow pensionado Tomas Mapua. He worked on many projects, designing many public buildings in the neoclassic style. In 1927, he returned to the United States on a study leave. This was during the heyday of Art Deco architecture, which made a great impression on him. After he returned to the Philippines in 1930 he designed the Manila Metropolitan Theater in the Art Deco style. Though the unique building was criticized by some as being too modern, it became Manilas cultural center at that time. Still a consulting architect for the Bureau of Public Works, he supervised the production of the Manilas first zoning plan. With Harry Frost, he worked on the city plan for Quezon City, which was envisioned as the new capital of the Philippines in 1940. He also proposed a design for a Mission Revival Style mansion that would make the most of the excellent sea view along the edge of Manila Bay as a building for the United States High Commission to the Philippines, which was to become the Embassy of the United States in Manila. But the American clients preferred to have a federal-style building that turned out to be costly and unsuited the tropical climate. During World War II, the Executive House and Jones Bridge, were laid to waste and the Manila Post Office Building was seriously damaged by bombings. These buildings were reconstructed, but for the most part Arellanos original designs were not faithfully followed, to the architects disappointment. The Metropolitan Theater, also in ruins, was poorly reconstructed, and is slated to undergo full restoration. After his retirement in 1956, Arellano began painting again. He held an exhibition of 300 paintings at the Manila YMCA in 1960. Awards and recognitions For his work in architecture, Arellano was awarded the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) Gold Medal of Merit in 1958 and the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award in 1968. His career is documented in the National Museums Arellano Room in the National Art Gallery with an exhibit which shows his versatility and his interest in indigenous as well as Western architectures. References Alcazaren, Paulo., Juan M de Guzman Arellano : Renaissance Man, The Philippine Star, 12 Nov 2005. Guillermo, Alice G. Building the National Art Gallery in Business Mirror, 12 September 2007. Lico, Gerard Rey A. Awards in Architecture. ncca.gov.ph/about_cultarts/comarticles.php?artcl_Id=108
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:51:20 +0000
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