by Noel Sales Barcelona
First and foremost, Jonathan Jalac is an educator. A graduate of philosophy from the Oblates of St. Joseph (OSJ) in the Philippines, he had been teaching values education to young adults in a local school, with the hopes of making them God-fearing, law-abiding, and most importantly, compassionate and loving citizens of this country.
On the other hand, he is also a talented visual artist with knowledge in painting and sculpting. This writer still can vividly remember him sharing his story of joining art competitions here in the Philippines but did not win anything. For Jalac, it was the experience he was up to; and the pressure and excitement of creating a piece for competitions further honed his craft—and spirit—as a visual artist.
The advent of Jonathan Jalac, the artist
In an e-mail interview for this article, Jalac shared that he began painting in 1999 when he used to be a member of the youth organization in their parish.
“Our parish wanted something to be painted to be put on the main altar of the church. I was one of the volunteers, painting the said piece,” he said in his email. “Then I have decided to paint, using oil as a medium. And the first piece that I have finished, I gifted it to a friend.”
Asked why he chose painting over other forms of artistic expression, he said: “The first time I painted, I enjoyed it. I have been painting ever since. Even if I doing other things or working, if there’s an upcoming competition, I need to join—even if I do not win. What is important, I have finished a piece.”
As for his artistic style, Jonathan Jalac chose to be an impressionist—capturing the very image and essence of the subjects he chose to paint. He has also some hints of realism in some of his paintings.
Family, human values, and nature have been the staple subjects, reflecting his vision and philosophy as an artist: No man is an island, and we need each other to survive. Family, as the primary unit of society, should be raised and nurtured by love, goodness, and mutual respect. Nature, first and foremost, is the first creation of God, and it is his. We, human beings, are mere stewards of this vast wealth that the Lord our God has created. To exploit it out of greed is a grave sin against God. As Pope Francis puts it:
We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to “till and keep” the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). “Tilling” refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while “keeping” means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. “The earth is the Lord’s” (Ps 24:1); to him belongs “the earth with all that is within it” (Dt 10:14). Thus, God rejects every claim to absolute ownership: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Lev 25:23). (Cf. Laudato Si, Section 67)
Windows, Rocks, and Storms
On the other hand, the artist himself has something to say about his subjects. He said some of them were part of his life.
“I always want to paint rock formations, in the middle of a calm sea. At first, I was just happy creating them, even though they seemed meaningless to me. Until I realized that like the rock formations that I paint, which are formed by time, endured countless storms and crushing waves. Just like these rocks, I have endured several storms in my life—from having nothing, I clung to God. And through his help and mercy, I remained standing and fighting in life,” Jalac said.
“Peaceful shores, but in life, it is not always peaceful. There are times when you need to face the storm that passes by. However, if you have peace of mind, you have inner peace, you can withstand any storm. Peace of mind, as they say, is something that you cannot buy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Jalac, as an artist, has given a new meaning to windows.
“I grew up in a shanty that literally has no windows,” Jalac said in his e-mail. “Thus, we—my parents and my siblings—live in darkness. A windowless house is similar to a hopeless life. What you will see outside a window is a world full of opportunities.”
Jalac also shared with Agimat.net that the circular frame that one can see in his “Bintana” (Window) series, symbolizes a shipping vessel’s circular window.
“This was the circular window of the ship that we boarded going to Romblon. Through that window, I saw the beautiful scenery outside. It was an island full of trees and rock formations. When you look at it, it was so beautiful. It is just a waste if people will destroy it. Besides, when nature avenges, it is us who will suffer in the end,” he said.
A dream comes true
This December 4th, Jonathan Jalac mounted his first solo and benefit exhibit at the GSIS Museo ng Sining. He admits it was challenging because he needed to produce several artworks for the exhibit while teaching Grade 10 in a school in Taguig City.
For him, his show titled “Buhay, Pangarap, Kalikasan,” the show was curated by Visual Central Art Gallery and will benefit the Oblatos Foundation and his retired priest friends.
“I am very happy and thankful to the Lord our God for blessing me with this kind of talent. At first, having a solo exhibit is a mere dream. And God gave it to me. Last year, I wrote to GSIS, asking for a slot and they did not disappoint me. It was hard since I am not a full-time artist. It is just a matter of effective time management. But, I admit, that there were times my heart and mind didn’t want to cooperate. There are times when I feel very inspired but I am too tired to paint. So, I just rest. To effectively manage your time really helped me a lot to prepare for this exhibit. Again, thanks be to God [for the opportunity],” Jalac said.
Jonathan Jalac’s solo exhibit will run from December 4, 2023, to January 4, 2024. Artist reception is on December 9, 2:00 PM at the GSIS Museo ng Sining, 2nd Floor, GSIS Headquarters, Pasay City.
