LOOK: Duterte’s portrait drawn with sunlight

MANILA, Philippines – Renowned solar drawing artist Jordan Mang-osan, based in the Cordillera region, has made a truly astonishing portrait of Rodrigo Duterte, who has just assumed the presidency on June 30, Thursday. 

Using a magnifying glass and sunlight, he “burned” the likeness of President Duterte onto a huge wooden board measuring 6 x 4 feet. (READ: Preserving Cordillera culture through solar drawing)

The portrait includes 4 renditions of Duterte, with the logo of Malacañang Palace and a Philippine Eagle. 

The Philippine Eagle, or monkey-eating-eagle, is a national symbol. The creature is also protected at the Philippine Eagle Nature Sanctuary in Davao City, which Duterte previously led as mayor. (READ: #ShareDavao: Is there a future for the Philippine eagle)

This is Mang-osan’s second portrait of Duterte. The first one features the President’s signature pose: his right hand on his right cheek.

In a CNN Philippines report, he said, “Bilang isang alagad ng sining dito sa ating bansa at isang Igorot na artista, gusto ko pong ipaalam sa ating Presidente na sana tulungan niya or ipagpatuloy niya ang pagtulong sa mga artist ng ating bansa kagaya ng ginagawa ng ating National Commission for Culture and the Arts.” 

(As a disciple of art in the country and as an Igorot artist, I would like to convey to our President that I hope he helps or continues assisting artists in the country, just as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts does.)

Mang-osan used to earn a living as a construction worker. He was mentored by Santiago Bose of the Baguio Arts Guild, and developed his “solar drawing technique,” which was then called “fire drawing.”

His Roofless Art Studio is based in La Trinidad, Benguet province.

In a previous Rappler interview, he said that his craft is a help to Cordilleran culture: “For me as an Igorot artist, I think that it is of big help in promoting tradition and culture, because as an artist you can preserve, develop or show to other people the Cordilleran culture through art, especially [since] our culture is already getting lost.”

He belongs to a circle of artists called Tam-awan, which aims to somehow preserve the culture of the Cordillerans. 

Mang-osan recently took part in a the creation of a gigantic mural on the mountainside community of Stonehill, Botiwtiw and Sadjap (STOBOSA) in Barangay Balili, La Trinidad, Benguet. – with reports from Jessa Mardy Polonio/Rappler.com