Of arts and pan de sal bags

11/09/2009

Buying a piping hot bag of pan de sal from Pan de Manila has always been touted as a tribute to tradition — the classic bread with a rich heritage baked the conventional way inside an old-style brick oven (pugon), just the way our grandparents enjoyed them.

Going beyond the pan de sal, Pan de Manila is also unveiling a new design for their paper bag that will add further allusions to Old Manila, by using a painting by a local artist that depicts a picture of the past.

“Kalesa” by hyper-realist Dante Hipolito is the featured painting for Pan de Manila’s new pan de sal bag. It portrays a realistic scene from the early 1900s, with a horse-drawn carriage posted in front of the Manila Cathedral as the center of the painting. Pan de Manila commissioned the painting from Hipolito, who is known for his lively and inspiring works of art that feature pastoral scenes and other realist depictions of Filipino values and customs. It is the first time for him to compose a piece that dates back to the days of Old Manila circa 1900-1930s.

“The kalesa is very symbolic of Old Manila, while the Manila Cathedral dates back to 400 years ago when it was first built. We want these elements to remind people about how rich our heritage is,” Hipolito explained.

Beside the kalesa can be found a romantic rendering of a bygone era. A young gentleman dressed in a camisa de chino greets a young lass garbed in the traditional baro’t saya in a courteous manner by tipping his buri hat. Both exude a wholesomeness that is too vivid, with sincere smiles emanating from their faces.

The passenger of the kalesa and even the kutsero and a young boy selling pan de sal from a basket wrapped in katcha (the way they peddled pan de sal in the streets during the olden days) and his customer — everyone seems to be in a merry mood — a common trait that is found in Hipolito’s oil paintings that are well-admired among art circles.

Pan de Manila worked closely with Hipolito to come up with the concept of “Kalesa” using authentic materials to base the artwork from. They conducted research to identify the look of Manila Cathedral in the 1900s, even to the clothing that the people wore during that era.

“Pan de Manila is all about time-honored traditions. In fact, printed on the paper bag are these words: ‘We look closely to our personal memories and national history to find our inspiration. With each store we create a piece of history, with each product we chronicle a lifetime of memories. Manila Cathedral has stood as a symbol and testament to our storied past, reminding us of our rich heritage, and the legacy we now carry with us throughout all times,’” said Mari Sebastien, marketing manager of Pan de Manila.

The pure and pleasant vibe that radiates from the painting, along with the faithful illustration of the past, makes “Kalesa” a valuable addition to the Old Manila collections of Pan de Manila which they use on their pan de sal bag designs.

“We want to support Filipino artists in any way we can. By putting their paintings on our pan de sal bag, we get to help promote their work and at the same time instill a sense of pride among Filipinos about our rich past,” she added.

Pan de Manila started this advocacy for Filipino artists last December when it released special edition paper bags with a design created by illustrator Robert Alejandro. Pan de Manila will continue to release new paper bag designs that will feature artworks of other artists, even young ones who are trying to make a name in the industry.

“It’s a nice way of promoting local artistry because of the wide distribution of our paper bags, so it’s a good way of communicating to our fellow Filipinos. At the same time, we want them to appreciate the time-honored traditions, which can be depicted through paintings like ‘Kalesa,’” Sebastien said.

New Pan de Manila outlets are located at Makati Avenue, McArthur Highway, Dagupan, Maharlika Highway and Megacenter Mall, Cabanatuan, SM Baliwag and McArthur Highway, Tarlac. For inquiries, please call 636-0468 or 0922-8187366 or e-mail: pandemanila_jlg@yahoo.com.

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