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Betis sculptor putting finishing touches on Catholic icons for papal visit
Willy Layug began this life-sized wooden sculpture of the Virgin Mary on October 2014.
An unconventional fusion of a 7-foot tall wooden sculpture of the Mother of Perpetual Help and a Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother) in Filipiniana costume is set to be placed near the altar of the Tacloban Airport in an open air Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis on January 17.
Officially named as Our Lady of Palo—with the Nuestra Senora de Salvacion as inspiration—the icon was created by Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee on Ecclesiastical Art Willy Layug as commissioned by the Archbishop of Palo, John Du.
In addition to this, another work of Layug's, the Crucified Christ, will be the centerpiece of the altar of the Papal Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
"These two will be on loan because I wanted to place them in a museum after this event, as agreed by the Archbishop. But I am giving two gifts to the pope—small icons of Filipinized Marian image and a child Jesus carrying a lamb (Sto.Niño Buen Pastor), " Layug said.
A Filipinized Mary
The Filipinized Marian image, 18 inches in height, is made out of yakal wood the Archbishop brought forth from the debris of the destroyed Palo Cathedral.
Willy Layug's own rendition of Nuestra Senora de Salvacion comes from the Pope's message of compassion. In it, the Virgin Mary is standing on waves and carrying the Child Jesus on her waist; meanwhile, via a rosary, the Child is lifting another child drowning in the waves.
According to Layug, this is his how he interprets Mary guiding the people of Tacloban during the havoc created by Typhoon Yolanda.
"I wanted to show that in the middle of any calamity or misfortune, there is an omnipotent divine being that guides every faithful. I delineated a bit on the orthodox style where Mary is represented standing on a globe and clouds. I want to make it in within the context of the place which is Tacloban but with universal appeal," Layug explained.
In the study of the figure showed by Layug, there are three teardrops on Mary's face, representing the three major island groups of the Philippines.
According to Layug, this is his how he interprets Mary guiding the people of Tacloban during the havoc created by Typhoon Yolanda.
L to R: Our Lady of Palo and the Crucified Christ, the two icons that will be used in the Masses Pope Francis will celebrate.
In the study of the figure showed by Layug, there are three teardrops on Mary's face, representing the three major island groups of the Philippines.
It is not the first time Layug was tasked to do a high-profile project. In 2012, he was the first-ever ecclesiastical artist from the Philippines to install a retablo (altarpiece) dedicated to saints Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod at the prestigious Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome. But creating sculptures specially for the pontiff's visit is what excites him most.
"I see it as a blessing since my works will get close to Pope Francis, which will add more essence to the divinity of the wooden figures. All my life, my artworks have been dedicated to the Catholic Church and to aid for veneration. This is probably the best moment of my life as an artist," Layug shared.
"I see it as a blessing since my works will get close to Pope Francis, which will add more essence to the divinity of the wooden figures. All my life, my artworks have been dedicated to the Catholic Church and to aid for veneration. This is probably the best moment of my life as an artist," Layug shared.
Humble beginnings
The son of a boatmaker, Layug has been sculpting since the age of 10. The fact that Betis is a haven of furniture-makers and sculptors only helped further hone his skills. His talent was recognized by then-Pamapanga governor Estelito Mendoza, and Layug was subsequently sent to the University of Sto.Tomas to study Fine Arts under a scholarship program.
His desire to learn more of his craft and art brought him to traditional workshops in Europe, particularly in Calle Betis, Spain where he underwent an intensive training program under the old masters of wood sculpture in Sevilla.
In 2013, worlds away from his field, Layug won as Best Actor at the Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave Category for his work in the biopic movie titled "Dukit (Woodcarving)." The film follows the story of his real-life battles and struggles as an artist and was directed by Armando Lao.
Rush job, dream come true?
His desire to learn more of his craft and art brought him to traditional workshops in Europe, particularly in Calle Betis, Spain where he underwent an intensive training program under the old masters of wood sculpture in Sevilla.
In 2013, worlds away from his field, Layug won as Best Actor at the Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave Category for his work in the biopic movie titled "Dukit (Woodcarving)." The film follows the story of his real-life battles and struggles as an artist and was directed by Armando Lao.
Rush job, dream come true?
"We are rushing to finish all the icons several days before the installation. While my team focuses on the painting and varnishing of the two big images, I will concentrate on this yakal-made icon of Mary since I find it really very sensible and important to do a piece that came literally from a church." he said.
Layug is also pretty excited to the thought that his whole family might be the one giving the Sto. Niño Buen Pastor on stage to the pope in the Jan. 17 Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
"Although no one knows what will happen what with the tight security and schedule of the Pope, it would be a fulfillment of my dreams if my whole family will be blessed by the Pope himself," he said.
Layug is also pretty excited to the thought that his whole family might be the one giving the Sto. Niño Buen Pastor on stage to the pope in the Jan. 17 Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
"Although no one knows what will happen what with the tight security and schedule of the Pope, it would be a fulfillment of my dreams if my whole family will be blessed by the Pope himself," he said.
The four wooden sculptures are set to be completed on Jan. 11 and will be delivered to their corresponding sites the next day.
The apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines will take place on January 15 to 19. — VC, GMA News
