Portrait of Don Jose Leon
y Santos

Simón Flores’ 1887 portrait of Don José León y Santos highlights the artist’s exquisite miniaturismo, capturing the fine piña embroidery that signifies the stature of Pampanga’s ilustrado class.

Unbeknownst to the Philippines, the year 1839 would birth a man that many historians would label as one of the country’s first master painters. Simon Flores y de la Rosa came from a family steeped in artisan traditions, where craftsmanship shaped his earliest understanding of beauty. He was given his first informal education in the arts by his uncle, Pio de la Rosa. He would eventually enroll in Academia de Dibujo y Pintura, where he studied under the tutelage of Lorenzo Guerrero and Lorenzo Rocha. Flores first gained recognition when his painting “La Musica del Pueblo” (“The Music of the Town”) won a silver medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Universal Expedition. It was believed that not long after this, the master painter was commissioned by several affluent families of Pampanga to execute religious paintings and portraits.

One such portrait is the portrait of Don Jose Leon y Santos dated August of 1887. The former gobernadorcillo of Bacolor, Pampanga was fifty-nine (59) years old when the portrait was commissioned. The beauty of the portrait was that it showcased Flores’ mastery of miniaturismo, a painting technique that made use of small elements to highlight important features. The intricate details of the piña embroidery of Don Jose Leon y Santos’ barong, a clothing that often depicted the wealth and status of the ilustrados, was beautifully and masterfully painted by Simon Flores that it is as if we were given a close up look to appreciate Philippine textile making.

Though not as prominent as Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Simon Flores’ works are still highly sought after, for few of them have survived the passage of time. They endure this day as cultural treasures that preserved the memory and heritage of a bygone era.