Beyond Her Abstraction

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Line. Shape. Color. Value. Form. Texture. Space.

Ang lahat ng iyon ay dapat nakaayon. That is how I define art. It should be expressed without vagueness in order to look good and attract people.

Ang paglapat ng mga kulay ng balat ay dapat pantay.

Ang sukat sa pagitan ng mata, ilong at labi ay hindi dapat sumobra o kumulang.

The shadows should follow the dark and the highlights should follow the light.

Dala ang tape measure ay sinukat ko ang taas ng canvas na nakahilig sa pader. Napayuko ako nang maramdaman ko ang marahang paggalaw ng DSLR camera na nakasabit sa leeg ko. Pinirmi ko muna ang canvas sa pader, then I held the camera for it to stay still.

Busy noises envelope the area. Kaliwa't kanan ang kuwentuhan at tawanan ng mga artist at organizer. Ang iilan ay hinahanda ang kani-kanilang piyesa para sa paparating na exhibit sa makalawa. Hindi na ako nakisali pa sa usapan ng iba. Itinuon ko lang ang presensya ko sa ginagawang pagsukat.

Ngunit, sandali akong napatigil nang marinig ko ang malalakas na yabag ng mga paa papalapit sa aking kinaroroonan. Marahan kong inayos ang dalang tape measure at wala sa sarili akong napalingon sa entrance ng venue.

Kumunot ang noo ko nang masilayan ko ang isang babaeng naglalakad patungo sa aking kinaroroonan. Nakatingin siya sa mga sementong pader na tila ba ay pinag-aaralan ang mga iyon at paminsan-minsan ay ipinalalandas ang mga daliri doon.

She's wearing a black turtleneck shirt, faded maong pants na tinupi ang mga dulo and a belt on her waist. She has a black backpack on her back. Her feet are soaked in brown boots na may katamtamang taas.

Napatuwid ako sa pagtayo nang mas lumapit pa siya sa aking kinaroroonan.

Her jet-black hair ay bagsak hanggang sa kaniyang balikat. Hindi maitatangging malakas ang kaniyang presensya na dinagdagan pa ng bangs niyang halos magkadikit sa kaniyang kilay.

Unfamiliar face.

Isa ba siya sa mga organizer ng exhibit? Or is she a portrait artist too? But, I already met most of the portrait artists around this city and this is my first time seeing her.

Unknowingly, I nailed my gaze to her figure and let the tape measure hang on the canvas.

Tumigil siya sa pagtitig sa mga pader at marahang inangat ang kaniyang ulo. Dahan-dahang bumukas ang talukap ng kaniyang mga mata at dahil doon ay tila nawala na sa aking pandinig ang abalang ingay ng paligid. Ang mga matang iyon ay diretsong nakatingin sa harap ng espasyong namamagitan sa makitid na daanan.

Dark.

Mysterious.

Unreadable.

From that moment when I saw her for the first time, I knew it.

I don't like her.

Since then, I hated her intimidating presence. I hate how she looks at things because you will not be able to read her eyes. I hate the way she speaks because you will not know if she's angry, calm or in between.

Sometimes I would see her being soft to some people and laugh at little things. Sometimes she would just sit and observe. Sometimes she becomes the head of the command. Sometimes she's serious. Sometimes she smiles but still... dangerous.

Unbelievably, she would do all those things without changing the mood in her eyes.

Those eyes of her never sparkled. They never became teary or emphatic. Those eyes don't show emotions at all. They remain deep and dark. That girl is just too difficult. She's annoyingly complicated.

I don't want to pay attention to her.

I don't want to waste my time looking at her when she does her things.

I stepped back and forced myself not to figure her out. However, in each day that I see her, I find myself getting close to her like there's something that urges me to know her and seek for her truest self.

Maybe it is because she's an unfamiliar piece of art to me. More likely, an abstract that I couldn't comprehend and calculate. She's an abstract with no specific line, shape, color, value, form, texture or space.

She's an abstract who does not have clarity, does not follow appropriate placements and her colors seem to be like a huge mess.

She's an abstract that I don't like.

Looking back to my past, I have seen and fell in love in beautiful arts that this world have given. They made me smile and made my heart flutter. They made me feel strong and motivated. They completed my every single day.

I have seen those but they never made me feel the feeling that I have right now. The feeling of being weak everytime I catch those mysterious and emotionless eyes. The feeling of uneasiness everytime she's near. The feeling of discomfort and difficulty.

I hate to say this. I denied this to myself so many times before but I just can't hide this truth any longer.

That girl... she makes me curious like no art has ever done to me.

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Disclaimer

Names, characters, business, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!!! 🙂