If Vincent Van Gogh used sunflower as his object in one of his renowned painting to depict the realties of his time, in the Philippines, a widow, too, find this fits to illustrate not only hers of women’s role in modern times.
Florence Manegdeg, a widow with two children, made her first oil paint above entitled “”Sacred Breath” on a theme of “”Women as Mythical Hero” for an exhibit for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Manila on June 15, 2008.
Florence said of her oil paint;
Arts is a venue I am enjoying now. Sana mabili ang aking gawa (i hope my paint will be bought). But most importantly, nakikilala ako maliban sa pagiging isang (I am being known as a ) widow seeking truth and justice which is just one portion of the next chapter of my life.
Unknown to many, Florence’s coping following the tragic death of her husband and the subsequent insecurity she and her children had suffered, is perhaps incomparable to others, but nothing new to families of social and human rights activities in the country.
In her painting above, an image of a surreal woman playing a nose flute; the sunflower; a mountainous terrain and a green plant, is a byproduct of a woman’s enlightening thoughts who has struggled and has survived from an unthinkable tragedy.
