Walking past the 2008 monument to the Batangueño third president José Paciano Laurel (1891-1959) by Manileño artist José Malat Mendoza (born 1939) along Roxas Boulevard, in the Malate District of Manila
Jose Malat Mendoza (born 1939) is a classicist sculptor; who is most known for his monuments in Makati City, such as the Gabriela Silang along Ayala Avenue, Piodel Pilar at Paseo de Roxas, and Sultan Kudarat at Makati Avenue. Mendoza first graduated with an advertising degree, from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), and would later take up bronze casting at the University of Kansas, under Elden Cecil Tefft (1919-2015). After graduating from UST, Mendoza first started working for a printing press. Mendoza’s color blindness proved to be a hindrance to his work, and he decided to continue his studies at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) School of Fine Arts. Mendoza didn’t complete his studies in U.P., as he focus on his apprenticeship under the National Artist, Napoleon Abueva. When Mendoza struck out on his own, he gained the patronage of the Ayala family, who commissioned him to create the iconic monuments of Makati City. Although Mendoza usually had won several art competitions in the 1970s, he has generally avoided art competitions and exhibitions since, and focuses on his public sculptures and other works. Aside from the monuments of Philippine heroes, Mendoza is also known for creating the sculptural relief map of the Philippines and the sculptural children’s playground at the Rizal Park. Mendoza has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Philippine Sculptors.
