Hermogena "Nene" Borja Lungay (September 2, 1929 - August 6, 2016)
My grandmother was no ordinary woman. She was the epitome of success in the Boholano visual arts community and maybe even the whole country (charut).
She probably got the artistic genes from the Borja and Aceron side. Tatay Damon was a painter as well.
She graduated valedictorian in Highschool. Cum laude sa UP Dilliman and the only female student during her time. Classmate niya si Jose Joya ug si Napoleon Abueva. Dean lang man niya si Fernando Amorsolo (Jusko ka pressure ba).
"She went to UP Dilliman in 1949 and enrolled in Fine Arts, at a time when the course was viewed as a man's world. And true enough, she was the only lady in the class which included fellow Boholano Billy Abueva, who rose to become a National Artist. Disregarding the discrimination, she was an Entrance Scholar, College Scholar, and University Scholar. She was Chairman of the UPSCA Fine Arts Chapter and was member of Phi Alpha Fine Arts Sorority-Fraternity and Sigma Beta Sorority. She graduated on top of her class (Cum Laude) in 1953 and was awarded “Art Student of the Year” by the Arts Association of the Philippines ." -Sunday Post
Apart from that, she was also a great pianist and she sings in the church choir. My favorite piece that she keeps playing on her upright piano is the "Liebestraum No. 3" by Franz Liszt, Dream of Love. She was basically a Disney princess and loves to take care of animals as well as gardening, and cooking. She fostered a billion cats and dogs in her life time. Her favorite detergent is Tide and her favorite haplas is Katinko.
But anyway, I wish I had the interest I have now back then to dive into every single detail of her life so I can write about it, or ask how she felt about painting that one corner of her favorite piece. What the history is with how she chose the way the font on her signature came to be. How she paints architecture so well, why that one painting looks like a drone shot.
I'll just ask her when I meet her again...
Love you and miss you always Nana 🖤
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