Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines c. 1940s

Curator: I am immediately drawn to the way light filters through this watercolor—there's a sense of stillness, despite the bustling cityscape implied. Editor: Indeed. What we’re looking at is titled “Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines,” rendered in the 1940s by P. Frederick Albee, Jr. This is an outdoor sketch, very likely executed *en plein air.* It showcases the Santa Ana Church, which, given its history, becomes more complex. Curator: The tower, reaching skyward with its baroque flourishes, presents as a focal point. The washes of color invite contemplation on cultural continuity and faith as the framework for lived experience. What historical currents might it reflect? Editor: This work gives us a snapshot during a period of significant upheaval. Manila, especially, underwent intense periods of wartime damage, so this drawing, though simple in medium, serves as a historical document. The church itself predates the drawing significantly –construction on the original building finished around 1725. And this church witnessed Spanish colonization, American influence, and then World War II. It’s stood witness to immense socio-political transformations. Curator: So the watercolor technique almost makes it ghostly, but it captures not only a place but a time rife with changes. In the context of such potential suffering and conflict, one could also look to how religion provided structure and even some hope amidst historical transformations. Editor: Yes, the sketch provides a meditation on faith, persistence, and architectural and cultural resilience within Manila's story. What’s most interesting to me is how art shapes collective identity. Images like this circulate in public life, so it offers tangible markers of shared heritage even today. Curator: And I’m left pondering how structures – whether of belief or stone – become symbols of deeper, ongoing meaning, layered over with human experience. Editor: Agreed. This simple drawing certainly belies the complexity inherent in its subject.