The inborn artistic talent of Dan was nurtured very early by his own father, the late prof. Vicente Alvarez Dizon, B.F.A., 1928, B.F.A., Yale, 1936, starting when he was 4 years old. His dad's influence on the growing boy was such that he was always welcome to hang around his father's art studio during painting sessions. Dan reacalls that the "Fire" of his artistic patriotism was ignited in 1934 at the age of four. His father almost simustaneously completed two artistic projects in his home studio in Varmint St. Malate, Manila - large oil painting entitiled: THE BATTLE OF ZAPOTE BRIDGE" ( 1896) and the 39 colorful watercolor paintings " THE EVOLUTION OF THE FILIPINO COSTUMES. (1500 to 1934)." this was further enhanced in 1936 when the elder Dizon completed his art degree at the Yale University with flying colors. In 1938, Dan was struck again by another giant oil painting of his dad, entitiled " THE BATTLE OF TIRAD PASS (1899)" that rendered the 8-year old boy in a patriotic trance for several days.
The outbreak of World War II starting December 08, 1941, made life very difficult for the Dizon. In Early 1942, the Japanese MilitaryAdministration ordered the reopening of all educational institutions in Manila and in the entire counry, including the University of the Philippines. Prof. Dizon refused to work under the Japanese by feigning illness. For his family to survive, he accepted occasional art commissions in his hovel in a rented apartment in Santa Cruz, Manila. Meanwhile, his family was living with his in-laws in Angeles City, Pampanga where Dan tried hard to stave-off creeping starvation by working as a part-time kitchen boy after school in the regimental Kitchen of the town's Japanese Army garrison. It did not take long when some japanese officers and soldiers discovered the artistic talent of Dan, who was supplied with hard-to-find pencils and Clean sheets of white paper to encourage him to draw. They would even pose for him their crisp uniforms and shiny firearms and then send the drawings to their families in Japan. In turn, Dan was astounded at the interest of these fierce and frightful Japanese soldiers had on art. He would soon discover that mostof them are artistically inclined and were food in drawing. Unknowingly, the Japanese introduced Dan to anew field of Art - Military Art! Very soon Dan's drawings consisted of Japanese military men, their firearms, equipment, vehicles, tanks, airplanes, etc., from memory... to the delight of his Japanese audience.
his art gallery and photo album
