Connect With Storytelling-Sample Speech IP3, "The Lucky Juan"

This is my 8th speech under Pathways. The speech was delivered at the BF Community Toastmasters Club (BFComm) in the May 5, 2018 Toastmasters Meeting. For this meeting, the venue was Gather Workspace. Club-Hopping Doni Oliveros from Emerald TMC, evaluated me for this speech.

The Lucky Juan
(Connect With Storytelling, Level 3-Innovative Planning, May 5, 2018, BFComm TMC, Gather Workspace, Las Piñas City. Evaluated by Doni Oliveros IP4, MS1)

INTRODUCTION

Imagine yourself in a time machine… We turn back the hands of time and you are in the year... 1883... in Madrid, Spain. We find an obscure Filipino painter laboring on a huge painting in a dimly-lit studio that’s probably 3 or 4 times the size of this room. The name of the Filipino painter is Juan Luna. Good afternoon, everyone.

BODY

STUDIO
One night, after an exhausting evening work on a huge painting, Juan Luna decided to give himself a special treat. He’s been working on the painting for several months now and wanted his favorite dishes at an expensive restaurant. After finishing his big dinner, Juan Luna reached for his pockets for his wallet so he could pay. But then he realized, he had left his wallet at the studio. All he had at the restaurant was his big bag of brushes and paints. At the side (move right), was a Spanish waiter, coincidentally named Juan, for Juan Cortez. He noticed Juan Luna and became suspicious. “Will this Indio be able to pay?”, he thought.

(move left) After a few minutes of thinking, Juan Luna came up with a brilliant idea. “This must be my lucky day!”, said Juan Luna to himself. He asked the Spanish waiter to come over. “Señor, un momento, por favor”, he said. The waiter comes over and with a raised eye brow. Juan looks up to the waiter and said, “Quiero cerveza, una cerveza por favor?” And with that, the waiter, Juan Cortez, went to the kitchen (point right) to get a bottle of beer for Juan Luna.

PAINTING
After being served the cerveza, Juan Luna put his big bag on the table. He positioned his big bag to hide what he was about to do. He took a napkin and proceeded to wipe the dinner plate clean and dry. He then took some brushes and special paints from his bag.

And then, while very slowly sipping on his beer, Juan Luna started painting on the dinner plate. And what do you think did he paint on the dinner plate? Was it a portrait of a nearby beautiful lady? No, no. A bunch of flowers displayed on a table? No, no. He proceeded to paint money on the dinner plate. Juan Luna has been living in Madrid for 6 years and just from memory, he painted setenta y cinco pesetas bank notes on the dinner plate. This represented the bill for his dinner plus a few more for tips!

By the time he finished sipping his beer, the paint had dried and his painting was done. Below the money painting, he signed the dinner plate, as he always did – “JLUNA”. When Juan Luna saw the waiter busy with the other tables, Juan Luna quickly slipped out the door (point left). Now, in those days, it was quite customary to leave your payment on the table or on the dinner plate especially if you didn’t expect change. (move right) Upon seeing Juan Luna leave, the waiter glanced at the plate and saw money on the dinner plate.

Or so, he thought! When he went over (move left) to get the money, he was dumbfounded to see it was just a painting on the dinner plate. But he was so impressed with the realistic rendition that he decided to keep the dinner plate, never allowing anything to scratch it.

MADRID EXPOSITION
In the following year, in 1884, the huge painting that Juan Luna was laboring on for 8 months back at the studio was finished. It was entered in the 1884 Madrid Exposition and won the Gold Medal. The Exposition at that time was like the Olympics for the Arts and Sciences. That huge painting… was the Spoliarium.

Measuring 4 meters high and 7 meters wide, it was an instant hit. It bested hundreds of entries from all over Europe, notably the Spanish, French and Italian painters at the time. Juan Luna’s name and face was in all the papers in Madrid and Paris. He was an international celebrity. And the waiter, Juan Cortez? We don’t know whatever happened to him but suffice it to say that the waiter became the proud and lucky owner of a Juan Luna original. Rumor has it that he sold it later for a hefty sum.


CONCLUSION

Which Juan was the lucky one? Was it Juan the painter, or Juan the waiter? I don’t think Juan Luna was lucky. I think it took sheer talent, persistence and determination to win the gold medal - not luck. He won, despite all odds, including racial discrimination back then. And Juan Luna proved to the world that the indios could, despite their supposed “barbarian” race, were far better artists far better than the Spaniards who colonized them. What about you, fellow Toastmasters? Which one do you think, was the lucky Juan?

Toastmaster of the Day.