6Emilio Aguilar Cruz was a man of many talents: writer, art critic, painter, historian, diplomat, gourmand and raconteur, he was all these, and much more, to the the young Ambeth R. Ocampo for whom he was both mentor and friend. As such this book is both the artist's biography and a first-hand account of the painter's work ethic and character, his style developing as he moved from writer to painter. First published in 1986 and long out of print as "The Paintings of E. Aguilar Cruz" the book is reissued by RPD Publications under E. Aguilar Cruz: The Writer as Painter bringing back into circulation the prolific Dr. Ambeth R. Ocampo's first book and the artist's work in the forefront of the Philippine artistic landscape.