"The 10 Paintings that I have chosen"

     On the afternoon that we were in the National Museum, I kept on tweeting about how I fell fast, hard, and deeply with the charms of the 10 paintings that really caught my attention. And if you already saw all of them, you’d know exactly what I was talking about. That feeling of elation and inspiration was more than what my heart could bear.
      Reaching the reception though, everything went catastrophic for my heart from there. It was a real showcase of the arts. Every surface you lay your eyes upon will make your heart sing with glee (sorry for the cliche rain but I simply couldn’t contain myself, even now that I am just blogging and reminiscing about the whole experience).
      Juan Luna's Spoliarium was simply astonishing and powerful. I think it was the greatest painting of all time. I've never seen anything like before. Maybe, a lot of people would disagree and would give negative reactions. But, for all I care. I am entitled to my own opinion.
     In the museum were several galleries, none of which was left bared. There were several exhibits showcased all at once. For someone who’s just starting to reconnect with the arts and is simply inexperienced, I easily got overwhelmed. Thus I only focused on pieces that I like and took joy on viewing them upclose.  Let me give you a tour of the things that caught my interest.

Homage to Tandang Sora

Title: Homage to Tandang Sora (1977)

Artist: Hernando R. Ocampo (1911 - 1978)

Material or Medium: Acrylic

Subjective Context: 

Melchora Aquino also known as "Tandang Sora", was a Filipina Revolutionary. She symbolizes heroism, hope and bravery. She gained the titles Grand Woman of Revolution and the Mother of Balintawak for her heroic contributions to Philippine History.

Imaginary Portrait of Isabel

Title: Imaginary Portrait of Isabel (1969)

Artist: Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context: 

The artist Benedicto Cabrera made this portrait in Honor of his mother Isabel Reyes. As I understand, he wanted to show us that we should respect and love our Mother.

Portrait of President Manuel Roxas

Title:  Portrait of President Manuel Roxas (1950)

Artist: Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context: 

Manuel Acuña Roxas (January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948. His term as president of the Philippines was also the third shortest, lasting 1 year 10 months and 18 days.

Superstition

Title: Superstition (Undated)

Artist: Cesar Legaspi (1917 - 1994)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context: 

People in the Philippines are known to be superstitious. Filipino superstitions are mixed beliefs that are composed of different kinds of actions and so that one person must do to avoid something bad to happen or to attract something good. 

The Origins

Title: The Origins (1960)

Artist: Jose Joya (1931 - 1995)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context: 

By looking on the painting, we may not totally understand what does the Artist would like to tell us. However, based on its title " The Origins", what I do understand is that the Artist would like to tell us of our History, where we came from, where we started.

First Mass at Limasawa

Title: First Mass at Limasawa (1965)

Artist: Carlos V. Francisco (1914 - 1969)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context:

On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Magellan ordered a mass to be celebrated. And the Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. 

Planting of the First Cross

Title: Planting of the First Cross (1965)

Artist: Vicente Manansala (1910 - 1981)

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context:

This painting shows the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. On March 31,1521, an Eastern Sunday, Ferdinand Magellan ordered a mass to be celebrated. And on the same day, he instructed his comrades to plant a cross on the top of the hill overlooking the sea.

Don Luis Perez Dasmarinas

Title: Don Luis Perez Dasmarinas (1896)

Artist: Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo 

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context:

Don Luis Perez Dasmarinas was a Spanish soldier and governor of the Philppines from Dec. 3, 1593 to July. 14, 1596. In 1596 he sent unsuccessful expeditions to conquer Cambodia and 

Mindanao.

Assassination of Governor Bustamante and his son

Title: Assassination of Governor Bustamante and his son (undated)

Artist: Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context:

This painting shows how powerful and influential the Catholic Church is during the colonial times.

SPOLIARIUM

Title: Spoliarium (1884)

Artist: Juan Luna

Material or Medium: oil on canvas

Subjective Context:

 "Luna's Spoliarium with its bloody carcasses of slave gladiators being dragged away from the arena where they had entertained their Roman oppressors with their lives...stripped to satisfy the lewd contempt of their Roman persecutors with their honor..." Rizal was footnoted in his speech that the Spoliarium, "embodied the essense [sic] of our social, moral and political life: humanity in severe ordeal, humanity unredeemed, reason and idealism in open struggle with prejudice, fanaticism and justice..." (Leon Ma. Guerrero, "The First Filipino" 2007)

And for me, this painting shows the tormenting and oppression of the Filipino people in its Homeland.

The National Museum

Discovering the Philippines' Rich Culture

The Philippines is rich in culture and history. When in the Philippines, don’t forget to visit the National Museum of the Philippines and discover wonderful facts about the country.

History and Facts

In the National Museum of the Philippines you can find very important historical artifacts recovered from the sunken galleon San Diego, one of the five galleons that traveled to the Philippines brought by the Spaniards led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. The museum houses some of the national treasures such as the Manunggul Jar, Juan Luna’s spoliarium and other artifacts. The museums goal is to instill cultural consciousness and sense of pride and awareness among Filipinos. The building was designed by the American Architect Daniel Burnham. It was founded in 1901 and was originally a Museum of Ethnology. 

Hall of Masters: In this room you can find the collection of works of the 19th century Filipino painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo who achieved prominence at the 1884 Madrid Exposition. The famouse Spoliarium of Juan Luna received one of the three gold medals and the Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Polulacho (Christian Virgins Presented to the Populace) received one of the 14 silver medals.

Arellano Room: Juan Arellano is a painter-architect who was the urban planner involved in the zoning of Manila and Quezon City. He is a pioneering artist and exponent in the Philippine neo classical and art deco style. This room is dedicated to his works.

Jowell Jandayan: Back to the National Museum

       Well, I can't really remember when was the first time I have gone to the National Museum. It could be sometime during my grade school, when we have our Field Trip. But, I know I have already gone there. And I would say probably during that time as I was looking to all those art works it's just mean nothing to me. I could be amazed by looking at them, but that was just it. Maybe I don't understand yet the true meaning of art and the meaning of appreciation. During my first degree in college, I went to Letran in Intramuros, Manila . There I spent for over 4 years studying. And the National Museum was only few meters away from Letran. However, I didn't bother going there to see the art works.

       After a decade or two, last July 15 2012, finally I was able to visit the National Museum again. The sad part is, I was only there because of a school project. At that time for me that was the only reason why I'm there. And I'm with few classmates. Upon entering the premises, it felt different all of a sudden. I was excited to see some paintings, specially the SPOLARIUM. I was then intrigued and interested with it. And when I was already inside the museum, I can feel the tension. There was also mixed emotions. I was amazed, happy, surprised, excited and proud. I am proud to be there, proud to witness everything that's inside and proud of our National Artists for a job well done. I suddenly realized that going there has a different reason after all. It is to witness our National Treasure. Every painting, every sculpture or every art work seems so perfect. And talking about the National Museum and the National Artists, I suddenly thought of something though. Our visit to the museum is the same day as the burial of our late "Comedy King" Dolphy. There also, I thought about him. Everyone was discussing about Dolphy becoming a National Artist or is it time for him to be one. As I was thinking about it, I felt a strange feeling that I wanted to see a portrait of him. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything but I was not disappointed not to see one though. And I have another strange feeling after that. How I wish, I was gifted like our National Artists that I can paint or draw. Maybe I will be the one to make Dolphy's portrait. Or maybe gifted enough to make a portrait of someone I love. Instead of looking for an artist and pay him to do it for me.

       I have taken some pictures with some of the art works and some of them I was on it. I did it not just we are required to do it, but because I wanted some souvenirs. And when I got home, I uploaded the pictures to my Facebook account and shared it to my friends. I wanted to show them that I went to the National Museum that I have observed, took pictures, enjoyed and learned from each art work. It was a totally different experience for me. My appreciation on every art work can't be described. I was happy to be back. I was happy that I was given another chance to be there. I was happy to learn. And hopefully I could pass this wonderful experience down to our next generation.