"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.