INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY # 4 — National Museum of the Philippines

ARTWORKS:

1. El Asesinato Del Gobernador Bustamante by Felix Ressureccion Hidalgo

El Asesinato Del Gobernador Bustamante or “The assassination of Governador Bustamante” depicts a scenario that once happened in history, wherein a large conflict between the government and the church occurred. I have perceived this idea through the picture itself since it shows the riot between two different types of people (such as monk and government officials). Specifically, it is a battle for Governador Bustamante because he was assassinated for going against the church and showed aggressive behavior, because the church hid some of the corrupt officials. Therefore, the church had its revenge by destroying the government’s palace.

2. Spoliarium by Juan Luna

Of course, who would forget the remarkable Spoliarium by Juan Luna? We all know that it indicates the sufferings of Filipinos in the old days. They served as gladiators to entertain merciless Romans, even up to the point of losing their own lives. The painting also signifies that the Romans have the power over us Filipinos. It’s really heartbreaking to imagine such a horrendous tragedy. Through this huge painting, we can grasp the idea of how tough their situation was, therefore we should always be thankful of the life that we have today.

3. Death March by Dominador Castañeda (oil on canvas) — 1948

Another eye-catching painting is “Death March” by Mr. Dominador, wherein it also shows how Filipino comrades were tortured throughout the whole condition of Death March. It was the passage of Filipino prisoners via foot march. With just a simple stare, we can see how others still strive and manage to continue and endure hunger, dehydration, exhaustion, injuries, and all kinds of sufferings. But there were also hundreds to thousands who couldn’t make it, which was truly upsetting to our part as Filipinos. The message here is that Death March was no easy fight, so we should always honor our brave fellowmen who were involved in the said tragedy.

4. A tragic lesson (The fall of bataan) — Gene Cabrera (oil on canvas) — 1957

From the title itself, this painting tells us a tragic lesson: and that is that we should learn from the historical truth, specifically from this ugly truth of war and colonialism. To be exact, it implies the intense phase of Japan’s invasion of the Philippines, causing “The Fall of Bataan” to happen. Of course, we see the symbolism of death from the skeleton images, pertaining to different types of Filipino (shown by the hats and clothes they’re wearing). Meaning, war has never initiated anything good towards our country and fellowmen; all it gave us were death and souls of innocent human beings. And now that we are free from war, we should remind ourselves the tragic lesson, that we should avoid wasting lives and energy, continue to throw all conflicts away, and most specially, spread world peace!

5. The Old master or portrait of Teodoro P. Buenaventura as Painter by Romeo B. Enriquez (Oil on canvas)

This pleasing painting by Mr. Enriquez illustrates how professional artists do their work from our point of view. We were able see a painting of a person doing a painting, which is really cool, to be honest. With this, we can comprehend that being an artist is not an easy job for they make their audiences feel and express their emotions, without touching or talking. Their art plays an important role in our society, and with that, we should appreciate every single artist, not just Mr. Teodoro Buenaventura, but artists all around the world with all of their efforts given for our much-loved country, the Philippines.

6. The Fishermen by Virginia TY Navarro (Oil on canvas) — 1983

For me, this one is special for it made me halt and take a glare at that marvelous picture created by Ms. Virginia. She was able to catch my attention through her painting, since it shows one of the most cherished culture and profession of Filipinos (which is fishing), in a very beautiful way. With this picture, I’ve appreciated our fellowmen more, who did nothing but worked hard and do their best to earn a sustainable income, for themselves and of course, for their families. “Fishermen” are the people that we rely on because they endlessly supply our needs, just like farmers. And I am very delighted to see it as a painting, so that all of us could appreciate and know the essentials of these, love what Filipinos do best, and embrace the culture or job itself.

7. Jesus Falls the first time (Third station of the cross — Don Bosco Chapel Series) by Carlos V. Francisco (Oil on canvas) — 1960

I was astonished to see such a breathtaking painting of this historical event for us Christians, wherein Jesus fell while carrying a heavy wooden cross. It was honestly heart-rending, yet I know and believe that through this painting, we can say that our faith to God has strengthened since we can recognize how much Jesus Himself suffered for us. God gave his only begotten son, for people like us, and that’s what we should always remember. I am so in love with the idea that people are doing ways, just like merely painting these scenarios, for us to repent and do what God wants us to do. It is simply a reminder, not just to Filipinos but to people all around the world, that God and Jesus Christ love us no matter what. The message here definitely speaks in our heart and feeds into our spiritual hunger.

8. Memorabilia of Emilio “Abe” Aguilar Cruz (Collection)

It’s also good to see another kind of art, wherein the National Museum itself hangs tools used by an artist who’ve contributed a lot, like Mr. Emilio Aguilar. I also consider this as an art because he has used these things to create history, and also because it express and change the way we perceive life. The way the stuffs are placed together is also pleasing in the eyes and make you go “wow”. We can say that through these things, we can see how fun it is to live life with adventure and art. Maybe, just maybe, without these historical things, we aren’t who we are now. Simple creations by Mr. Emilio have been part of our treasures, that’s why these things are also considered as treasures that we should take care of.