Last February 5, 2016 (Friday), I went to the greatest museum in the Philippines, the National Museum. The experience is very new and fresh because it’s my first time to visit the National Museum. At first, I thought that the museum was only composed of one building which is wrong. Actually, the National Museum has four buildings and branches although I only visited two buildings, which are National Art Gallery and Museum of the Filipino People. The National Art Gallery houses plentiful prized masterpieces, from canvases to figures, of the absolute most prestigious Filipino craftsmen. On the other hand, the Museum of the Filipino People serves as an archive of Philippine legacy through its verifiable and ancestral accumulations.

The National Art Gallery

• Spoliarium

Filipino painter and revolutionary activist, Juan Luna, created Spoliarium. This painting is represented by Rizal as the soul of our social, moral and political life: mankind in extreme trial, humankind unredeemed, reason and vision in open battle with bias & enthusiasm. For me, this is the main highlight of my trip in National Museum because I really want to see this painting since when I was a child.

• The Parisian Life

The Parisian Life (1892) also known as “Inside a Café”, is an oil on canvas impressionist painting by Juan Luna. Many critics and observers said that the position of the woman in the painting when flipped is similar to the map of the Philippines. On my own opinion, this painting symbolizes a strength of a woman.

• Gallery I (Luis I. Ablaza Hall)

Colonial Philippine religious art from the 17th to the 19th centuries, prominent among which is a retablo. It shows how our religion, which is Roman Catholic, also affects the development of art.

• The Assassination of Governor Bustamante and His Son

It’s an oil on canvas painting made by Felix Hidalgo, it shows a sensational portrayal of the homicide of Governor General Fernando Bustamante in 1719 by a crowd of monks. He is depicted being cut down a stupendous staircase as his fighters battle to contain the slaughter. The “exhibition is enhanced by splendid hues and fine apparatuses, for example, those of the intricately weaved norms, the senator’s garments and the surplice of a sacristan at the foregound right”.

• Tinikling

It’s an oil on canvas made by Fernando Amorsolo. This painting symbolizes the Filipino culture which is the traditional dancing using a pair of bamboo. Tinikling is the most popular Philippine dances and honored as the Philippine national dance.

Museum of the Filipino People

• Manunggul Jar

It is part of the San Diego Exhibit, a Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar on top of which is a boat with two human figures representing the “souls on a journey to the afterlife”. For me, this is very historical because it shows the belief of many Filipinos from the past regarding life after death.

• Anthromorphic Pots

Earthenware pots were found in Ayub Cav e, in Pinol, Maitum, Saranggani Province. The containers utilized for auxiliary internment were dated to the Metal Age around 5 BC. — 225 A.D. The head-molded spreads depict various types of outward appearances: misery, satisfaction, and happiness. The heads were either plain, punctured or covered with red and dark paints. Some have jewelries, others have tattoo. Some head-molded spreads portray teeth while others have arms, female bosoms and male genitalia.

• Banga (Kastila, Martaban, Siames at Dragon)

It is under the Five Centuries of Maritime Trade, this exhibition shows pre-hispanic vendor vessels in Southeast Asia conveying exchange and trade to the Philippine Islands.

• La Islas Flipinas

It is originally written by Antonio de Morga and rewritten by Jose Rizal, this book talks about the life of Filipinos before the colonization of Spaniards. Rizal rewrites this book to prove to the Spaniards that Filipinos have their own way of life and able to stand with their own without the control of Spain. I’m really thrilled when I first saw this book because I’m taking up my JOSERIZ class this term and we’re discussing about this book on how it helps Rizal to be motivated to fight against Spain.