Lesson 2

Art in the Past

Objectives:
 Define contemporary arts in the Philippines;
 Research on various contemporary art forms;

Looking at Art: Darangen Epic

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who
live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional
homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.

Comprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates

episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to
having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life
and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire.
The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behavior,
and notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this
day, elders refer to this time-honored text in the administration of customary law.

Nowadays, the Darangen is less frequently performed owing in part to its rich vocabulary and archaic
linguistic forms, which can only be understood by practitioners, elders and scholars. Indeed, the growing tendency to
embrace mainstream Filipino lifestyles may represent a threat to the survival of this ancient epic.

Looking at Art: Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium”

The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage brought by gladiatorial matches.
Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where the fallen and dying gladiators
are dumped and devoid of their worldly possessions.

At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman soldiers? On the left,
spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants of their metal helmets and other armory. In contrast
with the charged emotions featured on the left, the right side meanwhile presents a somber mood. An old man carries
a torch perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her loved one.

The Spoliarium is the most valuable oil-on-canvas painting by Juan Luna, a Filipino educated at the
Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Philippines) and at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. With a size of
4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the largest painting in the Philippines. A historical painting, it was made by Luna in
1884 as an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Madrid Art Exposition, May 1884) and eventually won
for him the First Gold Medal.
Looking at Art: Amorsolo’s “Antipolo Fiesta,” 1947

This oil painting on canvas depicts a rural scene where a group of people
are shown celebrating a fiesta in Antipolo. The main focus is on a pair of dancers in
the field surrounded by revelers both young and old. Abundant food is presented in
basketfuls of assorted fruits on the benches and on the ground, as well as the
traditional roasted pig or lechon being prepared by two men. Nearby is a house with
huge windows from where dwellers watch the revelers. At the background is a huge
church, a symbolic town structure. A vast number of townsmen complete the
essence of a fiesta.

It can be said that the pair of dancers are in the usual same pose as those of dancers in Fernando
Amorsolo’s various well-known tinikling-related paintings. A viewer may be quick to surmise at a glance that this
painting belongs to that category, as the bamboo handlers in the usual tinikling dance often blend in the crowd and
are not easily distinguished. However, there are no bamboo-handlers present in this painting simply because the
dancers are not performing the tinikling dance. Thus, this indication is what makes this painting very unique.

Looking at Art: Tolentino’s “U.P. Oblation”

The Oblation is the monument and main symbol of the University of the Philippines. It depicts a man with
arms stretched wide and face turned upward, symbolizing selfless offering of one's self for one's country.

The Oblation is the masterpiece of first National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino. In 1935, Guillermo
was commissioned by then University President Rafael Palma to craft a monument that would express in visual form
the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s "Mi Ultimo Adios” ("Last Farewell"). The concrete statue painted in bronze stands
3.5 meters high (to represent the 350 years of Spanish colonization of the Philippines) on a pile of rocks symbolizing
the islands of the Philippines. Funding for the statue was raised through a two-month fund campaign that garnered
P2, 000.

The model for the statue has been widely rumored to be Fernando Poe, Sr., though
there are sources that claim that the real model was Tolentino's student apprentice Caedo.

The original Oblation was unveiled in 1939 in Ermita, Manilaby Gregoria de Jesus de
Nakpil, widow of hero Andres Bonifacio. On the occasion of the university's 40th anniversary,
the Oblation was moved from UP Manila to UP Diliman along with the administrative offices.

The Oblation located at the end of University Avenue in the UP Diliman campus is
merely a replica of the original one located at the 3rd floor of the UP Diliman Main Library.
Several replicas of the Oblation have been made for the different campuses of the University. Here is Guillermo
Tolentino's own words of the Oblation's symbolism:

"The completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands, with tilted head,
closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act of offering himself, is my interpretation
of that sublime stanza. It symbolizes all the unknown heroes who fell during the night. The statue stands on a rustic
base, a stylized rugged shape of the Philippine archipelago, lined with big and small rocks, each and every one of
which represents and island.
 The katakataka (wonder plant) whose roots are tightly implanted on Philippine soil, is the link that binds the
symbolized figure to the allegorical Philippine Group.

Katakataka is really a wonder plant. It is called siempre vivo (always alive) in Spanish. A leaf or a piece
thrown anywhere will sprout into a young plant. Hence it symbolizes the deep-rooted patriotism in the heart of our
heroes. Such patriotism continually and forever grows anywhere in the Philippines.

The 3.5 meter height of the statue stands for the 350 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. The rocks on
the base of the relic were taken from Montalban (Rizal) gorge, site of the fierce fighting between Filipino guerillas and
the Japanese army during the Second World War."

Each of the four sides of the monument’s base is inscribed with quotes that speak of a willingness to serve
and give one’s life for one’s country. The front of the pedestal holds a passage from El Filibusterismo. On the back of
the pedestal is the second stanza of “Mi Ultimo Adios,” and another stanza from the same poem adorns the right
side. On the left side is a poem b Andres Bonifacio, “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa”.

Looking at Art: The Manunggul Jar of Palawan

The Manunggul Jar is a National Treasure of the Philippines. A secondary

burial jar, it is designated item 64-MO-74 in the National Museum of the Philippines,
Manila. The jar was found in Chamber A of the Manunggul caves in Palawan. The jar is
dated from about 2800 years before the present day. The Manungul Jar was found in
the Tabon Cave in Palawan. It was found by Robert Fox and Miguel Santiago. The faces
of the figures and on the prow of the boat have eyes and mouth rendered in the same
style as other artifacts of Southeast Asia of that period. Note the depiction of sea-waves
on the lid. This style of decoration places this jar in the Sa-huýnh-Kalanay Pottery
tradition of Southern Vietnam.

The steersman's oar is missing its paddle, as is the mast in the center of the boat, against which the
steersman would have braced his feet. This symbolizes that they are traveling to the next life.

In secondary burial, only bones were placed in the jar, and the jar itself is not buried.

Manunggul jar is, one of the evidences that the Filipino is well-skilled, it was found on the cave of Palawan. The age
of this jar is over 2000 years .the height is 61 centimeters it is used a burial jar. The cover, showing the figures of
men in boat.at the mouth of this jar, there is an enchanting ornaments.