A Visit to the National Museum of Fine Arts Pt. 1

Last Saturday, one of the things I want to achieve on my bucket list happened. I finally got to visit the National Museum of Fine Arts. Before the pandemic happened, my family and I wanted to visit the said museum, unfortunately it was close because we tried to visit the place on Monday. And, as some people know, Museums are under maintenance and cleaning during Mondays.

It was a gloomy Saturday noon and Amiel, my boyfriend, thought that it would be raining cats and dogs just like how it has been for the past few days. I felt bad because I programmed myself that finally, I will be able to see that museum after three years of waiting. But I was very persistent. I did not want to give in to Amiel's advice.

Of course, we rode the train first. My heart is so happy although the time to commute and the steps to make are kind of draining. Manila City is just so humid and big.

Before heading to the museum, Amiel decided that we should go to Rizal Park First. Well, I heed to his request since I also want to visit the park. It is grand and very welcoming to everyone. There were suppose to be a lot of photos of me on the park, but I decided not to post it since I am still not comfortable with my body as of the moment, and the clothes was, how do I say it, very unflattering for my body.

My heart skipped a beat upon seeing how grand the building is. It has four (4) floors and a basement. At first I was kind of hesitant that the museum would let as in because it might be like the last time Amiel and I tried to enter the premise, we needed to book a schedule before the guards would let us in. It was just then my brother who previously visited me in Manila City that I found out that they are now open to public even without a reservation made.

I am really thankful as to how PRDD or President Rodrigo Roa Duterte made the museums accessible to the public, meaning it is for free. For the past years, museum goers need to pay 10USD/head.

This is the history according to the signage outside the museum.

Ang Pambansang Museo
The National Museum

Itinatag sa Maynila noong Oktubre 29, 1901 bilang Insular Museum of Ethnology, Natural History and Commerce sa ilalim ng Kagawaran ng Instruksyong Pambayan at sa bisa ng Batas ng Komisyon ng Pilipinas Blg. 284. Sina Dean C. Worcester , David P. Barrows at Albert E. Jenks and naging mga unang direktor. Hiwalay sa naunang Museo-Biblioteca na itinatag noong mga mga huling taon ng pananakop ng mga Kastila. Ito ay ilang ulit na nagpalit ng pangalan at kinalalagyan. Isinailalim sa iba't-ibang kagawaran, inilipat, at pinawalang -saysay. Nang dako huli, ito ay muling itinatag bilang Pambansang Museo.

Sa pagpapatibay ng Batas ng Republika Bilang 8492, kilala bilang Batas ng Pambansang Museo ng 1998, na nilagdaan ng Pangulong Fidel V. Ramos noong Pebreo 12, 1998. Ang Pambansan Museo ay iniayos bilang pangunahing proyekto sa Pagdiriwang ng Ikasandaang taon ng pagpapahayag ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas (1898-1998).

Pinalawak at isinama ang dating gusali ng Department of Finance, ang "Museum of the Filipino People" ay itinatag sa pamamagitan mg pagsusumikap ng Presidential Committee to Assist the National Museum" sa pangangasiwa ni P. Gabriel S. Casal (1987-2001).

Ang Concerned Citizens for the National Museum, ngayo'y "Museum Foundation of the Philippines", ay nagtaguyod at tumangkilik sa pagtatag ng Pambansang Museo bilang nagsasariling institusyon na may pirmihang tahanan.

The building used to serve as the Old Legislative Building in 1926 and was damaged in 1945 because of the advancement of World War II in Manila.

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Getting inside the Museum
These are the few things we should be reminded of before entering the National Museum:

• Whatever backpack you are bringing, you must leave it at the luggage section in the lobby.
• Taking photos are allowed but make sure it has no flash.
• Taking of videos is prohibited.
• Eating and drinking inside the museum is prohibited.
• Making inappropriate poses are not allowed while taking photos.
• And of course, touching the artworks are not allowed as these are all cultural heritage.

Please be reminded that I would only cover some of the artworks. If the artwork has not been featured it does not mean that it is not of my liking, but rather I spent most of the time being mesmerized by all of those that were displayed.

It is important to note that the building consists of four (4) floors and there are more than 100 artworks being displayed so it is important that you visited the museum with full of enthusiasm and energy.

The first exhibit room that welcome the art enthusiasts included the grandest work of Juan Luna, the Spoliarivm (read as Spoliarium). As I could remember, he made it as an art entry for an international competition and bagged the first prize. As written on the Inquirer , it won the first-class medal in the Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts.

It is really a humongous oil painting (4.22X 7.675m). The painting depicted the Roman cruelty which is an allegory of the situation of the Philippines during the Spanish colonization.

The said exhibit room also included other heartwarming artworks that depicted the history and religion of the Philippines which has been influenced by its Spanish colonizers.

Diwata by Guillermo Tolentino

Guillermo Tolentino became a National Artist for Sculpture (1973). The artwork is a reinforced concrete. This was a gift from the heirs of Teodora Tantoco Reyes and Hermogenes S. Reyes. After returning from his studies in Europe and USA, Guillermo crafted this mortuary sculpture. Despite Guillermo's newly acquired fame at that time, he continued to accept commissioned private work.

The sculpture honestly gave me an eerie feeling even before I tried to read the details of it from a signage. It made me feel at some point, this has been displayed in a memorial park or something like that. No offense meant though.

The Assassination of Governor Bustamante

El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo

This oil painting is national cultural treasure of the Reepublic of the Philippines. It was a gift to the Filipino people of Leandro and Cecilia Locsin. Leandro Locsin was a reknowned Filipino who was known most on his design of the Theater of Performing Arts or also known as Tanghalang Pambansa .

The painting depicted the assassination of Governor Bustamante by the supporters of Archbishop De la Cuesta at the Palacio de Gobernador. This was the result of the imprisonment of the said Archbishop and how the government disregard the church as a sacred sanctuary.

This sculpture was commissioned by the Fergusson Memorial Association and had been inagurated at the Plaza Fergusson in Ermita, Manila. It was then transferred to Embassy of the United States to the Philippines.

This sculpture made by Mariano Benlliure Y Gil is on loan to the National Museum courtesy of the Department of State of the United States of America.

I really wonder as to why one of the works of the Spanish sculptor has been displayed in the National Museum of the Philippines. Perhaps because the subject Arthur Walsh Fergusson has been a primary actor in the US-Philippine Relation way back when Philippines was under the United States, as he served as the Secretary of the Taft Commission.

The Battle of Mactan by Elmer Borlongan

This artwork depicted the famous Battle of Mactan (in Cebu) by the men of Datu Lapulapu and Ferdinand Magellan, a famous navigator.

According to Gigo Alampay, Executive Director of CANVAS, To present an accurate picture of the Battle of Mactan, Elmer Borlongan spent months of research, interviews and studies.

It is well-established that the attack came at dawn; that Magellan was struck down by a poisoined arrow on his right thigh; that it happened at low tide, forcing the Spaniards to march to the beach in heavy armor, while the galleons were anchored too far for their cannons to be of any use; and that Magellan ordered a fer of his men to burn down the village in the tragically mistaken belief that it would demoralize Lapulapu and his men. All these elements are presented in Borlongan's trademark composition.

In Borlongan's painting, there is one warrior who stands out. In his right hand, a bolo is held up as if calling for men to attack while he points, unafraid, to the enemy. Is he Lapulapu? Or is he a trusted lieutenant tasked to lead the combatants?

Perhaps, the truth of who and where he was does not matter. Lapulapu's legend still looms large in the mural, and throughout Philippine History. It is his mythology that ripples through time and that would inspire later heroes to articulate what would become the Revolution's dream of nationhood.

Elmer Borlongan is one of the prominent contemporary painters in the Philippines. He has been known for his figurative expressionism which is very evident in his work above and even on his other artworks.

I must say, his art style has brought a better understanding for his audience about the prevailing social issues in his works.

And now we move to the hallway that displayed various sculptures by Isabelo Tampinco y Lacandola.

Tampinco is known for his woodcarving for churches particularly the ceilings, pillars, and other areas of the Catholic Church.

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And now we proceed to the artworks of Juan Luna, one of the well-known and decorated Filipino artists during the Spanish colonization on the Philippines and even up to date.

On the images below, you will be enchanted by his works and the art studies that he made while he was travelling across the Western World.

And the last piece of artwork of Juan Luna that I would like to share is the Parissien Life. I saw this painting fifteen years ago when GSIS had an exhibit of it at SM Cagayan de Oro. I really was so amazed as to how flawless the painting is that the young Gail wanted to make something like this in the future (which is now).

I honestly love how pink the walls were painted on this portion of the museum and how remarkable the frames were, making every artwork stand out.

I honestly felt a little envy as to how Juan Luna was able to use his talent to such an extreme, other may call it god-like level. As an artist by heart, I only want to paint by heart. But I need to have a stable work as of the moment to feed me. Anyway, seeing the works of other people fills that gap.

Art materials are expensive and had been hard to find for me, but now, I get to have an access on it online and I could also visit different art stores here in Manila City and Quezon City which I frequently visit because my boyfriend lives there.

Anyhow, I hoped you love today's post. I hope to get back to all of you as soon as possible. I still need a lot of adjustment from my work and finances. I know I can get through this.

I hope you still continue to support me. Thank you. 🧡

Love,

Johanna Gail