A few days after my solo backpacking at the Museum of the Filipino People, it is the second part of Oktubre ang Buwan ng mga Museo. These two buildings of the National Museum of the Philippines are just a few steps away from each other. Also, they both have historical values in the country and played a huge part in preserving and restoring the ancient and modern artifacts of the Philippines.
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Photo: Rear side of National Museum of Fine Arts. |
It was a free admission day, and as expected, many people were falling in line to register. The photo above was taken in the lobby area for registration. While on the line, I couldn't keep my eyes off the golden ceiling because of the great artwork and stunningly gorgeous colors. After the registration, I left my backpack at the baggage area and proceeded to the first part of the exhibit.
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Photo: Spoliarium by Juan Luna Y Novicio |
This historic hall was the site of the 1934 Constitutional Convention chaired by Claro M. Recto and many other significant events. It houses one of the country’s most well-known paintings, such as the Spoliarium by Juan Luna Y Novicio. It is displayed across El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante (The Assassination of Governor Bustamante), the largest known work by Luna’s contemporary and friend, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. Information from the website of the National Museum of the Philippines
Gallery 1:
Christian-themed art in the Philippines was prevalent in the 17th to 19th centuries when parts of the country were under Spanish colonial rule. Many of these religious images were of carved wooden Santos (saints) made by unknown artists and reliefs and paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. This gallery also features a National Cultural Treasure, a retablo (altarpiece) from the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Dimiao, Bohol. Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
Gallery 2:
- Art Prints from the Archives of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid ☝
Gallery 3:
- Academic and Romantic Art
- In the mid-1700s, Spanish pharmacologist and botanist Juan José de Cuéllar commissioned Filipino artists to make drawings of Philippine plants that he had collected from his fieldwork in Luzon. The drawings were kept in the archives of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid for over a century and were rediscovered in 1988 by researcher Maria Belen Bañas Llanos.
- In 1996, the Spanish government gifted a special copy of the collection to the Philippines, presented by King Juan Carlos I of Spain to President Fidel V. Ramos. The collection now hangs in this gallery.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
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Photo: Fundacion Santiago Hall. |
Gallery 4:
- Fundacion Santiago Hall: Academic and Neoclassical Sculpture
- The 19th century brought master Filipino sculptor Isabelo L. Tampinco (1850-1933), a contemporary of Jose Rizal who was known for developing the Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
Gallery 5:
- Homage to Dr. Jose Rizal.
- This gallery honors Dr. José P. Rizal (1861-1896), known widely for his patriotism and acclaimed novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
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Photo: Florencia “Nena” Singson Gonzalez-Belo |
Gallery 6:
- Classical Art from the 20th century
- The photo above is the set up of Fernando Amorsolo, and the unfinished painting turned out to be Florencia “Nena” Singson Gonzalez-Belo, Dr. Vicky Belo's mother.
- Philippine artists in the early 20th century, the late contemporaries and artistic successors of Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo painted in the classical style taught by academics, specifically the Amorsolo School of the School of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
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Photo of the Old Session Hall. |
This hall was originally designed to be a library in the early 1920s during the American colonial period when the architect Juan Arellano revised the plans of Ralph Harrington Doane in order to convert the building to the seat of the legislature. The Senate was then led by Manuel L. Quezon, the movement leader for Philippine independence from the United States. Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
Gallery 13:
- GSIS Northwest Hall, the Pillars of the Philippine Modernism
- On the photo above: Bust of Vicente Manansala. This gallery is dedicated to the works of modern painter Vicente S. Manansala (1910-1981), National Artist for Painting (1981).
- It contains highlights from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the National Museum collections, and it showcases the artist’s memorabilia from the Manansala Family Collection.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.
Gallery 15:
- A few of Dimasalang's paintings.
- Dimasalang (1968-1978): Artists’ Collections showcases the work of a group of artists-friends who painted and spoke of art together in Dimasalang Street, Manila.
- Members included Emilio (Abe) Aguilar Cruz, Sofronio (SYM) Y. Mendoza, Romulo Galicano, Ibarra dela Rosa, and Andres Cristobal Cruz. Exhibition runs from November 7, 2014 to July 27, 2015.
- Information from the National Museum of the Philippines website.