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Joanne Kathleen Rowling and her authorized publishers and Warner Bros. own the rights to the Harry Potter books, films, and trademarks. This website is made by a fan for the fans, and is a non-profit personal project. All non-original material are properly credited.
This website: Copyright November 2003 by prof_skywalker and Pinoy Harry Potter (Hogwarts Philippines)
Lesson 5: Static Pictures - Selected Pinoy Muggle Painters
Posted: Monday, 17 May 2004
The first thing that witches and wizards looking at Muggle paintings notice is that the pictures do not move. In a world where photographs and paintings often move, and even speak, and are even almost "alive", static pictures are a curiosity. One advantage of a static muggle painting though, is that it captures a moment in time, and that moment does not change. It tells the viewer about a person, or an event, or what the scenery looks like, at a certain time, and keeps that story intact for many other viewers to see. These stories tell us a lot about the life and culture of Muggles.
In this lesson, we will look at the works and learn about the lives of 5 Filipino Muggle visual artists, all of them awarded the distinction of being a National Artist. These 5 men have contributed a lot to furthering Pinoy culture through their magnificent works, and to bringing that culture closer to other Muggles (and probably even wizards) in the world.
JUAN LUNA
"Spoliarium", Juan Luna
Juan Luna was born in Ilocos Norte in the Philippines on 24 October 1857. Although Juan won acclaim for his paintings, his four brothers were also famous in their respective fields: Manuel was a musician, Jose was a physician, Joaquin was a Governor, and Antonio was a writer and a general of the Philippine Revolution Army.
Like National Hero Jose Rizal and other famous men of their time, Juan finished high school at the Ateneo de Manila, before going to nautical school. He sailed to many Asian ports, and eventually became a "Pilot of the high seas, third class". He took up landscape painting at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura and also received private lessons from Lorenzo Guerrero. He studied art further in Madrid and accompanied one of his professors to Italy, where he fulfilled several private commissions, and even made studies of the ruins of Pompeii, Naples, and other excavated sites.
While he was in Rome, Juan Luna finished several award-winning masterpieces, including his most famous, the Spoliarium (Gold Medal, Madrid Art Exposition, 1884), a painting depicting dead gladiators and their mourning relatives in the Roman Colosseum. This painting has always been interpreted as a scene alluding to the exploitation of the Philippines by Spain.
Juan also stayed in Portugal, France, Madrid, and Japan. In 1896, he and his brothers were arrested by the Spanish constabulary on charges of complicity in the Katipunan. He was eventually cleared, and worked in Spain for the pardon of his brother, Antonio. Juan Luna became a diplomatic agent upon the establishment of the Philippine Republic to Hong Kong, Paris, and the United States. He died in Hong Kong.
Most of Juan Luna's paintings are in the possession of private collectors, but the Spoliarium is on display at the National Museum, and just recently, the Government Service Insurance System bought "Parisian Life" from a Christie's auction for approximately US$850,000, sparking controversy and a debate among the country's officials and social analysts.
FERNANDO C. AMORSOLO
"Self Portrait", Fernando Amorsolo (1942)
Amorsolo was the first painter to be named National Artist. He is known for classical works that depict farmers and the life of countryfolk and cityfolk doing their daily routines. He was also known for his many compositions and studies of hands and feet, and the human body.
He defines the ideal Filipina beauty as: "one with a rounded face, not of the oval type often presented to us in newspapers and magazine illustrations. The eyes should be exceptionally lively, not the dreamy, sleepy type that characterizes the Mongolian. The nose should be of the blunt form but firm and strongly marked. The mouth plays a very important part in the determination of a beautiful face. The ideal Filipina beauty should have a sensuous mouth, not the type if the pouting mouth of early days. . . So the ideal Filipina beauty should not necessarily be white complexioned, nor of the dark brown color of the typical Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type which we often witness when we met a blushing girl."
CARLOS "BOTONG" FRANCISCO
Botong Francisco hails from Angono, Rizal, the hometown of many gifted artists of his time. He specialized in murals that depict a lot of the life and values of the people of his hometown, and finding his smaller easel works is a rarity. He was also the second painter to be named National Artist (post-humous). One of his more well-known works, and what some consider as his masterpiece, is the mural specially commissioned for the City Hall of Manila, depicting the history of the City and the country. Two of his other works which are readily accessible to the public, can be found at the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital, and St. Paul's College in Manila.
JOSE JOYA
"Christ Stripped of His Clothes", Jose Joya (1954)
Jose Joya, abstract painter and multimedia artist, is the most recent National Artist awardee, having been bestowed the honor only last 2003. He is well known for his abstract compositions, painted ceramics, prints, and multimedia collages incorporating rice paper - a distinctly local touch.
Joya was born in 1931 and was a student of the UP College of Fine Arts. He studied further in distinguished art schools in the United States, and received many awards for his many contributions to the visual arts, and also participating in international art exhibitions upon the government's request.
His contemporaries include other modernists: Hernando Ocampo, Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Vicente Manansala and Fernando Zobel de Ayala.
VICENTE MANANSALA
"Sugarcane Harvest", Vicente Manansala
Born in Macabebe, Pampanga, on 22 January 1910, Vicente Manansala was a graduate of the UP College of Fine Arts, and studied abroad on scholarships from UNESCO and the French government. Most of Manansala's works may be classified as abstract or even, to a certain extent, cubist. He greatly admired the works of Picasso, Cezanne, and contemporary, Carlos "Botong" Francisco.
Among his major works are the murals at the University of the Philippines Parish of the Holy Sacrifice (Stations of the Cross); the Philippine Heart Center; and the National Press Club.
Manansala was conferred the National Artist award post-humously in 1981.
Sources and Resources:
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Virtual Gallery for Filipino Artists
http://www.geringerart.com
The Lopez Museum Online
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HOMEWORK 5: A Closer Look
DATE DUE - On or before Sunday, 6 June 2004, 5:00pm
We will forego with the usual Beater-Chaser homework format for this lesson in favor of just one question, and the possibility of a field trip.
Set a schedule at the Muggle Studies Lab to use the Internet-connected computers. Pick one of the artists that we studied, and do a search for images of their works online. You may also visit the Library and look up any Pinoy Muggle art books available there. Select one work by the artist of your choice. Do a little research into the background of the work you selected, then in 3 sentences or more, tell us why you selected that particular work, and what aspect of Pinoy Muggle culture was depicted and captured by your selected work. If the work of art you selected depicts a foreign subject, in your opinion, does it in any way reflect the nationality of the artist, or any Filipino influences?
Your submission must follow this format (or else deductions will be made to your total score):
Name and Forum Nick:
Year level and House:
Title of your selected work and name of artist (and if possible, year the work was created):
Your answer to the homework questions:
Oh, and someone might be interested in taking up this challenge....
This is Special Project #4, which, upon submission, will earn you 200 House Points AND an instant additional 50 points for Homework #6.
We've just learned that muggle paintings are static, and they tell us about events at a specific moment in time. Your challenge? Examine how you feel right now. At this moment. Then using whatever medium you want, draw something depicting how you feel right now. Your work must be original, meaning, no photo manipulations, please. You may use pencils, crayons, water color, whatever medium you want, you may even use that nifty accessory called Microsoft Paint. There are no specific criteria here, you may submit abstract splashes of color, a self-portrait, a drawing of an object, anything at all, as long as it depicts how you feel at the moment you created your artwork. Please don't think that you have to be as brilliant as the artists we discussed above to be able to accomplish this project. The important thing here is to be able to express yourself. I don't care if you submit a drawing of stick figures... as long as you can prove to me that your drawing indeed depicts your emotions when you drew it.
If you did your artwork on paper, you may scan it (please don't scan at too high a resolution, and be vigilant about filesize), save it in jpeg format, and e-owl it to me (see instructions below). If you don't have a scanner, you may hand me your artwork personally, anytime during "The Adventure Continues... Harry Potter at the Shangri-la Plaza" (on May 29, 30, June 5, 6). If you did your artwork digitally, please also save it in jpeg format and follow the instructions for e-owling below.
Your artwork should be accompanied by the following information:
Name and Forum Nick:
Year level and House:
Title of your original artwork (if any):
What media did you use to create your artwork?
A short explanation about your artwork:
Aside from the instant house points and homework points you earn upon submission (yes, no strings attached there), I will forward your work to our Dark Arts professor for evaluation. He will be asked to rate your work, and give you anywhere between 1-50 points. The points he will give you will be added to your instant 50 points for Homework #6. So yes, if you do the math, it is indeed possible for you to get a perfect score for Homework #6 just by accomplishing this challenge. *wink wink* And please, do remember: 200 House Points upon submission. That's a fair enough deal, right? :)
Deadline for Special Project #4 is also on Sunday, 6 June 2004, 5:00pm
Send your completed assignments (and/or Special Project submissions) to this address (and this address alone): acrossthestars @ gmail.com
with subject tag "MS 100 Homework #5" or "MS 100 Special Project #4".
UPDATE (posted 3 June 2004): The field trip is cancelled due to time constraints and logistical difficulties.
Any questions about this lesson and the homework/special project should be tackled in the appropriate threads in our classroom located at www.pinoyharrypotter.org. I will also be starting a discussion thread on this topic at our classroom, and I hope you will all participate. :)
Good Luck!