An Afternoon With "The Spoliarium"

I have seen "The Spoliarium" three times prior to this whole Sunday devoted to the National Arts Gallery. It's actually the main reason why I visit the National Museum.  I could practically stare at this  Juan Luna's masterpiece the whole afternoon, and I won't get tired looking at it.

At nine years old, the first time I saw it, I had this sense of pride that a Filipino artist has drawn this, and that it won the gold medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884.

The scene depicting dead gladiators being dragged to one side of the arena, reflected the abuses the Filipinos  suffered under the Spanish Colonizers.

It took another twelve years before I saw it again, and I came back a year after and just after a few months and I was back at the National Art Gallery again to visit it.  I still feel excited every time I open the door that leads to the Hall of the Masters where this painting is exhibited. It feels like finally, my eyes will get to see this national treasure again.

I know a lot of people don't get giddy with a piece of art but this painting elicits a good feeling on my part.

Because I'm not an artist, I can't imagine how Juan Luna was able to paint this huge piece of art? how he was able to balance the scale of each character drawn? and how he was able to put all those dramatic colors together. I wonder how many days did it take Juan Luna to finish this? Did he throw a lot of canvass before he was able to come out with this perfect one?

My words will always be inadequate to describe how beautiful it is, but let the pictures I took speak for how magnificent it is.  But again, my pictures will not be able to capture its beauty.  You have to see it for yourself and behold "The Spoliarium."

There's no entrance fee at The National Museum every Sunday. 

(When I visited the National Museum last 2010 picture taking was still not allowed, but when I came back last May 2011 and October 2011, digital cameras are allowed for souvenir shots at the museum.)

National Museum - The National Art Gallery

The National Museum - The National Art Gallery

This is the continuation of my post about the National Museum. The first part is about the National Museum's Museum of the Filipino People located at the old Finance Building, here's the link to that post .

This second part is about the National Museum's National Art Gallery.

The National Museum - National Art Gallery is located at the Old House of Congress near the Manila City Hall facing the Intramuros golf course. It serves as the repository of art works and masterpieces of Filipino artists.

This building which houses the National Museum's National Art Gallery was originally designed by American architect Ralph Harrington Doane to become a public library in 1916. The construction was halted due to lack of funds. Later on, it was decided that it will become a Legislative building. Filipino Architect Juan Arellano was commissioned to continue the project. It was inaugurated in 1926. The first floor of the building became the National Library while the second, third and fourth floors were occupied by the offices of the Senators and House of Representatives.

It was here where the Constitutional Convention of 1934 was held and outside the building steps where President Manuel L. Quezon took his oath as President of the Commonwealth.

The Senate moved out of this building in 1996 and renovations were done in 2003 to transform it as the National Art Gallery .

The National Art Gallery is home of Juan Luna's Spoliarium.

The oil canvas measures 400 x 700 cm, it depicted dead gladiators being dragged into the shadowy area of a roman arena. The Spoliarium won the gold medal at the Exposicion National de Belles Artes in 1884.

The painting reflected the maltreatment, abuses and the discrimination of the Spaniards against the Filipinos they considered to be indios.

The Spoliarium is found at the second floor of the museum at the Hall of the Masters. The Hall of the Masters exhibits the paintings of National artists - Juan Luna and Felix Ressureccion Hidalgo.

Behind this door is the Spolarium.

It is also here where you can find a sculpture made by our National Hero Jose Rizal while he was in exile in Dapitan. The sculpture is entitled a "Mother's Revenge." A dog came to the aid of her puppy being attacked by a crocodile.

Aside from works of arts by National Artists, there's a room also where you can find bone collection of various animals including that of the huge sperm whale. The National Art Gallery also houses a Herbarium.

Below is the second and third floor plan of the museum with its corresponding rooms and galleries

A whole afternoon inside the National Museum is not enough to explore the richness of the Filipino Culture. My brother and I will be back to visit it again.

The National Museum - National Art Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. 

* When my brother, my bf and I revisited the museum last November 2011, we were allowed to take souvenir shots of the art works inside the museum.  We also learned that we don't have to pay the P75.00 entrance fee every Sunday.  Here are some of my favorite artworks:

The Spoliarium by Juan Luna

La Bulaquena by Juan Luna

The Assasination of Governor General Bustamante

by Felix Ressureccion Hidalgo

the unfinished portrait drawn by

Fernando Amorsolo

at the background are the framed pencil sketches

of the late national artist

Revisiting the National Museum of the Philippines - Museum of the Filipino People

Since yesterday, April 9,2010 was a National Holiday, my brother and I visited the Manila Ocean Park in the morning and the National Museum in the afternoon.

I'll write about our Ocean Park adventure in my next post.

My brother and I decided to visit the National Museum because we wanted to see again Juan Luna's masterpiece - " The Spoliarium, " and at the same time reacquaint ourselves about the History of the Philippines.

The National Museum is made up of the National Art Gallery which is located at the Old House of Congress opposite the Wall of Intramuros while the Museum of the Filipino People is at the left side of the National Art Gallery at the Finance Street.

First stop is the Museum of the Filipino People

This museum holds thousands of artifacts salvaged from the warship-San Diego, that sank near  Fortune Island, just outside Manila Bay. The San Diego was a Spanish Battleship that clashed with the Dutch's Mauritius when the Dutch tried to invade Manila in the 1600s. 

It also showcase the anthropological and archaeological treasures of the early Filipino civilization.

Here's the Exhibition Directory that showcases the Galleries you will see inside the Museum of the Filipino People.

The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. The entrance fee is P100 for adult while students with valid IDs and senior citizen is at P30 and P60 and it's FREE every Sunday.

Picture taking inside the museum is now allowed provided that it's not a DSLR camera..

Click this for my post on the National Art Gallery