Spolarium by Juan Luna

Dimensions:400cmx700cm
Provenance:National Museum of the Philippines
Medium and ground: Oil on poplar wood
History:
-Created by Juan Luna for 8 months.
-Was finished in 1884
-Submitted to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes and won Juan Luna a gold medal.
Interpretation of the image
The spolarium is a painting of bloody carcasses of slave gladiators being dragged away
from the arena where they had entertained their Roman oppressors with their
lives...stripped to satisfy the lewd contempt of their Roman persecutors with their honor.
-Jose Rizal's interpretation( credits to wikipedia.com and Leon Ma. Guerrero, 2007)
(Spolarium)"embodied the essense [sic] of our social, moral and political life: humanity in
severe ordeal, humanity unredeemed, reason and idealism in open struggle with prejudice,
fanaticism and justice..."
− Reading of the image by the reporters:
First, we would like to direct your attention to certain figures in the painting which we think
would be able to aid us in its interpretation. If you would look at the left side of the image
you would be able to see a man in a white outfit who seems to be attempting to punch one
of the people in the right side. Notice that he is standing only on one leg and seems to
partially and involuntarily “kneel” on one foot making the altitude of this image lower than
the people on the right side of the painting. The people on the right side of the painting are
the ones who are commanding the people dragging the carcasses of the gladiators outside
of the arena. In short they are the “authorities” that run this arena. This is further
emphasized by the height of their image. Notice that their image is on a higher level or
“altitude” or height than the surrounding spectators and the dispatchers of the carcasses
signifying superiority. This “authorities” if you would notice, are dressed to look like priests.
And if you would look very,very closely on the lower right side of the painting, a figure who
looks like a woman sits huddled in a corner and looks like she is grieving. Another woman
is also in the right side of the painting somewhere in the dark lighting a lamp. There is also
an incline where the gladiator carcasses are being dragged.
− So given this images we will stage an analysis for this work of art, So the woman on
the side of the picture is the picture of the motherland(Philippines) grieving for her
oppressed and abused children. (Represented by the gladiators). The man in the
white outfit is Jose Rizal and the other heroes who are fighting for democracy and
their fight for democracy is symbolized by the white man's attempt to punch the
priestlike images in the right side of the painting. This man seems to be lunging in a
position which also seems to be half kneeling to this “priests” indicating that these
priests were of a higher authority than he was. This position may also indicate that
although this man has the guts and the will to fight, he does not have much strength
left anymore. This is similar to the scenario during the time of Juan Luna, though
many desired revolution the Filipinos did not have the machinery to mobilize their
plans.The priests on the other side of the image are there because friars and priests
held considerable power during the Spanish regime, they maltreated and harassed
Filipinos and abused their power. In the painting they orchestrated the dragging of
the carcasses and the suffering of the other gladiators in dragging the carcasses of
their fallen comrades. This is how the Spaniards and the friars acted. They
appointed natives over the lands to collect taxes from other natives making other
natives afflict suffering to their fellow natives. Lastly on the rightmost side of the
painting a girl/woman is lighting a lamp in a very dark space. This symbolizes hope.
This tells the Filipinos that although we are oppressed, tortured, abused etc. we can
still fight back, we can still liberate ourselves from this oppressive society which we
are in. So in totality this painting symbolizes the oppression that the we (The
Filipinos) experienced under the Spanish regime, the emotions that the Filipinos felt
and the hope that they had that someday they will be free from oppression and
maltreatment by the Spaniards.
Project in English 41
Brief history and interpretation of
Juan Luna's Spolarium

Submitted to: Mrs Cathlyn Caina Adajar

Submitted by :Timothy James Valdevilla

&
Irvin John Tagapulot