Rimas, Thea Stephanie D.

22 September 2018
ART APPRECIATION Community Immersion Report

The Martyrdom of Rizal

By Carlos Francisco
The mural which is entitled “The Martyrdom of Rizal” reminds us the awakening of
nationalism of Filipinos during the Spanish colonization and why this certain event was
commemorated to be memorable and is strongly in grained to our history. The definition of being
named martyr refers to a death of a person because of his/her religious beliefs or any type of
beliefs. This applies to what Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, to what he believed in, the
independence of Filipinos under the rule of the Spanish colonization. His intelligence and wits
that had stirred to be an inspiration for us Filipinos and his famous literary works, Noli Me
Tangere and El Felibusterismo which are still applied till today shows to say that he is still an
influential hero with the way Filipinos think and act. Through his peaceful and inspiring method
of revolting, he was still able to peer into the minds of Filipinos and awaken them from the
shackles of the Spanish rule. The painting shows the scene where Dr. Jose Rizal took the shot at
the back from the Spanish firing squad at Bagumbayan, Rizal. A dramatic scene which shows the
death of a hero but the start of the journey of Filipinos towards Philippine democracy.
The detailed mural was done by a Philippine National Artist for Visual Arts in 1973,
Carlos “Botong” Francisco. His specific style was created to steer away from the traditional art
done by Filipinos and instead developed a modernist style to painting. The artist had used a lush
tropical sense of color and had woven the rich history of Philippines in his painting. The mural
was commissioned by Fort Santiago, where Dr. Jose Rizal was imprisoned, as part of the Rizal
Shrine.