SEEING THE PHILIPPINES IN JUAN LUNA'S SPOLIARIUM

GROUP 1

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
CAVITE STATE UNIVERITY-CARMONA

APRIL 2021
Content and Contextual Analysis of Juan Luna's Spoliarium

INTRODUCTION
 PRESENTATION OF HISTORICAL PRIMARY SOURCE

“The largest work, the most frightful,

The most discussed work of the Exposition.”

“It is more than a painting, it is a book, a poem.”

“It is something more than

the mere mechanism
of genius, of the art composition
. . . Luna is a thinker.”

( National Commission for Culture and Arts)

Image Source: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ('Spoliarium' by Juan Luna.jpg)

More than a hundred years have passed since a piece of art was created by a well-
known Filipino artist named Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta who was more
commonly known as Juan Luna. It was in the late 1800s ( Philippine Revolution ) when Juan
Luna was recognized as one of the most famous political activists, sculptors, and
“Internationally renowned Filipino Artists" (NCCA 2015). He is popular for being “The First
International Filipino Painter, as he the man behind the well-known painting entitled Spoliarium,
an exceptional art that brought historical victory and significant changes in the Political course of
Philippine history (-----).

The Spoliarium often miscalled "Spolarium”. The term Spoliarium comes from a Latin
word with reference to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where fallen gladiators are
discarded and stripped of their armor and weapons before their corpses are disposed of. It was
the year 1883 when Juan Luna started to create this particular painting, as stated in the
historical paper he spent eight months finishing this award-winning masterpiece on a greatly
huge canvas. (Leon Ma. Guerrero, "The First Filipino" 2007). a life-size art made with oil paint in
poplar (wood) which is approximately measuring four meters in height and seven meters in
width. As visualizing the historical masterpiece, it depicts a chamber under the Roman arena
where fallen gladiators are being dragged by Roman soldiers into a the shadowy area to be put
in a pile of corpses.

The Spoliarium gives off majestic aura mood and visual effect that this painting portrays
can be considered to be suffering, mourning, pain, and defeat (National Museum, Dec 2015).
Nevertheless, There is various interpretation in regards of this painting according to some
expert this masterpiece of Juan Luna depicts the suffering of the Filipino people experienced
during the Spanish colonial period, It is believed that the woman squatting on the right side of
the pictures is the Mother country or known as “Inang Bayan” who cries for her Philippines. On
the contrary, some say that Spoliarium speaks generally of the prejudices that lie in society
(portrayed by the gladiators, as the slaves while the Roman soldiers are the oppressors) and
how superiority dominates and divides the human
race.

In the following years 1884, As a Filipino

painter who was a colonial subject having exceptional
talent Juan Luna himself proven that Filipinos can be
surpassed Spaniards, as he won the first gold medal
at the Madrid National Exposition De Bellas Artes,
knowing that before, he created this masterpiece.
Filipinos in Spain were treated as though they were
less valuable than animals. (yoonggippuem,2013)

The Spoliarium creates buzz in Rome, it

brought popularity and respect in regards to talent,

The front page of a Spanish newspaper

features an illustration of the Spoliarium
in Madrid, where it won a First Class
Medal in the Madrid Exposition of 1884
and abilities not just to Juan Luna but the whole Filipino’s . As stated in the article presented by
Erick Torres titled “The art of Juan Luna” Torres share a random response from the audience
and reviews about the newspaper. of Madrid ,Barcelona, and Paris:

“The largest work, the most frightful,

The most discussed work of the Exposition.”

“It is more than a painting, it is a book, a poem.”

“It is something more than

the mere mechanism
of genius, of the art composition

. . . Luna is a thinker.”

(Torres, 2014)

In Addition, as stated in special report entitled “The Painter and the Revolution”.

“The year was 1884, an excellent one for the Filipino

intellectual living in Madrid. A painter
named Juan Luna bagged the gold medal for Spoliarium”.
-(Tatler Philippines, June 2005)

After being recognized, in 1886 The Spoliarium of Juan Luna was sold for 20,000
pesetas to Diputacion Provincial de Barcelona. Later on the winning masterpiece relocated to
Modern Museum. Nevertheless, the museum was set ablaze during the Civil War in 1937. The
damage painting was sent a again to Madrid for restoration and preserve for 18 years,
Spoliarium has yet to be seen in the Philippines until the 1950’s when Spain gifted the painting
to the Philippine government. Spoliarium would be cut into three parts because of it life-size,
and later, expertly restored by the help of Filipino artist named Antonio Dumlao would later the
masterpiece rebuild to what it looks like before (Morighan's Miuse, 2015)

Now this winning masterpiece of Juan Luna is currently placed in the main gallery on
the ground floor of the National Museum of the Philippines in fine arts Manila, and this
exceptional art first greets visitors upon entry into the museum. (IInquirer,2021) At last, Up until
now, this Spoliarium is considered as;

“The most valuable painting made by Juan Luna”

(National Museum, 2015).

Perhaps it is considered as most valuable one as this historical masterpiece of Juan

Luna indeed shows the symbol Filipino’s mastery, exceeding expectations and proving that the
Filipinos or they called Indios were able to compete intellectually with its colonial masters,
exceeding the level of competence of the Spanish and was able to win in their own game.

Background of The Author

 Content and Contextual Analysis: Seeing the Philippines
in the Juan Luna's Spoliarium

For such important to the Philippine history that there was exist masterpiece that
shows, Filipino’s are not just Indios to be treated as less valuable than Animals but as
bla bla bla bla . Juan Luna the illustrious painter of Badoc, Ilocos Norte has produced one of
the most important and most popular painting in the Philippines, Entitled Spolarium a winning
masterpiece that brought victory, pride and major changes in the political course of the
Philippines History.

Initial Contextualization:
- Spoliarium
- Juan luna Won a gold medal in exposition national de belles Artes

- Spolarium, the masterpiece create by Juan Luna that brought changes how
Filipino’s see as An artist

- How Spoliarium ignite the

- Interpretations about the Spoliarium painting

- Statement of Santiago Polar
- What is the true Purpose and Meaning of this Spoliarium
- How Luna's Describe, convey and narrate the situation of the Philippines under the
colonization of spaniards through this masterpiece
- How Rizal relate the Spoliarium
- How this Spoliarium Prove to the world that we Filipino’s are not just indios Filipino’s
should not be treated as Mababang uri because sa pinakita ni Juan luna Filipino’s
are capable of being intellectually competitive to his Colonial Masters, superseding
the Spaniard’s skill level and was able to beat him at his own game.

Rizal and Graciano Lopez statements proves that Philippines history can be seen in
Juan Luna's Spoliarium.