Juan Luna

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Juan Luna is without doubt the most famous and celebrated Filipino artist in the
history of Philippines. With iconic and remarkable masterpieces such
as ‘Spolarium’, ‘Blood Compact’ and ‘The Death of Cleopatra’, Luna is known for his
dynamic and unique style, along with his dramatic and captivating canvases. His
work is remembered as one of the principal examples of Romanticism and Realism
schools of art. Juan was not just an artist, he was a revolutionary and influential
political activist who was an active participant in the Philippine Revolution that
took place in the late 19th century.

Juan Novicio Luna was born on October 23, 1857, in the town of Badoc, Ilocos,
Philippines, to parents of Don Joaquin Luna de San Pedro y Posadas and Doña
Laureana Novicio y Ancheta. Juan came from a large family, and he was the third of
seven children. Juan’s interest and passion for art was instigated and fuelled by his
brother, Manuel Luna, who himself was a very talented and skilled painter. Juan
began attending the Ateneo de Manila, where he received his Bachelor of Arts
degree, and later, he went on to enroll himself at the Escuela Nautica de Manila,
and became a sailor.

However, becoming a sailor by profession did not dissuade Juan from giving free
reign to his artistic passions and pursuits to perfect his skill and talent, and thus, he
began taking lessons from the notable and influential painting instructor, Lorenzo
Guerrero. Later, he enrolled himself at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura, where he
benefited from the tutelage of renowned Spanish artist, Agustin Saez. In 1877, Juan
decided to travel to Europe where he would complete his training and education in
the art capitals of Europe. He enrolled himself at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San
Fernando.
Juan first major artistic achievement came in 1881, when his iconic and remarkable
work, ‘The Death of Cleopatra’, was awarded a silver medal at the Exposicion
Nacional de Bellas Artes. Following this, his work began to garner immense fame,
public applause and critical acclaim, and he was firmly established as a
commercially successful and prolific artist. His talent and unique skill won him
much favor with the King of Spain, who was an influential patron and art
enthusiast. Juan became a regular contributor to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas
Artes, where he won the gold medal in 1884, for his huge and
captivating ‘Spolarium’, and in 1887, he contributed his ‘Battle at Lepanto’.

Juan Luna is widely considered as the finest and most influential painter of
Philippines, who works are showcased in some of the most prestigious museums of
his native country, including the National Museum and the Lopez Museum. Some of
his most iconic and famous works include, ‘Mestiza Lady at her Dresser’,
‘Tampuhan’, ‘Roman Ladies’, and ‘The Happy Beauty and the Blind Slave’ among
many others.

Despite his commercial success and great talent, Juan’s life is overshadowed by the
dark controversies he became involved in because of his jealous disposition and
accusations at the loyalty of his wife, whom he accused of having an affair with
Monsieur Dussaq, a surgeon. On September 23, 1892, in a blinding rage of jealousy,
Juan murdered his wife, his mother-in-law, along with causing serious injuries to
his brother-in-law. Juan met his own death in 1899, at the age of 42.

"The Spoliarium" is perhaps the most iconic painting by a Filipino. In 1884, the Filipino
painter, Juan Luna, earned the gold medal at the Exposicion de Bellas Artes in Madrid for this
painting. It is a recreation of Roman circus, where dead gladiators are being dragged off the
arena. They look very anti-heroic, stripped off their garments and weapons. The style and
tone remind one of a dark painting by Goya.

Among the many Filipino masterpieces, National Artist Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” is
one of the most iconic. It has been immortalized by The Eraserheads with their song
of the same title, it’s in the hit the rom-com scene in the “Alone/Together” film, and
National Artist Ryan Cayabyab also composed an opera inspired by it. It is safe to
say that the 1984 masterpiece has created an indelible mark in Philippine pop
culture. This time, the famous painting is making rounds again on social media as it
comes to life.
“The painting also has a hidden message not many realize. The gladiators can be
understood as our own country—the Philippines, a land with rich and vibrant culture.
But a twist of fate left the mighty nation weaponless and [had] no garment to
protect its dignity,”

“The gladiators being dragged to a side depicts our country’s situation of being
suppressed and oppressed,” he continued. “The audience was like indifferent
Filipinos who had the strength to do something but wouldn’t. And the mourning
crowd represents those who were in pain for the situation of the country but still
had hope for a better future.”

An invaluable piece of Filipino art and history, the “Spoliarium” took home a gold
medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid in May 1884. A story by
the National Commission for Culture and the Artsstated that Dr. Jose Rizal saw the
work as a symbol of “our social, moral, and political life: humanity unredeemed,
reason and aspiration in open fight with prejudice, fanaticism, and injustice.”
Currently, the “Spoliarium” is displayed at the National Museum of Fine Arts in
Manila.

“Although I admire (Juan Luna) as an artist, what he did to his family and his
temper is not something we should admire, regardless of how famous or talented
you are, hurting others is never right regardless of any reason,” he said.

“To forget the past is to give up on your future,”