he painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the

bloody carnage brought by gladiatorial matches. Spoliarium is a Latin

word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where the
fallen and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid of their worldly
possessions.

At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by

Roman soldiers. On the left, spectators ardently await their chance to
strip off the combatants of their metal helmets and other armory. In
contrast with the charged emotions featured on the left, the right side
meanwhile presents a somber mood. An old man carries a torch
perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her
loved one.

The Spoliarium is the most valuable oil-on-canvas painting by Juan

Luna, a Filipino educated at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura
(Philippines) and at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain.
With a size of 4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the largest painting in
the Philippines. A historical painting, it was made by Luna in 1884 as
an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Madrid Art
Exposition, May 1884) and eventually won for him the First Gold
Medal.

The painting symbolizes the despair and the countless deaths of

Filipinos during the Spanish reign.
http://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/
Collections/Spoliarium.html

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2
 Sculpture 04: Nine Muses of the Arts
In a previous post, I featured the Napoleon Abueva’s homage to the Arts.
His “Siyam na Diwata ng Sining” (1991) stands stately at the grounds of
Bulwagang Rizal in UP Diliman. albeit open to the harsh elements. Here are
their profiles in detail. Don’t you think it is interesting to appreciate such
masterwork up close?
This sculpture by Napoleon V. Abueva is called “Siyam na Diwata ng Sining” and is permanently installed at
the grounds of Bulwagang Rizal (Faculty Center) in UP Diliman.

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