Jeric Renz D.

Carolino Comm 3 WFU-1

2013-06029 May 5, 2017, 2017

For thousands of years, humankind has experienced fear in different ways and similarly,
affected humanity and many ways. The fear of death and danger, for example, enabled humans to
survive even at the harshest living conditions and among the most violent and fiercest creatures
that have ever walked the surface of the Earth. The same type of fear brewed the fear of
oppression, cruelty and tyranny which enthused the people to revolt against dictators. However,
the same feeling of fear have crippled thousands of people to act, to revolt, to survive and to
overcome the things they fear the most. The things that humankind fears have evolved through
the centuries. Different eras, different context, different circumstances and different beliefs all
stemmed to different kind of fears that people experience. It seems that the more the world
becomes complicated, the more fear that sprawls within the mortals.

Alfonso Ossorio, a painter from a wealthy family with attractive features was a god
among men, at least thats what the sakadas from Negros Occidental perceive him of. He was
treated with the highest regard among his brother and the countess. The Ossorios were
unreachable by the mere mortals, the sakadas. If not for the countess, an artiste herself as well,
who reached out to the sakadas in hopes of creating beautiful and colorful mosaics, the Ossorios
wouldnt even dare to spend time with them. In the eyes of the sakadas, Alfonso Ossorio was
perfect. A young, talented and handsome Eurasian such as Alfonso Ossorio seemed flawless to
the shallow eyes of the sakadas. In the land of his birthplace, he was the star. Little did the
natives know that Ossorio himself knew that he was far from perfect.

Christianity has brought salvation to many of our kind. However, it also brought fear
along with it, the fear of judgement. They say that only the Lord can judge someone and his or
her sins but that doesnt save anyone from the belittling eyes of the public. The world becomes
an unfortunate place to live in where people judge a person of what he or she loves doing. It
creates the feeling of being marginalized, unaccepted and misunderstood.

As the days turn into months, Ossorio is slowly showing his mortal side. His assistant,
Anselmo is a witness that Ossorio was indeed not perfect and was even almost a victim. Ossorio
had these demons and monsters that lurk inside his mind. These behemoths have feasted on
Ossorios insecurities, fears and even on his carnal sins which caused a great delay on his artistic
project for the chapel and received the judging eye of the public. Ossorio never had the problem
of the lack of inspiration and motivation for his work. He didnt even need the artistic help of
Anselmo except to be his errand boy, to be frank. Ossorio never lacked talent, resources and even
time to do the chapels art. He wanted his art to depict not only the Lord but also himself. He
wanted it to be revolutionary and different from any other chapel. He already knew what he
wanted right from the start. However, he also knew that he will be under the scrutiny of the
public, the church, the priest and the bishop. He knew well enough that the sakadas were
traditional and would be shocked if they see their chapel ruined by Ossorios art. He knew that
he will be judged by the people but in the end, he chose to do the mural his own way because he
knew that there was only one problem and it was his own demons.

The mural was a beautiful but controversial piece of artistry. Although it is majestic, its
totally different from the usual altar murals that are seen in different churches. The reason is that,
that mural was his own representation of himself submitting to the judgement of our Lord. Its
title was apt as The Last Judgement because him being a bible literate, he knew that on our last
days here on earth, we will be subjected on the judgement of the Lord. He knew very well that he
is an avid sinner and that he openly accepts his lascivious acts and his gender even when the
people around him are too traditional that they will judge him right into his bones. The mural
represents Ossorios attempt to reconcile his sexuality with his Catholic upbringing and The
Angry Christ was his perception of the Lord looking down on him and his sexuality. The mural
is an image of fear, confusion, remorse and guilt about how he would fare in his Last
Judgement. It was his offering to the Lord as he subjects himself to the judgment of the Lord. It
is also his offering to the people to not only see the good but also take the bad with it. Despite
every negative thing said about the chapel, the mass was still offered to the Lord. Ossorios
resolution to the demons that lurks in him came not from any external thing but from within.
There will always be fear, guilt, confusion and remorse in our lives but we must always come
into the light. For when light sheds upon us, these things banish and the illumination represents a
new chance for us to look upon ourselves, to submit ourselves to the light. For when we accept
the dark side of the paths we choose, the light shall follow.