1.

IMPRESSIONISM

Artist: Fernando Amorsolo

Title: Dalagang Bukid
Year: 1958
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 85 x 59.5 cm (34 x 24 in)

It is a portrait of a young lady holding a banga. The lady represents a Filipina beauty,
with a captivating smile, simple and cheerful. She is wearing a baro at saya-which is our
national costume. Her hair firmly held by flowing bandana. It was painted before the
colonialization period wherein our ancestors are living simple and quiet during those times.

The lady is smiling inspite of the labor beckoned in the agricultural plain. It is a midday
and bandana was used to shield her from the brightness of the sun. The painter used soft colors
paint at the background which contrasted with the main figure that gives the painting a life.

I think the artist used the dalagang bukid painting as an interpretation of our motherland.
The banga that the lady is carrying which is a vessel used in carrying a water, is a symbol of
fragility and innocence. The charm and wholesome beauty of the dalagang bukid, surrounded
by the verdant foliage dappled with sunlight is the picture of a longed-for bygone era-the
epitome of everything that is good about the motherland.
2.CUBISM

Artist: Vicente Manansala

Title: Sabungero
Year: 1972
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 71 x 91 cm. (28 x 36 in.)

In this painting there is a figure of an old man and a fighting cock. The painting is bluish
with a contrasting red color. There are sharp edges in the figure and also in the background.
The concept of cubism can be seen in the figure. The grayish blue and white combination
simply means that it is already evening. I also notice that there is a light source coming from the
left side of the man. The light is bright and is reflected from the figures. The painter uses dark
colors of blue and black in shadowing.
The paint used looks thin and smooth and it looks watery because of the blending of
blue and white. There are many geometric shapes but triangular shapes can be seen easily.
The figure of the cock and the face of the man are easy to identify but the body of the man is
difficult to define. Volumes are created by the light and shadowing effect. Most of the lines are
straight and combinations of vertical and oblique lines which makes sharp angles. The vertical
lines create an uplifting feeling. Two focal points can be seen in the painting. One is the face of
the man and the other one is the head of the cock. The subject looks near and it seems that you
are standing close to the figures. The figures in the painting is carefully placed thus making it
comfortable. This painting represents the everyday life of a Filipino.
 3. ROMANTIC PERIOD

Artist: Félix Resurrección Hidalgo

Title: Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho
Year :1884
Medium :Oil on canvas

It portrays two scantily clothed Christian female slaves being mocked by a group of
boorish Roman male onlookers. One of the women is posed seated naked at the foreground of
the painting with her head bowed in misery. The semi nude women have been stripped not only
of their garments but also of their dignity. I think that the unfortunate women in the artwork are
considred by some indigenous Filipinos as virgins that are being led out stolen from and
ridiculed. The women are cornered by a mob of sexually hungry men. One of the men has his
hand over one semi naked female whose eyes are looking up to heaven asking and begging for
help that never comes.

The paintings represents human spoilage. It symbolizes the unjustice felt by our
motherland under the Spaniards.