THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES | NATIONAL ART GALLERY
Asian
and Philippine History is my forte. I have won several local and national quiz bees
during high school on such topics aside from Physics Olympiad (geek!) which
honed my capability to memorize and analyze information as read and given (Ok! Ako na! haha!). Ask me some details now and I definitely
won’t remember all.
My
interest in history, culture and the arts have been enhanced through my
travels. A museum is and has always been
an inevitable part of my itinerary when I wander. The National Museum of the Philippines is by
far the largest and has the most number of interesting finds.
THE LIFE-SIZED PAINTING OF JUAN LUNA |
There
are four buildings of the National Museum: Museum of the Filipino People,
Planetarium, Regional Museums and the National Art Gallery. As an introduction, we found ourselves at the
latter with the internationally-acclaimed painting entitled “Spoliarium” of Juan Luna serving as a
welcome treat.
SPOLIARIUM |
Exhibitions
at the National Art Gallery features Philippine arts from the 17th
to 20th centuries at the second floor and spans modern and
contemporary Philippine art from the 20th to 21st
centuries as well as temporary exhibitions, as the floor moves higher.
Moving
from one gallery to another, combined installations, sculptures and paintings
of renowned Philippine artists came into view.
The passing of traditions and rich heritage of the Filipino people truly
has been immortalized within the halls of this building.
FEATURED AT THE GALLERY OF JOSE RIZAL |
Each
gallery has its own theme. One gallery
is dedicated to Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero and his works. One of my favorite galleries is Gallery IV –
Academic and Neoclassical Sculpture. The
intricately made sculptures has a distinct character of its own. No two images resembles the same concept and
every corner is worth the attention.
A NATIONAL CULTURAL TREASURE PAINTING |
Gallery
I of the Christian themed art wooden installations is quite an interesting
concept. The gallery represents
religious art from the 17th to 19th centuries. Many of the religious images were of carved
wooden statues made by unknown artists.
The main highlight for this gallery is a National Cultural Treasure, a retablo (altar piece) from the Church of
San Nicolas de Tolentino in Dimiao, Bohol.
Moving
to the 3rd floor of the Museum, the Old Senate Session Hall speaks
of a certain character that only time and its history can reveal. The hall appears simple yet well-maintained
and the glory of the past architecture is well-preserved. As per the National Museum website, the Hall
was originally designed to be a library in the early 1920s during the American
colonial period, when the Architect Juan Arellano revised the plans of Ralph
Harrington Doane in order to convert the building to the seat of legislature.
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AMAZED AT THE OLD SENATE SESSION HALL Photo courtesy of Doi |
The
ornamentation of the hall does not boast of grand fixtures and chandeliers but
of sculptures and carvings that are neo-classically inspired yet transcends Filipino culture. The most celebrated sculptor during that
time, Isabelo Tampinco, contemporary of Juan Luna and Jose Rizal – is
responsible for this classical design of the hall. Tampinco made use of his knowledge on
classical sculpture.
THE NEO-CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE |
CARVINGS OF THE GREAT LAWMAKERS |
Scrutinizing
every detail of the hall, I noticed carvings on its entablature. They are the moralists and the great
lawmakers of history ranging from antiquity and Biblical times to the twentieth
century.
Surrounding
the hall are galleries featuring contemporary and modern arts. They have quite a strong depiction of the
modern times – either revolutionary, submissive or passive.
THE MODERN GALLERY HALLWAY |
FEATURING THE ARTS OF DIMASALANG STREET |
Photo by: Marx |
MODERN WORKS ON THEME OF CHRISTIANITY |
QUITE REVOLUTIONARY IN CHARACTER |
MEMORABILIA |
IMAGES OF PHILIPPINE MODERNISM |
While
at the topmost floor, “Ang init naman dito!
Someone replied: “E ginusto mo yan e!”
Indeed, we can endure current conditions of the hallways for the sake of
art appreciation and discovery (or picture-worthy backdrops).
THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED STAIRWAY |
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES
Padre Burgos Drive, City of Manila
3 comments
Ang bilis! Tapos may scroll picture echos ka na din. Wowww. Ang galing ni _____. HAHA
ReplyDeleteWe are in full support to promote the Philippine Visual Arts and Filipino Artist.
ReplyDeleteLet us support and promote our heritage and Philippine arts.
ReplyDelete