User:Jondel/Spolarium

"Spoliarium" is a painting by Juan Luna, which in 1884 won the gold medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes, held every three years in Madrid. The painting depicts defeated gladiators being dragged off into an unseen pit of corpses.

A Roman scene on the surface, the painting also carries an allegorical message of the sufferings of Luna¹s fellow countrymen and women.

The word itself "Spoliarium" connotes the action of plundering, robbing, and despoiling. In ecclesiastical law, the word "spoliation" is the act of an incumbent who has resigned in taking the fruits of his benefice without right--an act parallel to the institutional and clerical abuse of power in the Philippines at the time.

Luna¹s "Blood Compact", (not pictured), in a hardly subtle way, illustrates a broken promise. The painting re-imagines the ancient blood compact with Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and the powerful ruler of Bohol, Sikatuna. The blood compact marked a political alliance between the Legaspi and Sikatuna. A stranger to the islands, Sikatuna agreed to protect Legaspi and his ships from attack, while Legaspi in turn would remain a respectful subject and ally to Sikatuna. Luna¹s painting calls the Spanish to recognize that the relationship between Spain and the island had begun as equals. The painting served to remind the Spaniards of the promise made in 1565

(Salman, Michael, UCLA Professor, lecture 10/17/2000). As a master painter and as someone conscious of the conditions abroad, Luna won the support and respect of both Europeans and Filipinos abroad.

Juan Luna¹s painting, "Spoliarium", in 1884 won the gold medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes, held every three years in Madrid. The painting depicts defeated gladiators being dragged off into a pit an unseen pit of corpses. A Roman scene on the surface, the painting also carries an allegorical message of the sufferings of Luna¹s fellow countrymen and women. The word itself "Spoliarium" connotes the action of plundering, robbing, and despoiling. In ecclesiastical law, the word "spoliation" is the act of an incumbent who has resigned in taking the fruits of his benefice without right--an act parallel to the institutional and clerical abuse of power in the Philippines at the time. Luna¹s "Blood Compact", (not pictured), in a hardly subtle way, illustrates a broken promise. The painting re-imagines the ancient blood compact with Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and the powerful ruler of Bohol, Sikatuna. The blood compact marked a political alliance between the Legaspi and Sikatuna. A stranger to the islands, Sikatuna agreed to protect Legaspi and his ships from attack, while Legaspi in turn would remain a respectful subject and ally to Sikatuna. Luna¹s painting calls the Spanish to recognize that the relationship between Spain and the island had begun as equals. The painting served to remind the Spaniards of the promise made in 1565 (Salman, Michael, UCLA Professor, lecture 10/17/2000). As a master painter and as someone conscious of the conditions abroad, Luna won the support and respect of both Europeans and Filipinos abroad.

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http://www.worldroom.com/pages/wrnph/leisure/ph_museum.phtml

National Museum Executive House P. Burgos St., Manila Tel: +63-2 527-1175; 527-0290 Business hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday

Valuable archeological treasures such as fossils and bones, and ancient burial jars and fashion accessories are found in the National Museum. Perhaps the most important highlight of the museum is "The Spoliarium," the masterpiece of Filipino painter Juan Luna. This painting won first prize in the 1884 National Fine Arts Exposition in Madrid. The museum recently inaugurated a new, permanent, interactive exhibit entitled "History of the Philippines" on the third floor of the old Finance Building.

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http://www.ph.net/htdocs/education/painting.htm Image

In the last half of the 19th century, Filipino painters showed enough maturity of concept and technique to merit critical acclaim. Damian Domingo got recognition as the “father of Filipino painting.” Towards the end of the Spanish regime, two Filipino painters won recognition in Europe – Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Juan Luna. Hidalgo’s Antigone and Luna’s Spolarium were both acclaimed in Europe as masterpieces of Filipino painting. In 1884, Luna won the first Gold Medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes for his "Spoliarium." This monumental painting shows fallen gladiators being dragged to an unseen pile of corpses in a chamber beneath the Roman arena.

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======= Gold at European Art Contest In 1880, Juan Luna joined the Madrid Exposition where his painting, "The Death of Cleopatra" won the second prize. This masterpiece is now on exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Pinturas in Madrid. In 1884, Luna's huge painting, "Spolarium", won the first Gold Medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes, also in Spain. Coincidentally, another Filipino, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo won the second prize in the same event for his painting, "Antigone".

Luna's "Spoliarium" depicts fallen gladiators being dragged to an unseen pile of corpses in a chamber beneath the Roman arena. Considered as the largest painting in the country, it has a height of 4.6 meters and a length of 7.72 meters. It is now on display at the National Museum in Manila.

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