I.

Biography
Born on October 23, 1857 in the town of Badoc, Ilocos Norte in the northern Philippines, Juan
N. Luna was the third among the seven children of Joaquín Posadas Luna and Laureana Ancheta
Novicio-Luna. In 1861, the Luna family moved to Manila and he went to Ateneo Municipal de
Manila where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He excelled in painting and drawing, and
was influenced by his brother, Manuel N. Luna, who, according to Filipino patriot José Rizal,
was a better painter than Juan himself. Luna enrolled at Escuela Nautica de Manila
(now Philippine Merchant Marine Academy) and became a sailor. He took drawing lessons
under the illustrious painting teacher Lorenzo Guerrero of Ermita, Manila. He also enrolled in
the Academy of Fine Arts(Academia de Dibujo y Pintura) in Manila where he was influenced
and taught how to draw by the Spanish artist Agustin Saez. Unfortunately, Luna's vigorous brush
strokes displeased his teacher and Luna was discharged from the academy. However, Guerrero
was impressed by his skill and urged Luna to travel to Cubao to further pursue his work.
Juan Luna is considered one of the greatest Filipino artists in Philippine history with
masterpieces such as Spolarium, The Death of Cleopatra and Blood Compact. Not only did he
excel in artistry, but he was also a political activist during the time of the Philippine Revolution
during the late 19th century. His close friendship with National Hero Jose Rizal has sparked
Philippine nationalism and pride. Juan Luna was mostly known for his works as being dramatic
and dynamic, focusing on romanticism and realism styles of art.

II. Art Review

The painting, an undated work in oil once entitled Paz Pardo de Tavera but which now goes by
the ID Portrait of a Lady, is said to carry a powerful spell. Those who have come to own it over
the years, it is believed, have met terrible misfortunes, from unexplained sickness to bad business
to downright death. “Tsismis says its first owner, Manuel Garcia, was forced to sell it because his
business had gone bad,” wrote the historian Ambeth Ocampo in his book Looking Back. “Betty
Bantug Benitez bought it and met a tragic road accident in Tagaytay. The portrait then passed
through the collection of Tony Nazareno, who also suffered bad luck and sudden illness, so he
sold it to Imee Marcos Manotoc, who suffered a miscarriage. In the Luna-Hidalgo exhibition
catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum, the provenance given is not Imee Marcos, but
Imelda Marcos, whose fate in 1986 we are all familiar with. She donated the painting to the
National Museum.”

III. Art Critique

When we visited the National Museum for Fine Arts last Saturday, I saw a lot of artworks;
mostly sculptures and paintings of different great known artists. Spolarium is the main attraction
of the building but aside from that, there is that one painting of Juan Luna that is truly
astonishing. This is the Portrait of a Lady. It is made of oil and I was amazed because for how
many decades, the paint didn’t fade and every detail of this painting is still visible. The size of
this painting is also amazing because it is very different when you see it personally or when you
just saw it in a picture. Juan Luna used light colors in this painting. The background of the
painting is a white curtain that for me symbolizes tranquility. We can also see the diagonal line
of the body of the lady that is half lying. The weight of the painting is at the right side. The lady
is holding a rosary that I can see in a negative way. I see it the way as if she seeks help to God to
escape from the violence she experiences. Her clothes that uncover her right breast signifies her
as a victim of being a woman.