Juan Luna

Juan
Novicio Luna (October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter,
sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th
century. He became one of the first recognized Philippine artists.

His winning the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along
with the silver win of fellow Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo , prompted
a celebration which was a major highlight in the memoirs of members of the
Propaganda Movement , with the fellow Ilustrados toasting to the two painters' good
health and to the brotherhood between Spain and the Philippines.

Regarded for work done in the manner of the Spanish, Italian and French
academies of his time, Luna painted literary and historical scenes, some with an
underscore of political commentary. His allegorical works were inspired with
classical balance, and often showed figures in theatrical poses.
Born 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.

Spoliarium
Jane Dominique C. Dela Cruz Grade 12 GAS
 The Spoliarium (often misspelled Spolarium ) is a painting by Filipino
artist Juan Luna. The painting was submitted by Luna to the
Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884 in Madrid , where it
garnered the first gold medal (out of three). [1] In 1886, it was sold to
the Diputación Provincial de Barcelona for 20,000
pesetas. It currently hangs in the main gallery at the ground floor of the
National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila, and is the first work of art that
greets visitors upon entry into the museum. The picture recreates a
despoiling scene in a Roman circus where dead gladiators are stripped
of weapons and garments.
Luna, working on canvas , spent eight months completing the
painting which depicts dying gladiators. Ambeth Ocampo wrote,
"...the fact remains that when Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo won
the top awards in the Madrid Exposition of 1884, they proved to the
world that indios could, despite their supposed barbarian race, paint
better than the Spaniards who colonized them."

At a gathering of Filipino expatriates in Madrid,

Jose Rizal enthusiastically toasted the triumphs his two compatriots had
achieved, the other being Félix Hidalgo who won a silver medal, calling
it "fresh proof of racial equality".

"Luna's Spoliarium with its bloody carcasses of slave gladiators

being dragged away from the arena where they had entertained their
Roman oppressors with their lives... stripped to satisfy the lewd
contempt of their Roman persecutors with their honor...." Rizal was
footnoted in his speech that the Spoliarium , "embodied the essence of
our social, moral and political life: humanity in severe ordeal, humanity
unredeemed, reason and idealism in open struggle with prejudice,
fanaticism and injustice."

Jane Dominique C. Dela Cruz Grade 12 GAS

 Darhata
Sawabi
Textile Weaver
Tausug
Parang, Sulu

In Barangay
Parang, in the island of
Jolo , Sulu province,
women weavers are
hard at work weaving
the pis syabit, the
traditional cloth tapestry
worn as a head
covering by the Tausug
of Jolo. “This is what
we’ve grown up with,”
say the weavers. “It is
something we’ve learned from our mothers.” Darhata Sawabi is one of those
who took the art of pis syabit making to heart.

The families in her native Parang still depend on subsistence farming as

their main source of income. But farming does not bring in enough money to
support a family, and is not even an option for someone like Darhata Sawabi
who was raised from birth to do only household chores. She has never married.
Thus, weaving is her only possible source of income. The money she earns from
making the colorful squares of cloth has enabled her to become self-sufficient
and less dependent on her nephews and nieces. A hand-woven square
measuring 39 by 40 inches, which takes her some three months to weave, brings
her about P2,000. These squares are purchased by Tausug for headpieces, as
well as to adorn native attire, bags and other accessories. Her remarkable
proficiency with the art and the intricacy of her designs allows her to price her
creations a little higher than others. Her own community of weavers recognizes
her expertise in the craft, her bold contrasting colors, evenness of her weave
and her faithfulness to traditional designs.

Pis syabit weaving is a difficult art. Preparing the warp alone already takes
three days. It is a very mechanical task, consisting of stringing black and red
threads across a banana and bamboo frame to form the base of the tapestry.
At 48, and burdened by years of hard work, Sawabi no longer has the strength
or the stamina for this. Instead, she hires one of the neighboring children or
apprentice weavers to do it at the cost of P300. It is a substantial amount,
considering the fact that she still has to spend for thread. Sawabi’s typical
creations feature several colors, including the basic black and red that form the
warp, and a particular color can require up to eight cones, depending on the
role it plays in the design. All in all, it comes up to considerable capital which she
can only recover after much time and effort.

Sawabi faces other challenges to her art as well. In the 1970s, when Jolo
was torn apart by armed struggle, Sawabi and her family were often forced to
abandon their home in search of safer habitats. The first time she was forced to
abandon her weaving was very painful experience as it was impossible for her
to bring the loom along with her to the forest where they sought refuge. They
returned to their home to see the pis she had been working on for nearly a
Jane Dominique C. Dela Cruz Grade 12 GAS
month destroyed by the fighting. There was nothing for her to do except pick up
the pieces of her loom and start again. Because of the conflict, she and her
family had been forced to relocate twice finally establishing their residence in
Parang. During this time, Sawabi supported her family by weaving and selling
her pieces to the participants in the conflict who passed through her village.
Because of her dedication to her art, generations of traditional Tausug designs
have been preserved and are available for contemporary appreciation and
future study. She continues to weave at home, while teaching the other women
of her community. In recent years, she has had several apprentices, and more
and more people have bought her work.

Sawabi remains faithful to the art of pis syabit weaving. Her strokes are firm
and sure, her color sensitivity acute, and her dedication to the quality of her
products unwavering. She recognizes the need for her to remain in the
community and continue with her mission to teach the art of pis syabit weaving.
She had, after all, already been teaching the young women of Parang how to
make a living from their woven fabrics. Some of her students are already
teachers themselves. She looks forward to sharing the tradition of pis syabit
weaving to the younger generations.

Pis Siyabit (or simply Pis) is a Tausug woven head-cloth made from
cotton or silk (or with gold threads) characterized with intricate
geometric patterns of colors segmented into the smallest squares,
triangles and diamonds. It is a multi-purpose head-wear that may be
worn on the shoulder, tied around the hilt of the kris (sword) or wrapped
around the head used by Tausug men usually as a sign of rank.
These Pis Siyabit are made at the houses of the locals. Notre Dame of
Jolo College's Cottage Industry, Inc. helps them in selling the finished
products. We were told that each Pis Siyabit is unique, that there is no
design made the same.

Jane Dominique C. Dela Cruz Grade 12 GAS