Darnell O.

Delgado BS-Biology 2-1 Art Proposal (Percipient) I will enter the Horizon of meaning as a percipient because understanding and appreciating art welcomes me to a new realm full of new ideas, new concepts, new ideologies, and new possibilities. I want to find myself in the inner world of a fellow human being. All humanity sharing a common thread, I want to identify myself with the artist. Work of art influences or affects me because I strongly believe that art can sometimes change the way we look at the world. It is all too easy to ridicule the preposterous claims often made for art in catalogue essays; however I reject the view that art m erely excites aesthetic pleasure and should attempt nothing else. I have a strong commitment to the fundamental importance of aesthetic quality in art, but for me it is the means and not the end. I believe that art has to be grounded in the real world and enhance our understanding of ways of seeing. This involves a constant interrogation of our assumptions about the nature of art and representation. One of the most popular paintings in the Philippines, the Spoliarium, depicts the 19th century horror experience by Filipinos. It emphasized the violation of Human Rights by the colonizers of Spain. Juan Luna, one of our National heroes expressed his patriotism by painting one such masterpiece to enlighten the Filipinos out of oppression. In the Spoliarium, he is able to unite his painting into expressing his message by correlating every element with one another. In the use of color, he creates a harmonious relationship between the red in the center of the painting and shade of green in the darkness. Light is also balanced because of light colors used in the left side of the painting against the grim-darkness of the right side. He creates a division because of this, one half shows the horror of dragged corpse and on the other, the mourning of a lady. Because of the contrast in color, the point of interest is able to draw attention. The shape involved in the painting also creates a point of interest that harmoniously relates to the color of the painting. The color having expressed the center of the activity, the shape creates a bolder scene. The corpses that are dragged is painted with a ratio 9:1, the body is nine times bigger than that of the head. The same also is true with regards to the aged man who watches at the side. This is because Juan Luna expresses life thru the body. By painting the body larger than any other parts emphasizes life. And in doing so shows dominance to attract attention. The lines in the painting also contribute to its unity. First, because the lines that are dominant in the painting are diagonal lines. Although diagonal lines inject excitement, in this painting movement is created. Also, peculiar to these diagonal lines is its formation of triangular patterns that emphasize stability. The painting as a whole becomes a united one with an asymmetrical pattern of elements. The contrast in light creates a distinction between the points of interest against the background. The dominance of red in the point on interest is balanced by the shade of green. The shape is also used with alternation; dominance in the shape of the body is given attraction. And of all the elements that are striking, composition is the most evident. Because of its asymmetrical patterns, it provides a comparison between light and darkness, the horror of dragged corpses against the mourning of a lady, the thin almost skeletal bodies of aged men versus muscular soldiers slaughtered in their prime. With everything pointing to the message: the carnage of human rights violation.

For me Spoliarium proved to be significant to the Reform movement and posed a challenge on Filipinos. The cold and honest depiction of inhumanity is at the same time an affirmation of the indomitable spirit of the Filipino. Luna was in fact saying: You may kill our bodies, but never our spirit. Nothing and no one can ever take that away from us.