Jose Mari M.

Mangaban
X2-5R

Title: Namumugon sa Kampo ng Tubo

Artist: Nunelucio Alvarado
Date: 1985
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: N/A

Description of the Artwork

Namumugon sa Kampo ng Tubo is a painting describing the hard work of the sakadas
(labourers hired from outside) or sugarcane farmers in Negros.
All of Nunelucios paintings are of the same medium, oil on canvas, and his developed
technique of the rough features of the sakadas is evident in all of his paintings and that it
stands out with strong colours, emotion, and strength.
The painting shows the strength of the farmers as shown by the large bundle of harvested
sugarcane that he is carrying. The main farmer can be seen having rough features including the
size of his hands and his muscles. The other farmers can also be seen having same features and
clenched fists. In addition, the farmers eyes are squinted depicting their anger for those
watching them.
The paintings movement is line that can be seen in the horizontal line depicting the large
bundle of sugarcane that the farmer is carrying. The horizontal line can be used as a continuation
of landscape portraying that the bundle of sugarcane is long and there is another farmer holding
the other end. The colours of the painting are dull as shown in the hue of their clothes as faded
red, faded yellow, and faded blue. The faded colours can also be seen in the colour of the flag.
On the upper left part of the painting, there is a helicopter representing that there is someone
watching over the activity of the farmers.
Nunelucios artworks depict the faces, the plights, and struggles of the Negros-based
sakadas. The struggles of the sakadas are apparent in most of his works especially
Namumugon sa Kampo ng Tubo where the sugarcane farmers eyes are sharp as if depicting
hidden resentment. He has an unmistakable style that reveals that the sakadas are strong and
that they continue to work even though their bodies are beat up and their clothes are dirty.
Nunelucio triumphed in showing the people of today the hardships of the sakadas in the
1980s. His work has been shown distinctively in South East Asia because the hardships of the
Filipino sakadas can clearly be seen and felt just through the colours and the rough features of
the characters in the painting.

The sakadas are from outside Negros and since the economy is low at that point, they
are forced to work in faraway places to earn a living. Since Nunelucio Alvarado lives and works
in Bacolod in Negros Occidental, Philippines, he has seen first-hand the struggles of the people
seeking to earn a living and will do anything from housework to a day in the fields for some
money to feed their family.