National Museum

Posted in Arts and Culture, Travel - Metro Manila by krissy08

Ipe and I almost always find ourselves in the Intramuros area whenever we dont have anything
to do and this Sunday was no exception. But given that it was high noon and it would have been
torture to roam around under the sun, we decided to go to the National Museum first, as it had
been over a year since our last visit.

Luckily for us, several wings have been reopened to the public AND you can go in for free!
Apparently, Sundays are free so better make the trip. :)
Hall of Masters
First on our stop was the Hall of Masters. You cant really miss this as this is the main hall of the
entire building and its directly in front of the museum entrance. Here, you will find the
masterpieces of Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo: the Spoliarium and the Assassination of
Bustamante.

The Assassination of Bustamante

Spoliarium
I love their work and while I cant decide who the better painter is, I personally prefer Hidalgo.
His paintings look so life-like, especially his portraits. Even the gradation of light to depict
creases and wrinkles on the skin is rendered so masterfully. If you stand a few feet back from his
paintings, youd think they were photographs.

Unfortunately, most of Hidalgos paintings, indeed all my favourites of his, are located in a
different museum at the Bangko Sentral Museum to be specific so you might want to check it
out (its just a few kilometres away).
One painting of Luna that I particularly like, is his Portrait of a Lady. I cant determine what
draws me to it, perhaps the colors or how the face reminds me of European paintings (we have
the Louvre coffee table book full of paintings at home and I browse through it in my idle time a
sort of present/souvenir from hubby from his trip there).

Portrait of a Lady
Amorsolo
The Museum has an entire gallery devoted to Fernando Amorsolos works from his sketches to
his paintings. Fitting enough, considering that he is our countrys first National Artist for
Painting.

some of Amorsolos portraits

Walls full of sketches

Favorite Paintings
Several galleries are devoted to paintings and indeed, there is one devoted entirely to National
Artists such as painters Joya, Edades and sculptors Abueva and Tolentino. Masters who belong to
that distinct group of last men you address only by their last names. Funny though that I felt like
I was rattling off the names of condominium towers at Rockwell. :P

Modern Maria Clara by Victorio Edades, 1958

Kagampanan by Napoleon Abueva, 1970

Bust by Guillermo Tolentino

The Hills of Nikko by Jose Joya, 1964

There were also other paintings which I particularly like, spread out across various galleries.

Up Site Today, Dominador Castaneda, 1945

Fugitive from the Japanese, Dominador Castaneda, 1945

Bonifacio Brother by Carlos Valino, 1973

Death March, Dominador Castaneda, 1948

Hmm, I seem to favor a lot of paintings by Castaneda. I love the theme mostly WWII. Nothing
gory but it somehow evokes strong emotions from me.

Mothers Revenge by no less than Jose Rizal

Some of my favorite halls, especially the checkered hall reminds me of San Agustin Church
in Intramuros and Baclayon Church in Bohol:

Senate Session Hall

One notable portion that Ipe and I were really excited to see is the old Senate Session Hall at the
3rd level of the building. It was based on the original design of Ralph Harrington Duane as
revised by Juan Arellano.

The ornaments were done by Isabelo Tampinco and his sons Angel and Vidal. If I am not
mistaken, this is one of very few structures, if not the only one, in the country with such intricate
statues of Greek and Egyptian gods. The statues though were too far up for me to see and my
trusty camera cant get a good enough zoom photo of them; but while these lend grandeur to the
hall, I was a bit confused as to what this myriad of characters was supposed to represent.

In any case, the hall is still under renovation; I honestly didnt think hubby and I should be there
but the workers kind of forgot to close the main doors so we just assumed it was open for
viewing (and only as we were exiting the place did we see the No Entry sign).
The Progress of Medicine
A recent addition to the masterpieces housed in the museum is Carlos Franciscos Progress of
Medicine a set of four panels depicting the evolution of medicine in the country from precolonial, colonial, American and the Modern Era (up until the time it was painted in any case,
back in 1953). These paintings were commissioned by Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing, Dean Agerico
Sison, Dr. Florentino Herrera Jr., and Dr. Constantino Manahan, and were originally installed in
the entrance hall of the Philippine General Hospital.

The paintings should be viewed chronologically, clockwise, from top left

Obviously though, being exposed to the public in uncontrolled temperature and humidity had
deteriorated the paintings so badly that several restoration works had to be done to salvage them,
until finally, it was decided that they be transferred to the Museum where they can be better
preserved for future generations. As a compromised, a detailed replica was installed in its
original location.
Under Renovation
There are still lots more rooms under renovation; indeed, there are more closed rooms than open
and I am almost giddy with anticipation for when they do finally open. I saw a note on one of the
hallways that the renovation cost for the entire place is budgeted at Php10MM and I was, to be
honest, dismayed. Even without much knowledge in construction, I knew that budget was too
small to fully restore the museum to its old grandeur. That amount is barely enough to cover one
floor, let alone a mammoth complex. I wish rich art patrons would donate to this cause because
theres a lot of potential for it to be really attractive and worth tourists money.
For those who havent visited yet, you can take the 360-degree tour here.

Homage to Dominador Castaeda | In My Studio. A study of clouds reveals

Castaeda's penchant for making careful notes of very fleeting subjects.

Death March, Dominador Castaneda, 1948

Manila Cathedral by Dominador Castaneda 1945 | by Sepia Lens

Dominador Castaeda: Roasting a pig.

DOMINADOR CASTANEDA. WAR TORN PAINTING

Dominador Castaeda: A Valley in California.

Dominador Castaeda - Beach Combers

Dominador Castaeda: Nipa hut.

Dominador Castaeda Nagdadasal

Dominador Castaeda: Vegetable garden of Pahay Pari.

Dominador Castaeda - Fields By The Hut