National Fine Arts Collection of the National Museum

“Social Cancer”
Jaime Montero
1970
Oil on Wood

In a manner where abstract was our favorite part. This South Hallway Galleries caught
our presence of calmness and as I’ve seen it was subjected as ‘Social Cancer’ and there
is one person that comes into my mind about the Social Cancer is what Dr. Jose Rizal
said on one of his masterpiece, the growing cancer in our society. For our own
understanding of the painting the broken pieces of the woods is what the society would
look like if we continue on not recognizing ourselves as a Filipino because we keep on
letting others take advantage within ourselves and nowadays the way how people treat
the society, environment, and neighbors. We sometimes showed up as a undisciplined
individual which can eventually kill our society. The way how the portrait caught our
attention is the way how we also see the society although It was a pale one but we see it
as a broken pieces of wood that can be a fragile one and once a type of cancer so terrible
that the sufferer could not bear to be touched from the Novel entitled Noli Me Tangere
and It’s indeed that Art is an aesthetic experience. We feel the presence inside of the art
from the way how it gives us a mystery and truthful message it actually fulfill our
pleasure of wanting to see a great masterpiece from a dedicated painter. It feels so
satisfying knowing the fact that a painter like him express his feelings and deep
messages which have illustrated in his painting and I know that our society have
travelled rapidly in many historical sketches and as what Annals of an English Abbey
emphasized ‘We look more steadily, and we perceive long periods of time, in which
there is first a growth and then a decay, like what we perceive in a tree of the forest’.

Getting back to the appearance and meaning of the portrait and a Social Cancer as it
appears to be even now today’s culture of patronage and corruption in government,
abetted by the citizens themselves. Focus that Dr. Jose Rizal actually dedicates most of
his work and masterpiece for our Mother Country and emphasized as “to show your
condition, faithfully and ruthlessly. I shall lift a corner of the veil which shrouds the
disease (the social cancer) sacrificing to the truth even self-love, for as your son, your
defects and weaknesses are also mine”. The disease to be called as Social Cancer appears
everywhere and every time let’s take the example of Elections that everybody was
blinded by the fame of what a candidate have although it doesn’t even have a sense of
loyalty to the country and the people they choose to vote them because of the fame and
most of the time we lack of knowledge and not knowing that the person we actually
voted is the person would drag our society into the worst part knowing the fact that they
we’re a corrupt government officials that wants to have a high government position.

Our wounded society was suffers even more you may not see it in the portrait but you
can feel it when you put yourself in that portrait. The cancer of our society in Rizal time
was already so advanced that no doctor would touch it anymore.
 National Fine Arts Collection of the National Museum

“Figurine of Victory”
Isabelo Tampinco Y Lacandola
Circa 1910
Plasters of Paris

Every art have their own meaning, doing them with love, passion and reason. We have
also prefer the figurine of victory, because for us the word victory means a lot. Holding
up the crown and blowing the horn. This figurine is not just a figurine or statue that is a
display, that victory have a meaning that is broad such as celebrating, happiness, success,
applause, survive and a lot more. The figure of this statue says for us that she is
celebrating for surviving each struggles, failure and some pain that cause her to give up
but now she is standing looking up through her will to be successful to claim that the
victory is in her. She have hope that keeps her fighting. For sure achieving her goals
have a tough journey, going or passing through her limits and giving all she got was in
there. This sculpture is a motivation to each person that is suffering and wants to succeed.
If you understand that each person have different situation in their lives and keeps
fighting even in their worst, why wouldn't you also?

In Buddhism : nirvana we remembered, life is full of suffering, the suffer is from your
passionate desire, and to stop suffering is to stop desiring. Your own expectations will
make your heart broke if does not achieve, do not expect and desire that much that it will
hurt you, do what you can and just do your best and the unexpected will come. Fight and
take every opportunity because every opportunity is a chance to hold up your own crown
and blow your horn to celebrate your victory. In phenomenology : on consciousness, we
have understand that it is all about experiences or existence in every situation. Direct-
what happened? Meaning? Legacy? And this is part of the victory. What just happened?
They have some failure, struggles during their task, but what is it for and why do they
experience such things? And is it to be strong and brave enough to face another
challenges to achieve your goal or to succeed and their legacy will be the victory which
they have succeeded to achieve. “We are the one who give sense sa mga mangyayari sa
atin’.A wisdom words from our philosophy teacher. And realizing his right, what we do
is the cause of the outcome of our task. For example, following instruction, doing what is
right, and being productive will lead you to a successful outcome. And what if you you
are lazy, just putting some effort at first but after some time will take a pause or will stop
working, what task you will finish with that? It is one of the trait that Filipino have called
ningas-kugon that starting out a task but leave it unfinished. What if the scenario is
racing? So there is a possible outcome that you may lose, because you only put your
effort at the start but losing at the end. Training less so having an outcome that is also
less. So do not expect that much if you are doing ways like this. So if you have always
wanted to claim the victory you have always wanted. Holding up your glowing crown
and your own horn that will be your noise on being successful. Not all storms come to
disrupt your life , some come to clear your path. ‘Every worthwhile accomplishment, big
or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle and a victory’ a
quote from Mahatma Gandhi.

National Museum of Fine Arts

This time our dream of seeing an historical and great arts from a various and well-known
person come true and very blessed of seeing such a calm and deep arts this time. As what
we’ve learned in previous lesson I’ve seen and understand the world in terms of
appearance and reality from the way how different arts exposed the reality in our so
09[‘ciety, environment, and nature even a person explains everything because of it’s
appearance. The beauty of an art was also exposed and how a man has learned to make
something that is useful to them and make it even more beautiful which happened to
have an appreciation each one of it even though it was seen as an abstract, tragic and
peaceful it was said to be a beautiful in it’s own manifestations. From the way how we
read and realizes each one of the art we’ve passed by vitalizes our knowledge and helps
us to think even more deeply and last that brings up to the historical touch of the culture.
The beauty of every art overflows nonstop. A existentialism was seen in the museum that
can be the relation of the individual to the world that in every art was supported by also
how an Hindu view of a Humanity’s reality how the environment and historical features
was visualized in every art shows a lot of emphasis on the attainment of self-knowledge
and hoping that in every person which has come just to see every art was made by the
use of their individual enlightenment would overcome congenital ignorance and focus on
the true knowledge of art.

And the lesson for emerging from deep within and felt a sense of being in tune with the
mystery of our own being, and with the mystery of life that transcends us from the
beauty of nature that in every small work or in every small art we’ve seen there is a
perfection attached on it they touch us deeply and the human heart is spontaneously
lifted. In a modern thinkers the beautiful encourage us to believe that nature and
humanity are part of an even bigger design and the sense of every art we’ve seen cannot
be translated or converted into a formula or recipe it actually draws our thoughts toward
a super sensible reality.
On the reality of every painters and artist that came up with an idea of creating a
masterpiece can actually felt the freedom from them by making the every strand of their
works allowing yourself on what you can do that can actually make your soul and true
self happy and satisfied. Human being is the Most Interesting in Nature During the
Modern Period says that Leadership in art reached a peak in the Renaissance period, let’s
take an example like Juan Luna which has brought and contributes many allegorical
works and creations that can actually relate to our long time great philosophers that
contribute to our external world enlightenment and the inner structure of human spirit
that merely expresses itself in the visible nature or art about us.

Although modernization destroyed traditional patterns of life it was seen as part of the
universal experience and hold great hope for the welfare of humanity just like the
Modernization of Art which we see inside the museum which claims the local aesthetics
and new society.
 Intramuros

Intramuros was an old Spanish village that when you start roaming around within your
sense of sight you can even feel the Spanish era. The churches, the museums, the capiz
windows and Spanish styled buildings which you can see that in every walls of buildings
you can see it’s old yet historical one it exposed the various culture of the Filipinos
which also help us to appreciate our environment as what our professor said in every
things you see around there is a meaning and lesson behind it and he also says that in
every things you see there is also a difference, the difference we see at every places, the
difference on we understand, and looking in every part of it. When you roam around
there would be a a big influence on that place for Dr. Jose Rizal the way how his
freedom and true self reign on our country and you would feel it in every footsteps you
make on that place. Seeing a church that was so big and elegant looking it also made me
see how historic San Agustin Church is. Moreover, it is a church that possesses prestige,
graves and all.

As a whole, I find San Agustin Church beauteous and very Spanish looking. We also see
the outside sight of Casa Manila only the outside because we just passed it through
pedicab and believing how elegant it was I think the house of Kapitan Tiago’s house
would be more splendid in the eye of my imagination somehow Casa Manila gives me a
glimpse of the past.

In this place a lot have happened, the history, and also a lot have experienced the pain
and struggles in here. The comfort women that have been harrased to give pleasure to the
Japanese soldiers and their husband and other male relatives being in prison and
drowning. It was the center of Spanish political, religious, and military power in the
region. The walled city suffered oppresive through World War II; only San Agustin
Church was left standing by war's end. Every war is unforgettable because of the
suffering every person have experienced and by that other people have known about
this because it is the history and our kababayan is kadamay to the events happened.

We liked the presence of the culture inside the Intramuros and the calmness that they
possess and the way how each in every historical buildings approaches the soul of my
inner patriotic self linking with the words that came from each building and church
although it wasn’t so clean you can overlook the Spanish vibe and we get close closer
on the different aisle and gates on the place we literally feel the Filipino vibe that
comes from our soul the way how the buildings we’re constructed although it was a
vintage one it resembles of elegant look from us. Sa bawat apak ng paa na aming
ginagalaw sa loob ng Intramuros mararamdamn mo ang bawat pagkakasunod ng mga
pangyayari noong panahon ni Rizal. At nakakatuwang isipin na ang isang kagaya
namin na nakaranas ng isang panibagong karanasan ay nabigyan namin ng halaga ang
bawat gusali na aming nadaanan.

National Museum of Anthropology

Anthropology museum says a lot about Filipino history tradition, culture and agriculture.
Being inside the museum keeps your mind in critical thinking mode, seeing things you've
never saw before and thinking how and why they have built that things for? And
knowing the true meaning what the museum is for? When we enter anthropology
museum it is like we are in the past, seeing the non colored things, the handicrafts that
Filipinos have used and also the clothing before. Entering this kind of museums made
me realized that Filipinos are very creative and strategic people realizing that the things
that we saw was made by their magical hands and they've thought on making it for them
to benefit and used it for the better results of their works or in short to make their task
easier. Seeing this kind of objects, you can see the evolution from past to present for
example their strainer; in the past their strainer is made up from nature, like leaves and in
the present it is stainless. What a quick evolution, from a basic material to materials with
chemical substance have made. The things they've used are from the nature, realizing
that they have take good care our nature because they have build many things by it. This
things are appreciated, because this are the things that show how they live their lives
before. Seeing those things and imagining how they are able to used it before time.
Historical things that have helped them to do their tasks and make their life livable.

In philosophy, critical thinking is a must for you to know and understand the deep
meaning of each events that we have experience and the things that surrounds us. What
does museum of anthropology is for? As what we have seen when we enter, we realize
that knowing the real culture and how the Filipinos have started and also motivating us is
the purpose of this museum. Motivating us, because if you are experiencing some
hardships you should know the experiences of each person in the past, building or
making their own things to use, harvesting of what they will eat, searching from books
for new knowledge while now we can just buy in any market, search on internet on what
we need. Motivating us to also work hard for what we want and what we are needing.
The history speaks out the true culture and tradition that we or they have grow through.

We are glad to be in that museum because we saw and know something new that we did
not saw and know before, because there are things that school do not teach. Also realizes
that museums gives new knowledge about our history to the new generations.
We also have seen the animals and plants that have arisen in the Philippines. Filipinos
have the nature of making their own essential or things that they have to used in a living.
Their every work are different but the same value. Animals have the value that persons
or Filipinos needing them. The animals have helping Filipinos on harvesting their foods
katulad ng kalabaw na nagiging tulong sa pag-araro upang mapadali ang kanilang
trabaho. There are also some species that Philippines only have.